Happy Valley

Adobe Firefly vs Affinity Designer

Adobe Firefly and Affinity Designer are both design tools tools. Adobe Firefly is aimed at creators and agencies, while Affinity Designer is aimed at freelancers and agencies. Both have a free plan.

Adobe Firefly

Adobe's generative AI studio for images, video and audio

Affinity Designer

Professional vector design app, free since Canva

PricingFreemium · $10Free
Starting price$9.99/moNot published
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Built forCreators, Agencies, Enterprise, FreelancersFreelancers, Agencies
Platformsweb, ios, androidmacos, windows, ios
CountryUS · 2023GB · 2014
Rating——

Choose Adobe Firefly if

Designers, agencies and marketing teams already working in Creative Cloud who want commercially safer generative images and video inside Adobe tools.

  • Trained on licensed content, positioned as safe for commercial work
  • Deep integration with Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere Pro
  • Standard image features are unlimited on every paid plan

Look elsewhere if: Artists chasing the most distinctive image aesthetics or non-designers who want quick templates (Midjourney or Canva).

Choose Affinity Designer if

Designers wanting a professional Illustrator alternative.

  • Free (2025)
  • Professional quality
  • Fast performance

Look elsewhere if: Collaborative UI design (Figma).

Adobe Firefly vs Affinity Designer pricing

Adobe Firefly

  • Free$0Daily free generations across image, video and audio
  • Firefly Standard$9.99/mo2,000 generative credits/mo; unlimited standard image features
  • Firefly Pro$19.99/mo4,000 credits/mo; adds Photoshop on web and mobile
  • Firefly Pro Plus$49.99/mo10,000 credits/mo; up to 100 five-second videos
  • Firefly Premium$199.99/mo50,000 credits/mo; unlimited Firefly Video Model use

Affinity Designer

  • Affinity$0Free for individuals; org SSO via sales

Adobe Firefly · Key features

  • Text to image with Firefly Image models and partner models
  • Generative Fill and Expand inside Photoshop and the Firefly app
  • Text to video and image to video with the Firefly Video Model
  • Speech generation, sound effects, music and audio or video translation
  • Partner models including GPT Image, Gemini, FLUX, Runway, Kling and Luma
  • Firefly Boards for collaborative moodboards and ideation

Cons

  • Credit system for video, audio and partner models is hard to predict
  • Image style can look more generic than Midjourney output
  • Content filters are stricter than many rivals

Affinity Designer · Key features

  • Vector and raster workflows in one app
  • Artboards and symbols
  • Precise typography and print tools
  • iPad version
  • PSD, AI, PDF compatibility
  • Unified with Photo and Publisher

Cons

  • Less collaboration than Figma
  • Smaller plugin ecosystem
  • Some Adobe file incompatibilities

Adobe Firefly vs Affinity Designer: FAQ

Do Adobe Firefly and Affinity Designer have a free plan?

Yes, both Adobe Firefly and Affinity Designer have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Not sure yet?