Affinity Designer vs Canva
Affinity Designer and Canva are both design tools tools. Affinity Designer is aimed at freelancers and agencies, while Canva is aimed at small businesses and creators. Both have a free plan.
Professional vector design app, free since Canva
Templates for anyone to design
| Pricing | Free | Freemium · $18 |
| Starting price | Not published | $18/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | 30 days |
| Built for | Freelancers, Agencies | Small businesses, Creators |
| Platforms | macos, windows, ios | web, ios, android, macos, windows |
| Country | GB · 2014 | AU · 2013 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Affinity Designer if
Designers wanting a professional Illustrator alternative.
- Free (2025)
- Professional quality
- Fast performance
Look elsewhere if: Collaborative UI design (Figma).
Choose Canva if
Small businesses, marketers, educators and creators who need volume and speed over pixel precision.
- Anyone can produce decent-looking assets fast
- Massive template and stock library
- Team branding and approvals
Look elsewhere if: UI/UX design (Figma) or print production requiring color management (Affinity, Adobe).
Affinity Designer vs Canva pricing
Affinity Designer
- Affinity$0Free for individuals; org SSO via sales
Canva
- Free$0Templates, basic editing, 5 GB storage
- Pro$18/moOne person; $180/yr billed annually; premium assets, AI tools
- Business$25/user/mo$250/yr per person; team brand kits and controls
- EnterpriseCustomSSO, advanced governance
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
Canva · Key features
- Hundreds of thousands of templates across formats
- Magic Studio AI: text-to-image, Magic Edit, Magic Write, background remover
- Brand Kit with fonts, colors, logos and locked templates
- Video editor, presentations with presenter view, Docs and Sheets
- Content planner for scheduling social posts
- Print service and website publishing
Cons
- Designs can look generic without effort
- Limited precision compared with professional tools
- Export and typography controls are basic
Affinity Designer vs Canva: FAQ
Do Affinity Designer and Canva have a free plan?
Yes, both Affinity Designer and Canva have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, Affinity Designer or Canva?
Canva lists small businesses as a core audience, while Affinity Designer is aimed more at freelancers and agencies.