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Affinity Designer vs Figma

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

Affinity Designer

Professional vector design app, free since Canva

Figma

Collaborative interface design in the browser

PricingFreeFreemium · $20
Starting priceNot published$20/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Built forFreelancers, AgenciesDevelopers, Agencies, Enterprise
Platformsmacos, windows, iosweb, macos, windows
CountryGB · 2014US · 2012
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 Figma if

Product teams, agencies and freelancers designing software interfaces collaboratively.

  • Industry standard; everyone can collaborate
  • Powerful design systems tooling
  • Dev Mode shortens hand-off

Look elsewhere if: Illustration or print work (Affinity), or budget-constrained teams willing to self-host (Penpot).

Affinity Designer vs Figma pricing

Affinity Designer

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

Figma

  • Starter$0Unlimited drafts, 150 AI credits/day
  • Professional$20/full seat/mo$16 billed annually; Dev seat $12, Collab seat $3
  • Organization$55/full seat/moBilled annually; Dev seat $25, Collab seat $5
  • Enterprise$90/full seat/moBilled annually; Dev seat $35, Collab seat $5

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

Figma · Key features

  • Multiplayer editing with comments and version history
  • Components, variants, variables and auto layout
  • Advanced prototyping with conditional logic and animations
  • Dev Mode: inspect, code snippets, Code Connect to real components
  • FigJam whiteboards, Slides, Sites and AI features
  • Plugin and widget ecosystem with thousands of extensions

Cons

  • Price per full seat is high, especially at Organization
  • Seat types and billing can be confusing
  • Performance degrades on very large files

Affinity Designer vs Figma: FAQ

Do Affinity Designer and Figma have a free plan?

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

Not sure yet?