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Affinity Designer vs Zeplin

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

Affinity Designer

Professional vector design app, free since Canva

Zeplin

Design hand-off and documentation for product teams

PricingFreeFreemium · $14
Starting priceNot published$13.75/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Built forFreelancers, AgenciesDevelopers, Agencies
Platformsmacos, windows, iosweb, macos, windows
CountryGB · 2014TR · 2014
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 Zeplin if

Larger product teams and agencies that want a curated hand-off layer.

  • Clear separation of 'ready for dev' designs
  • Works across multiple design tools
  • Good for regulated or large teams needing approvals

Look elsewhere if: Small Figma-only teams already using Dev Mode.

Affinity Designer vs Zeplin pricing

Affinity Designer

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

Zeplin

  • Free$01 project, 100 screens, unlimited users
  • Basicfrom $13.75/moPer project (1-12 projects), annual; unlimited users, 1,000 screens
  • Advanced$12/seat/moPaid annually; 50 projects, unlimited screens, Flow Boards
  • EnterpriseCustomUnlimited projects, SSO, MFA, SCIM, 24-hr support SLA

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

Zeplin · Key features

  • Publish approved screens from Figma, Sketch, XD
  • Specs, assets and code snippets for developers
  • Flows and annotations to explain behavior
  • Styleguides with tokens and component documentation
  • Version history and change tracking
  • Jira, Slack, Storybook and VS Code integrations

Cons

  • Figma Dev Mode overlaps heavily
  • Extra cost on top of Figma
  • Less relevant for Figma-only small teams

Affinity Designer vs Zeplin: FAQ

Do Affinity Designer and Zeplin have a free plan?

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

Not sure yet?