The relevant Affinity comparison has changed. Its current desktop application combines vector, pixel and layout tools in a free core product activated with a Canva account. Old comparisons based on buying separate Affinity V2 licenses no longer describe the entry cost for this app.
Affinity is a serious candidate when you want local photo work without a recurring payment for the core editor. Photoshop deserves priority when a client's editable PSD requirements or an established Adobe workflow determine the handoff. Verify the actual files before switching.
Based on the documented differences below. Your priorities can change the choice.The free core includes substantial photo tools alongside vector and page-layout work.
The new app opens V1/V2 files, but older apps cannot open files saved in the new .af format.
SourceIts native layers and Smart Objects avoid introducing another application's interpretation into that required handoff.
Published prices keep their original currency and billing terms. Taxes, promotions and checkout prices can differ.
Free individual application
AvailabilityGlobal; availability applies
Vector, Pixel and Layout tools are free with a Canva account.
SourceFree mobile app with optional premium features
AvailabilityApp availability varies by region
This does not include perpetual free desktop Photoshop.
SourceAnnual subscription billed monthly
AvailabilityUnited States
Includes desktop, web and mobile plus Express Premium. This is not a cancel-any-month plan.
SourceAnnual subscription paid upfront
AvailabilityUnited States
Official FAQ annual price; 100 GB cloud storage.
SourceAnnual subscription billed monthly
AvailabilityUnited States
Includes Photoshop and Lightroom; 1 TB shown in the comparison.
SourceEnter the offers you see at checkout. These are your estimates, separate from our sourced prices above. Use the same currency and region for every offer. This worksheet supports monthly bills, annual bills and purchases that cover the full year. Day-based passes and introductory rates need their actual renewal schedule checked separately.
The scenario starts with a payment today and assumes 12 months of use at the same entered price, including any renewal. Monthly extras repeat 12 times; one-time extras are counted once. It excludes discounts, price changes, refunds, cancellation fees and anything you have not entered. Amounts are rounded to the currency’s usual precision. Confirm the actual charge and contract with the vendor.
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12 features
Row headings group related topics. Each answer keeps its specific scope. An unverified answer means we do not have enough evidence.
Devices
The new app supports Windows and macOS. Its iPad edition is listed as coming soon.
Offline access
Online download and Canva activation are required; core use can continue offline for extended periods.
Offline use
Installed apps can work offline after activation; periodic licensing checks and plan-dependent grace periods apply.
Team handoff
Files can be exported to Canva for shared work. This does not establish simultaneous editing of a local .af document.
Output formats
The photo guide lists JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WebP and press-ready PDF. Exported PNG/PDF is not an editable Photoshop round-trip.
Save choices
Save locally or to Creative Cloud. Save a Copy can produce flattened JPEG or PNG while preserving the working document.
PSD import
Layered PSD import can retain masks, groups and adjustments; Smart Objects and advanced filters may flatten.
Editable objects
Embedded Smart Objects preserve source information; PSD, TIFF or PSB can retain layers while JPEG flattens them.
Free core
Vector, Pixel and Layout studios plus customization and export are free with a Canva account.
AI entitlement
The Photoshop single-app offer lists 25 monthly generative credits. Larger bundles have different allowances.
Local content
Affinity states that local content is not used to train its AI. Uploading or exporting to Canva introduces Canva privacy settings.
Not yet verified for this product.
V1 and V2 migration
The new app opens V1/V2 files, but older apps cannot open files saved in the new .af format.
Not yet verified for this product.
Photo workflow
The photo toolkit includes RAW development, live filters, masks, HDR merging and batch macros.
Not yet verified for this product.
Local or cloud
The default save location can be set to the computer or Creative Cloud.
Not yet verified for this product.
AI Assistant availability
The current mobile page places AI Assistant beta on web and mobile and explicitly excludes desktop.
| Feature | Affinity | Adobe Photoshop |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Devices The new app supports Windows and macOS. Its iPad edition is listed as coming soon. Vendor documentedSource | Devices Desktop on Windows and macOS with separate web, phone and iPad experiences. |
| Offline use | Offline access Online download and Canva activation are required; core use can continue offline for extended periods. Vendor documentedSource | Offline use Installed apps can work offline after activation; periodic licensing checks and plan-dependent grace periods apply. Vendor documentedSource |
| Collaboration | Team handoff Files can be exported to Canva for shared work. This does not establish simultaneous editing of a local .af document. Vendor documentedSource | Review and editing Share for review supports browser comments. Invite to Edit lets collaborators edit a cloud document one at a time; Photoshop warns when someone else is editing. |
| Export | Output formats The photo guide lists JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WebP and press-ready PDF. Exported PNG/PDF is not an editable Photoshop round-trip. Vendor documentedSource | Save choices Save locally or to Creative Cloud. Save a Copy can produce flattened JPEG or PNG while preserving the working document. Vendor documentedSource |
| Project portability | PSD import Layered PSD import can retain masks, groups and adjustments; Smart Objects and advanced filters may flatten. Vendor documentedSource | Editable objects Embedded Smart Objects preserve source information; PSD, TIFF or PSB can retain layers while JPEG flattens them. Vendor documentedSource |
| Free plan limits | Free core Vector, Pixel and Layout studios plus customization and export are free with a Canva account. Vendor documentedSource | Free scope Free mobile and iPad apps have optional premium features. Desktop pricing offers a seven-day trial rather than an ongoing free desktop plan. |
| AI features | Premium AI Canva premium plans unlock integrated generative tools. Allowances and eligibility should be checked against the current Canva plan. | AI entitlement The Photoshop single-app offer lists 25 monthly generative credits. Larger bundles have different allowances. Vendor documentedSource |
| Privacy and storage | Local content Affinity states that local content is not used to train its AI. Uploading or exporting to Canva introduces Canva privacy settings. Vendor documentedSource | Not yet verified for this product. |
| V1 and V2 migration | V1 and V2 migration The new app opens V1/V2 files, but older apps cannot open files saved in the new .af format. Vendor documentedSource | Not yet verified for this product. |
| Nondestructive changes | Photo workflow The photo toolkit includes RAW development, live filters, masks, HDR merging and batch macros. Vendor documentedSource | Nondestructive changes Adjustment layers, masks and Smart Objects support revisable image workflows. |
| Local or cloud | Not yet verified for this product. | Local or cloud The default save location can be set to the computer or Creative Cloud. Vendor documentedSource |
| AI Assistant availability | Not yet verified for this product. | AI Assistant availability The current mobile page places AI Assistant beta on web and mobile and explicitly excludes desktop. Vendor documentedSource |
Affinity's new core application is free for individual use with a Canva account. Optional premium Canva integrations are separate from the base editing tools. Photoshop's verified US single-app offer includes $22.99 per month on an annual commitment billed monthly, plus a separate annual prepaid option. These are desktop comparisons: Adobe's free mobile entry does not establish a free desktop Photoshop license. Compare the plan that actually runs your workflow and include any existing entitlement before deciding that an additional subscription is necessary.
Source 1Source 2Source 3Source 4Affinity's documented photo tools include RAW development, masks, live filters, HDR merging and batch macros. Photoshop documents its own layers, retouching tools and Smart Objects. Those lists show substantial editing scope, but they do not establish equal results or equal time to finish. Choose a representative photograph and define the desired correction before testing either application. Keep track of steps you repeat across a batch. This documented comparison has not run a matched photo task, measured responsiveness or evaluated the visual quality of the resulting image.
Source 1Source 2Source 3Affinity's detailed guidance says imported PSD files can retain masks, groups and adjustments while some Smart Objects or advanced filters may flatten. That qualification matters more than a broad compatibility headline. A flattened element can still look correct when you open the image, yet become unsuitable for the next revision. Use a copy of a representative client file and inspect the layers that must remain editable. Ask the recipient to check the returned file as well. Visual similarity alone does not prove that a round-trip preserves the working structure.
Source 1Source 2Source 3The new Affinity application can open V1 and V2 files, but its new .af format does not open back in those older applications. That creates a particular issue for a workflow involving the existing iPad version: the new iPad app is still listed as coming soon. Preserve original files while trying the new desktop application and agree which version collaborators will use. A free upgrade can still impose a workflow change if one person cannot open the newly saved master. Do not overwrite the only copy during an initial evaluation.
SourceAffinity requires online download and account activation, after which core use can continue offline for extended periods. Photoshop's installed desktop applications can also operate offline after activation, subject to Adobe's license-verification rules. Connected features require their own checks. Affinity's integrated Canva features are not proof that a local .af document supports simultaneous editing. Photoshop separates browser review comments from Invite to Edit, which uses cloud documents one collaborator at a time. Decide whether you need independent local work, review comments or shared editing, then test the relevant route instead of treating them as one collaboration feature.
Source 1Source 2Source 3Source 4Source 5If the client needs a finished PNG, TIFF or PDF, either workflow may be worth evaluating against that output requirement. If the client needs an editable Photoshop document with preserved source objects, the compatibility burden is more specific. Affinity's photo guidance does not establish that exporting a flattened delivery file preserves Photoshop editability. Keep an editable master separately from final exports and rehearse one round of client revisions. The most useful saving is a workflow you can maintain; a lower entry price alone does not compensate for repeated repair of a required handoff.
Source 1Source 2Source 3Evaluate Affinity first when free local editing and finished outputs match your needs. Keep Photoshop when native Photoshop editability is a requirement until representative files prove that a different workflow can satisfy it. Retain originals throughout an Affinity version migration.
Its current core desktop application is free with a Canva account. Older V2 purchase pricing should not be presented as the new app's entry price.
The verified desktop offer is paid after its trial. Adobe's free mobile access is a different product route with its own scope.
Evidence used for this comparison. A checked date records when we reviewed the source, not a promise that the vendor has made no changes since.
www.canva.com · AI access is evolving. General Affinity FAQ wording is broader than Canva's distinction between on-device and premium AI.
www.affinity.studio · Current free product and V2 migration guidance; old V2 purchase prices are not used.
www.affinity.studio
www.affinity.studio · The detailed FAQ qualifies broad PSD compatibility marketing.
helpx.adobe.com · Adobe's 6 October guidance describes one collaborator editing at a time and a version-conflict warning when another person is editing.
www.adobe.com
www.adobe.com
helpx.adobe.com
helpx.adobe.com
www.adobe.com · Fresh US-targeted Firecrawl retrieval resolved currency. Promotional suite prices are excluded from the recorded plans.
helpx.adobe.com
helpx.adobe.com · Adobe's redirected review article still documents browser comments; the separate cloud-document article covers Invite to Edit.
Graphic design · Choose GIMP when an open-source desktop workflow fits the job and you can validate the handoff. Choose Photoshop when a specific Adobe capability or client requirement justifies the subscription. Keep GIMP's native XCF archive separate from files exported for other applications.
Graphic design · Try Photopea for a small browser-based edit or a PSD you need to inspect. Choose Photoshop when a required Adobe workflow, detailed capability or client file handoff makes it necessary. Neither name guarantees that a complex document will behave exactly as you expect.
Graphic design · Shortlist Canva for a reusable content workspace with its current brand tools. Shortlist Express when Adobe asset handoffs or a monthly Premium commitment fit your work. Start with the free plans and one real deliverable rather than paying for a longer feature list.
