- Three Affinity apps now free on the App Store
- There is no official announcement and it may not last
- The price removal comes ahead of a secret announcement on October 30.
Affinity Designer, Photo, and Publisher are free on iPad right now. I’m not sure how long this will last, so I’ll cut to the chase: you can get them all in the App Store by clicking here.
If you want to try three of the best creative software you can get, you’ll want to do it while you can. Seriously, these apps are phenomenally good and rival Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign in terms of features and workflow.
The price drop from $19/£18 to absolutely nothing comes ahead of a mysterious announcement from Affinity and company owner Canva scheduled for October 30.
Affinity is up to something, I can feel it in my bones
I have been a big fan of the Affinity suite for a long time. Not only do they offer one of the best alternatives to Adobe apps, but I also love the pricing model. Pay once and own it forever. In a sea of subscriptions, it’s surprisingly simple, affordable, and consumer-friendly.
So what is on offer here?
Affinity Designer 2 is the company’s answer to Adobe Illustrator for graphic designers and artists. Available in the App Store by clicking here.
Affinity Photo 2 is an alternative to Photoshop that allows you to edit professional-quality images. View in the App Store by clicking here.
Affinity Publisher 2 is my favorite alternative to InDesign for page layout designers. It’s in the App Store by clicking here.
In our reviews, everyone received a Editor’s Choice award, and the iPad and desktop versions offer creative parity, with the added benefit of using touch on Apple’s tablet.
But something strange is afoot.
It all started in 2024, when Canva bought the company and confirmed that, unlike the Canva platform, Affinity would maintain the perpetual licensing model.
Then, several weeks ago, the Affinity website went down. There’s no way to purchase the desktop apps, or even the ability to see what they do. In fact, nothing, except a single promise: “Creative freedom is coming.”
Well it seems that freesun arrived early for iPad owners, with the current V2 versions of Designer, Photo, and Publisher available to download through the App Store at no cost.
Of course, some Adobe creative apps, like the lighter Express design app, are free on mobile devices, but they still have subscriptions attached for AI assets and credits. What you get from Affinity is a complete set of professional creative tools for the princely sum of… nothing.
Grab all three while you can right here.
