- Canva just merged three Affinity apps into one for Mac and Windows
- The new Affinity app is completely “free forever”, according to the company
- Canva has tried to allay users’ fears that there is a problem
For years, creatives discouraged by Adobe’s subscription model and constant price increases have found refuge in the Affinity suite of applications, including Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher. In a major move, those products have just been merged into a single app, with developer Canva claiming that Affinity is now “free, forever” for all users, a move that followed the company making its iPad apps free as well.
In a recent blog post, Canva stated that you’ll now get “the full, pro-grade Affinity experience,” including future feature updates, without having to pay a dime. Instead of having to download and install (and pay for) three separate Affinity apps, there is now a single app for Mac and Windows, and an iPad version is also planned.
Switches within the app allow you to switch tools between Pixel, Vector, and Design modes, corresponding to Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher, respectively.
Prior to the announcement, there was speculation and fear that Canva would introduce a subscription model, much like Adobe uses for its own creative apps. The concern was that this would replace the much-loved one-time payment model previously used by Affinity apps. Concerns were also raised that Canva could ditch the Affinity name or lock core features behind a paywall. Fortunately, it appears that none of those things have happened.
Better yet, you’ll be able to get all of Affinity’s key features for free. Canva explains that some extras, such as artificial intelligence (AI) tools, automatic background removal and portrait lighting, will require a paid Canva membership, which starts at $15 / £13 / AU$20 a month or $120 / £100 / AU$165 a year. Almost everything else, however, is free.
So what’s the problem?
It’s finally time to announce what we’ve been working on. Welcome to the new Affinity. Download now from: Welcome to the beginning of creative freedom for everyone, completely free. Forever. pic.twitter.com/8sZgeHTPHMOctober 30, 2025
This move seems attractive on the surface. After all, Canva doesn’t lock any key features behind a paywall. What you miss out on with the free version are the AI-powered tools that include generative fill, automatic background removal, super resolution enhancement, and portrait blur.
These are all useful tools, but by no means are they essential for everyone. If you’re happy with the free version, there’s obviously no recurring subscription requirement and even the Affinity name carries on. Those are all things to be happy about.
But I can’t help but worry that this may simply be a measure to generate goodwill on Canva’s part. Too often, we’ve seen services start out free and then lose their core functionality over time as users become pressured or unplanned acquisitions intervene. There’s also a chance that the paid features will change in the future, making the “free” app less attractive.
A quick look at how Google Photos eliminated its free storage perks serves as a timely reminder. The new owners of Pocket Casts also recently got into trouble over the “lifetime” membership promised by its original founders.
That said, Canva has gone out of its way to assure suspicious users that past history will not be repeated. After @Techusiast on
Likewise, the Affinity account addressed questions about how its new address will generate income and if there are any problems. In a post on X, Affinity explained: “There is no catch. We do not sell your data. We do not monetize your creativity. We do not train AI models on your work. Your work remains yours forever.”
He then added: “How do we generate revenue? Canva has created a sustainable business model that allows for this kind of generosity. And when more professionals use Affinity, Canva will be able to sell more seats to companies.” In other words, it seems like Canva sees a free Affinity app as a way to entice business users to upgrade to paid plans.
And as I mentioned above, Affinity’s website notes that the app is “free forever.” Let’s hope that promise is kept over time.
It is understandable that a measure like this could raise concerns among users; After all, eliminating three revenue streams (i.e. the previous Affinity apps) and making their flagship product free sounds too good to be true.
But Canva has clearly done the math and discovered that this strategy is at least sustainable, and if it is, amateur creatives will be in a great position, with a set of powerful free tools at their fingertips.
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