# Affinity Designer Reviews **Vendor:** Serif **Category:** [Vector Graphics Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/vector-graphics) **Average Rating:** 4.6/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 259 ## About Affinity Designer Proud winner of an Apple Design Award in 2015, Affinity Designer brings inspiration to illustration in a strong, sleek tool. Combining vector design and raster finishing naturally in one tool, this innovative illustrator lets your ideas flow. Put simply, its speed, power and precision make creating art feel fun and spontaneous again, while delivering high-end results in both macOS and Windows. “We’ve been wondering when a serious challenger would appear, and Serif has thrown down the gauntlet in fine style.” Expert Reviews “Stunningly powerful.” TechRadar “Great UI, buttery smooth software and jaw dropping price.” Medium.com “A very attractive investment for anyone from beginners to professionals.” Touch Reviews “A remarkably polished design environment.” Stack Social ## Affinity Designer Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users admire the **user-friendly interface** of Affinity Designer, making design tasks accessible and efficient for everyone. (11 reviews) - Users highlight the **seamless vector and raster integration** in Affinity Designer as a game-changer for creative flexibility. (6 reviews) - Users value the **quality** of Affinity Designer, praising its seamless vector and raster functionality within a single app. (6 reviews) - Users love the **flexibility of vector and raster integration** , enabling seamless design without the need for multiple applications. (6 reviews) - Users value the **affordability** of Affinity Designer, making it a cost-effective alternative to expensive software options. (5 reviews) - Users appreciate the **easy-to-use tools** in Affinity Designer, which enhance their design experience and versatility. (4 reviews) - Users value the **compatibility** of Affinity Designer with Adobe Illustrator, enhancing their design experience effortlessly. (3 reviews) - Users appreciate the **affordable pricing and professional interface** of Affinity Designer, making it an excellent alternative to Adobe Illustrator. (3 reviews) - Vector Editing (3 reviews) - Efficiency Improvement (2 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users find **tool limitations** in Affinity Designer due to its smaller ecosystem and lack of advanced features. (4 reviews) - Users experience **import issues** due to limited file compatibility and a smaller ecosystem of third-party resources. (3 reviews) - Users find **limited features** in Affinity Designer compared to industry standards, impacting functionality and client interactions. (3 reviews) - Users find the **complexity of tools** in Affinity Designer challenging, especially for newcomers and transitioning users. (2 reviews) - Users experience **performance issues** with Affinity Designer, particularly when handling complex files on Windows. (2 reviews) - Vector Issues (2 reviews) - Users note **compatibility issues** with certain file types when converting from other software, affecting overall usability. (1 reviews) - Design Limitations (1 reviews) - Users note **high system requirements** for Affinity Designer, leading to performance lags with complex files on Windows. (1 reviews) - Learning Curve (1 reviews) ## Affinity Designer Reviews ### 1. Powerful Professional Design Tool Without Subscription Fatigue **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Rohit M. | Product designer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 06, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** What I like most about Affinity Designer is how it combines professional-grade capabilities with speed and simplicity. A few things really stand out to me. The one-time purchase model means there’s no forced subscription, which many designers appreciate, especially compared with Adobe’s ecosystem. Performance is also extremely smooth, even when I’m working on large artboards or more complex vector files. The Persona system is another highlight. Being able to switch between Vector, Pixel, and Export workflows within the same app feels genuinely efficient and keeps my process moving. On top of that, the UI is clean and less overwhelming, while still being powerful enough for branding, UI design, illustrations, icons, and social creatives. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** Some of the biggest drawbacks people mention about Affinity Designer are less about raw design capability and more about ecosystem maturity and workflow compatibility. Common frustrations include: Smaller ecosystem compared to Adobe - Fewer plugins, integrations, templates, tutorials, and third-party resources. - Harder to find team workflows built around it. Collaboration limitations - Not as seamless for real-time collaboration or developer handoff compared to tools like Figma. - Can feel isolated in team environments. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Affinity Designer solves several major problems for designers by providing a professional design tool that is fast, affordable, and efficient without relying on expensive subscriptions. The biggest benefits are: It removes the burden of recurring monthly costs while still offering professional-grade vector and graphic design capabilities. It helps create logos, illustrations, UI assets, social creatives, and branding materials in a smooth and lightweight workflow. The software performs well even on complex projects, which makes the design process feel faster and less frustrating. ### 2. Simple to Pick Up, Powerful Once You Get Into It **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Daniel B. | Content Producer, Designer, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 28, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Still pretty new to Affinity Designer, but it’s been easier to pick up than I expected. I like not having to switch tools for vector and raster work—it speeds up my workflow a lot. A few things feel different coming from other software, but overall it’s been solid and reliable so far. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** some tools feel a bit hidden compared to what I’m used to, so I occasionally slow down trying to find things. Also, compatibility with files from other software isn’t always perfect, which can be a bit frustrating when collaborating. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** It helps me avoid jumping between multiple tools for vector and basic raster edits, which saves time and keeps my workflow more focused. As someone doing freelance and small projects, it also cuts down software costs while still letting me deliver solid, professional-looking results. ### 3. Review **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Gianluca R. | copy creative, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 01, 2026 ### 4. Affordable Adobe Alternative with Great UI **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Pruthviraj M. | Product Designer, Design, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 12, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** I believe the UI is really great, and it feels lightweight, not overwhelming like Adobe tools. The actual tools needed are right in front, which makes it convenient. There's this toggle feature where you can easily switch between vector and raster modes, and that's really good. Also, the inclusion of a feature similar to Canva AI is a good addition, and I'm planning to try it in the future. Using Affinity Designer means all the AI, EPS, and other file formats can be opened in a single application without the need for multiple Adobe applications. It's great as an alternative for Adobe's creative suite since it feels similar and the basic tools are the same. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** I feel it would be really great if Affinity Designer could be made similar to Figma as a web-based platform. Sometimes if the files are local and I want to share them, I have to share the actual file. A web-based application would make collaboration easier. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** I find Affinity Designer solves the problem of high Adobe costs, providing the ability to open AI, EPS, and other formats in one app. It's reliable for social media creatives and basic illustrations, offering a lightweight UI that's not overwhelming. ### 5. Free, Professional Design Tool That EASILY Rivals Illustrator **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Alejandro R. | Product Designer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 28, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** It’s free, and it’s a professional design tool for creating print-ready files as well as logos and branding for companies. It’s so complete and robust that you can basically do anything you’d be able to do in Illustrator. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** It still needs more ways to create shapes and paths, similar to Illustrator. I feel like it’s still missing a few features overall, and sometimes exporting files can alter the design, especially when I’m using text. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** It really helps me create print-ready files and design logos for companies when designing or redesigning brands. ### 6. Affordable, Intuitive Vector Tools That Are Easy to Pick Up **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Marketing and Advertising | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 28, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** It's really affordable and offers good array of tools and great for vector work. I'm a marketer not a designer and I find it easy to use, it's intuitive enough to be able to pick up fairly quickly especially if you've used Adobe before. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** There's not a great deal to dislike. No it's not Adobe but neither is the price. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** I was looking for a cost-effective way to create designs, logos, POD, and more, and this ticks all the boxes for my business. It fits what I need and makes it easier to produce the kind of work I’m aiming for. ### 7. Effortlessly Fast and Budget-Friendly Design Tool **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Valeria S. | Executive Producer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 05, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** I like the option to globally change and update colors in Affinity Designer because we often have to reskin the design systems. Being able to apply different brand colors to all our components and their states is a very handy feature. It makes rebranding our components for different companies and campaigns very, very easy and seamless. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** Not a lot of third party integrations or plugins **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Affinity Designer is great for creating a vector-based design asset library inspected by developers and turned into components. Global color changes simplify reskinning for different brands, making rebranding easy and seamless. ### 8. Versatile Designing with Room for Improvement **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Rakesh M. | Head **Reviewed Date:** January 31, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Some of the best features of affinity designer as far as the vector plus raster in one app you know it’s another great space that actually helps in providing the pain the texture, the shading without leaving the file. The second best thing about them affinity designer is of course super fast and lightweight. Great thing I loved it actually **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** I dislike that affinity designer is a smaller plug-in ecosystem and fewer third-party resources compared to Adobe industrial operation is still limited. So file compatibility with some client can be an issue consideration features and cloud-based workplace are also wekaer **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Offended designers, all the problems, expensive subscription-based design software by offering a powerful one time purchase it benefits me by combining vector and rest of her close in a single application, improving speed, creative flow and efficient ### 9. A Snappy, Subscription-Free Pro Alternative to Adobe **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Marketing and Advertising | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 02, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Switching between Vector and Pixel personas is seamless, and the performance is way snappier than Photoshop. The best part? No predatory subscriptions. It’s a pro-grade powerhouse you actually own. It’s easily the best Adobe alternative on the market. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** AI features still need a canva subscription. but for most usecases it more than what we need. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Affinity Designer kills the "subscription tax." For those of us who don’t use it daily, like project managers, the one-time buy is a total budget lifesaver. No more jumping between apps either; having vector and pixel tools in one place is pure efficiency. It’s pro power without the monthly bill. ### 10. A worthy Rival to Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Non-Profit Organization Management | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 25, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** It has many of the same features you would find on Adobe programs, but I find it much more intuitive. Its the only program I can think to rival the long standing Industry standards like Photoshop and Illustrator **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** It does take some onboarding, like any software. There are also some small improvements that could be made, like keeping me logged in so I don't have to go through the screen each time I boot up the program **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** A non-subscription-based design program with deep creative control ### 11. Personalized Creation Powerhouse—The tool of the moment. **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** José Antonio M. | Conceptual Design Specialist, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 02, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** The program for personalized creation for the new era. Once you cross that learning threshold, you won't want to go back to any other program. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** That same learning time that you have to dedicate to learning the basics **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Its new shortcuts and ways of processing the finishes of each design. And above all, its interface for each tool. ### 12. Comprehensive Design Tool with Minor AI Shortcomings **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Muhammad Rizky B. **Reviewed Date:** December 11, 2025 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** I find Affinity Designer really good and worth using. The newest version is really attractive and it can do almost everything like Photoshop, illustrating, and layout tasks. It even supports reading and recollecting, which is amazing to see. I really like that it's not just one tool; it's every tool in one. I really appreciate the features because they give us the best experience. The setup meets my expectations because it really looks like a tough illustrator, so it wasn't very hard to learn. Plus, it has a very interactive UI, making it easy to do everything. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** I find that Affinity Designer doesn't meet my expectations in AI features. It doesn't look as good as other AI software. Additionally, there are little things that need improvement, like AI and adaptation in RTL format. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use Affinity Designer for great design and 3D project rendering. It's comprehensive, combining tools for Photoshop, illustration, layout, and more, making it really worth using. ### 13. Fluid, Fast, and No Subscription **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Andrea R. | Graphic designer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 11, 2025 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** I like that Affinity Designer is very fast and allows for a smooth experience, even when I work with large projects, it continues to function very well without freezing. It is a very intuitive tool; it was very quick to understand the interface when I started using it. Additionally, I really appreciate that it doesn't have a monthly subscription, but rather is a one-time purchase. It is also very useful because it allows me to design logos and icons and export them in SVG, serving as a quick alternative to other tools like AI. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** I feel that there are features that could be further developed or elaborated on, they could add the possibility of adding plugins like in Illustrator. The interactive tracing tool or Autotrace has details that it doesn't detect well, it uses too many nodes, many irregular edges. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Affinity Designer allows me to design logos and icons quickly and export them in SVG. It does not require a subscription, which is a great relief. Its interface is intuitive, and the performance is smooth even on large projects. It is a great alternative to Illustrator. ### 14. Easiest-to-Understand Design Software with Powerful Functionality **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Saúl G. | Analist, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 08, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Its functionalities are easier to understand than any other design software. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** Honestly, I don't find any flaws or insurmountable complexities that are present in other software. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** As someone who is not a designer, I find the tool's capabilities very accessible. ### 15. A Solid Photoshop Alternative with a Familiar Feel **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Media Production | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 01, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** I like that it is an alternative to Adobe Photoshop and functions very similar. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** I wish that it had more of the same features as Adobe Photoshop. One key feature that I love from Adobe Photoshop is generative fill that is not easily done well in Affinity **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** It helps us get away from subscriptions. That is our main reason for getting away from Adobe products and using Affinity. ### 16. Affinity Designer Review **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** simon l. | Founder and Designer at Luntdesign, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 27, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** It is alot less money than adobe and gives me most of what I need to create the work I do **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** I need to create vectors from images and also outline fonts but I think that has now been solved with the new canva app **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** As I designer it does pretty much anything I need and it is improving all thew time so at present I am happy ### 17. Best Creative Design Software: All the Tools You Need, Easy to Use **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Bhavuk K. | Graphic Designer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 29, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** The best Creative design software, with all required tools and easy to use . Used more than 100 times and created multiple Project, easy to integrate **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** The Tools is bit complex for new user, but could be familiar after a few timesof usage **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** The Problem of all tools for design at one place is expert and well-equipped ### 18. Victorious Vectors **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Alan H. | Artist, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 27, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** I like I'm easily able to create seamless vectors. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** I dislike the little annoying things such as the program not drawing properly when connected to my tablet or vectors not welding correctly. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Affinity Designer solves my graphics problems to a T. I've been reliably able to create stunning artworks for over 5 years now thanks to Affinity. ### 19. Super handy and very useful to all **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Naushad K. | Fashion designer , Apparel & Fashion, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 24, 2025 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** The most helpful thing is Vector + Raster flexibility, and the biggest upside is pro-level design without expensive subscriptions. The ability to switch seamlessly between vector and raster modes (called Personas in Affinity). We can create sharp, scalable vector outlines (perfect for logos, fashion flats, or clean illustrations). Then instantly switch to pixel/raster mode to add texture, shading, embroidery detail, or fabric effects. All in the same file, without needing two separate apps (like Illustrator + Photoshop). This saves tons of time and makes it very flexible for both precision design and creative illustration. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** Compared to Adobe Illustrator and other high-end graphic tools, Affinity sometimes lacks features such as: Image tracing / auto-vectorization. Some complex warp/distort/envelope tools, blend-tools, or vector effects/filters. No built-in “vector eraser” in some contexts, making corrections harder. If I had to pick the biggest downside: that would likely be “feature gaps with respect to Illustrator / industry standard vector tools” (especially when clients expect certain file types or tools). Also, performance on Windows sometimes lags behind what users expect (especially with complex files). **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Affinity Designer solves several business problems for creative professionals, studios, and small brands that need high-quality design work without the overhead of expensive or complex software. Affinity Designer solves the cost, workflow efficiency, and accessibility problems of professional graphic design, while still offering speed, flexibility, and high-quality results. ### 20. User-Friendly Design Tool with Non-Destructive Editing **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Piyush P S. | Educator, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 09, 2025 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** I use Affinity Designer for designing posters, flyers, and certificates. I love that Affinity Designer simplifies access to tools with a user-friendly interface, unlike other complex software. I also really appreciate the non-destructive editing, which keeps original layers and files alive. The selection of Affinity Designer was influenced by its user-friendly tools and its ability to collaborate with Canva. It was easy to set up compared to other design software. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** I have not found any dislikes so far, but the user interface could be developed to be much easier to handle. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Affinity Designer simplifies access to tools with its user-friendly interface and offers non-destructive editing, keeping original layers and files intact. ### 21. Stable, Free, and Feature-Packed. Hard to Beat **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Health, Wellness and Fitness | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 08, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** The software is very stable. It's free and feature packed. Hard to recommend another competitor. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** I wish it was available on Linux so I could use it personally. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Easy to access, professional design features that don't break the budget. It allows us to create media for print and digital. ### 22. Powerful, User-Friendly Vector Design at a Great Value **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Leisure, Travel & Tourism | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 14, 2025 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Affinity Designer offers a user-friendly interface and high-performance vector design tools that make it easy to create professional-quality graphics. The one-time purchase model is cost-effective compared to subscription-based alternatives, and the software runs smoothly even on mid-range hardware. Frequent updates and cross-platform support enhance its usability for both print and digital design. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** Affinity Designer lacks some advanced features found in other industry-standard tools, especially in terms of collaboration and third-party plugin support. There can be a learning curve for users transitioning from other platforms, and some export options are limited. Integration with other design software could be more seamless. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Affinity Designer solves the need for a robust, affordable graphic design tool without ongoing subscription costs. It enables the creation of both vector and raster designs in a single application, streamlining my workflow and improving efficiency. The intuitive interface and fast performance save time on design tasks, while the one-time purchase model makes it an attractive option for freelancers and small businesses. ### 23. Outstanding! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Brian H. | Brick Designer, Design, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 09, 2025 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** I was looking for an affordable yet professional alternative to Adobe Illustrator, and this is the best of the best! Affinity Designer has a perpetual license for an affordable price, compared to Adobe that offers an expensive subscription. In my opinion, the interface is easier to use than Adobe Illustrator, and seems to have just about everything Illustrator has (if not more). How things are done will be slightly different than Illustrator, but in my opinion it's a perk because it makes my work more efficient. I highly recommend Affinity Designer, especially if you are a professional graphic designer on a budget. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** The only con is that it cannot export in Adobe Illustrator AI files. This makes it hard to share original files with clients and coworkers who only use adobe. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** It's affordable! The problem I had was that I couldn't afford continuing to pay for an Adobe subscription, but I still needed to perform quality graphic design work for my clients. ### 24. Effortless Vector Design with Lifetime Value **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Aman V. | Logo Animator, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 17, 2025 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** I use Affinity Designer for vector design and editing vector files like logos and banners. I like that it's easy and fast for vector editing and design. The lifetime deal aspect is great too. Also, I find the pen tool very easy to use compared to Illustrator. Setting it up was easy, and I'd definitely recommend it. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** The export option is a bit confusing. I'd like it to be more simple and quick. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use Affinity Designer for easy and fast vector editing and designing logos and banners. ### 25. Game-Changer Integration with Canva, Plus Great Brushes and an Easy Interface **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Graphic Design | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 03, 2026 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** I love the texture and blending brushes, the interface is just as easy as illustrator and love that it is now integrated with Canva, which is game changer! Love that it has about all the same features as Illustrator. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** It would be awesome to have a font integration similar to adobe fonts. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** It is more accessible that adobe illustrator. ### 26. Can get the job done **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Wyce G. | Graphic Designer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 28, 2025 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** The best thing about Affinity Designer is the affordability. Other publisher apps charge an arm and a leg. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** Affinity Designer is not as intuitive as I would like it to be after using other similar apps for years. Also Affinity Designer is a bit buggy and the screen takes time to refresh after a change is made. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Affinity Designer allows me to layout social posts and other media formats in a professional way. It lacks little when it comes to creating media for professional printing or social media posting. ### 27. A powerful graphic design software, excellent alternative to more renowned and expensive products **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jacopo Z. | Marketing specialist, Retail, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 18, 2025 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** This software is very reliable and fast, it can edit even large files without stress (vector and raster graphics). I also appreciate the fact that it has a perpetual license instead of the annual subscription, the cost is adequate. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** Nothing in particular, just some rare lags when opening large files with many embedded elements. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** This software allows me to edit vector graphics files in a fluid, simple and structured way, with professional tools that are very similar to the ones available in Illustrator, but at a significantly reduced cost. ### 28. The best alternative to the competition **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Apparel & Fashion | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 08, 2025 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** It is worth mentioning positively that Affinity does not have a subscription system. YOU pay for the software and get the updates for free. I love the interface. It looks much more modern and you find the tools faster than with Adobe. There are enough tutorials for the tool. Of course, it can't be compared to Adobe, but that's difficult when Illustrator has been on the market for so many years. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** The color settings are often not intuitive. It is difficult to use the workflow that one had with Adobe in Affinity. Sometimes it is frustrating. Of course, it is different software, but some things I don't understand why they have to be different. There are three workspaces (Vector, Pixel, and Export), which are sometimes confusing. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** I complete my designs for my screens. I create screens for screen printing. Sometimes I also take on graphic assignments. I can't imagine doing it with any other tool except Illustrator. However, I find the subscription way too expensive. ### 29. Great replacement for popular vector image design program **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Steve K. | CSO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 23, 2019 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** It's easy to use, cost effect and works. Serif are constantly updating and keeping it relevant and it supports multiple file formats both for importing and exporting **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** nothing really, it's a great product and updated reasonably regularly. It can be annoying if you buy from Serif directly (say for a beta) and then they release it o the app store and there's no way to get the App Store version without purchasing again **Recommendations to others considering Affinity Designer:** Great software, works well, supports lots of formats both for importing and exporting **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Competing products are much more expensive and Affinity Designer is a really good replacement. I use it for all vector work and it performs really well. Serif are also very helpful in the support forums when there are problems. I have a laser engraver and it works really well for producing artwork that cuts/engraves really well. Important to group the correct objects together and use layers to the correct paths are followed. ### 30. A hugely capable alternative to Design Software **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Paul G. | Director, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 11, 2025 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Great UI and UX. Quick to get to grips with the basics. Hugely capable with top features and compatibility. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** The only drawback is the compatability with certain filetypes if converting from other software. Not really a dislike, but could really make it even greater. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** This works really well as an additional design option. And also when supplied certain file types so that we can convert or export to use in other platforms. Speeding up our workflow and output. ### 31. Affinity Designer -- My Goto Tool for Creating My Social Images **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Staffing and Recruiting | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 29, 2025 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** I have purchased the suite of Affinity tools, but it's Designer I use the most. I have found that it's one of the easier graphics packages to pick up and use without a massive learning curve. I use it to resize and take images to the final publishing stage for our social media. I like the way that it is easy to manipulate images. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** I learn what i need to know, as many others do. I would like to know it inside and out ideally. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** I generally take stock images, Ai images, Canva images and then import them into Affinity Designer to resize and add graphics to make them ready for social media. Image manipulation is very precise in Affinity. ### 32. The best alternative to Illustrator **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Alpha L. | Graphiste indépendant Print / Web, Graphic Design, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 07, 2025 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Simplicity and the ecosystem between Affinity software. The handling is simple, easy, and can be used in vector illustrations. It's my alternative tool to Illustrator. The handling is not obvious at first, but by using it every day, it will become automatic. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** The handling is not easy, especially when you've been using Illustrator for 15 years; the transition is complicated. However, there is one thing that still hasn't been fixed, which is the interpretation of EPS files created in Illustrator or other software, which is disastrous for file usage. It seems like it interprets the file. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** The price because today paying a monthly subscription with Adobe becomes too expensive. ### 33. Wonderful photography editing experience **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Juliusz N. | Engineer / Low-code Developer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 23, 2025 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Somewhat different interface but it was easy to use and have fun **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** It took me some time to get used to some features. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** It helps to deliver my digital artworks with a best result possible ### 34. Affinity Designer is a professional tool for creating vector graphics **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Сергей . | Художник компьютерной графики, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 05, 2021 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** The vector editor, Affinity Designer, really impressed me. First of all, it is not expensive, has many export formats (including EPS, which is very important for me as a designer working with micro stocks and has necessary functions that I'm not seeing in the most famous vector editors. Also, I like the user-friendly and customizable interface. I didn't have many programs crashes with Affinity Designer, although I sometimes worked with large files. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** I wish to see more valuable features in Affinity Designer. Significant improvement needs a Bezier tool and a tool that allows cutting forms. It would be great to improve the export window to obtain a faster result, especially with many exported files. The trace function also needs development. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** As a graphic designer, I used Affinity Designer to create logos, illustrations, brochures, web pages and e-mails. This powerful tool allows me to create content for micro stocks such as Shutterstock and Adobe Stock. ### 35. Great alternative to Adobe Illustrator. **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Lindsey P. | Technology Coordinator, Primary/Secondary Education, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 05, 2024 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Affinity Designer is a great and comparable replacement to Adobe Illustrator. For a vector illustrator, it offers most if not all the tools necessary to complete any task. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** If you are used to Adobe Illustrator, you will find that there are some features and tools that Affinity just does not offer...yet. The app is continually updated and developers are open to suggestions for new tools and additions. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Offers a robust tool set at a much lower price than comparable competitors. ### 36. Way more than a replacement for Adobe Illustrator, it is the best alternative for vector designers **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Nidhi B. | Content Writer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 18, 2023 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Affinity Designer has one of the most uniquely known models which is a one-time payment for availing of their services rather than an orthodox well-known subscription model, which we really liked. There are tons of features in its set of tools making it feature-rich and performance-enhanced. And most importantly it has tools that are really easy to use and adapt which makes it even easier to implement in different cases. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** We only disliked its customer support and the way to contact customer support as well. Overall we had a good experience with it. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** In the current scenario of the ever-rising graphics designing field and competition, Affinity Designer has turned out to be a great alternative for Adobe Illustrator and potential monopolistic software as well in the future mainly due to its easy to use and adaptable features and tools. Other software on the other hand use a subscription model for the purchase of services, while on the other hand Affinity Designer has been different and unique due to its one time payment. This made our purchase and consideration of it a lot more easier. ### 37. It's overall good like a adobe illustrator **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Manoranjan R. | Customer advisor, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 09, 2024 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** It's ui is friendly and tools are appropriate to adobe illustrator we can use **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** Nothing change like we can change some things in adobe like we can add layers some of the affinity designer is free but not be able to create that much **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** It's design process awesome ### 38. the designer tool to more improvmentt to design **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** RAHUL V. | BIM Coordinator, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 19, 2023 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Affinity Designer is pretty impressive! What stands out the most is its versatility and user-friendly interface. The combination of vector and raster tools within one software is handy for designers. Plus, its robust features for creating intricate illustrations, seamless UI/UX design capabilities, and support for various file formats make it a top choice for many creatives. The fact that it offers a perpetual license model without subscription fees is also a big win for users. What draws you to Affinity Designer **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** While Affinity Designer has a lot of great features, there are some areas where it might fall short for certain users. For instance, its compatibility with industry-standard file formats like Adobe Illustrator (.ai) or the lack of some advanced features present in other established design software might be a downside for professionals used to specific tools or workflows. Additionally, the learning curve might be a bit steep for beginners transitioning from other design software. Also, the availability of third-party resources like plugins or extensions might be more limited compared to other design software ecosystems. These limitations might not affect everyone, but they're aspects to consider depending on your specific needs and familiarity with other design tools **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Performance and Speed: Affinity Designer is known for its fast performance even with complex designs. This allows for smoother workflows and quicker turnarounds, ultimately benefiting productivity. Non-Destructive Editing: The non-destructive editing feature enables users to make changes without permanently altering the original artwork. This is a significant advantage for experimentation and revisions without the fear of losing the initial design. File Format Support: While it might not cover every format used in the industry, it supports many common file formats, allowing for easy import and export of projects across different software platforms. ### 39. Great Alternative for Adobe Illustrato **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jose R. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 13, 2023 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Affinity Designer has an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easy for beginners and experienced designers to navigate seamlessly. The tool's affordability, especially in contrast to the Adobe Suite, is a significant advantage. As someone who transitioned to Affinity Designer due to changes in Adobe's subscription model, the cost-effectiveness of Affinity has been a key factor in my continued usage **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** While Affinity Designer offers a user-friendly experience, there is a slight learning curve, especially for those familiar with tools like Illustrator. The interface is intuitive, but users may need some time to fully adapt. Another consideration is the occasional compatibility issue with Adobe files. While Affinity Designer supports various file formats, the seamless opening of Adobe files can sometimes be less smooth. This can be a minor inconvenience when working in a collaborative environment or when handling files from Adobe users. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Affinity Designer serves as a solution to common design challenges, significantly improving our workflow. The intuitive interface and robust feature set simplify the editing and extraction of assets from customers, allowing for a more efficient and streamlined design process. Moreover, the cost-effectiveness of Affinity Designer adds value to our operations, allowing us to maintain a high standard of design without the financial constraints associated with other design tools. This not only benefits our budget but also enables us to invest resources in other aspects of our projects. ### 40. An affordable, yet excellent vector graphic editor **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Rahul K. | Ecommerce Coordinator, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 30, 2023 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Similar to the other products in the Affinity suite, Designer is premium software that offers all the features of rival programmes at a significantly reduced cost. I'm impressed by how well the programme functions and how polished the user interface feels. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** This programme has no drawbacks. I haven't encountered any bugs at all, and Affinity Designer meets all of my needs and then some. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** My favourite vector graphic editor is Affinity Designer because of its many helpful features and affordable price. I use it on my production workstation to create graphics for my side projects and the videos we shoot. I have given this great piece of software to all of my colleagues, and they are all quite pleased with it. ### 41. Amazing & affordable software for Vector graphics **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Ashutosh R. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 25, 2023 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** The best thing about Affinity Designer is that it doesn't come with a subscription model; you just have to pay for it once, and that, too, is very affordable. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** I can't find anything to dislike about Affinity Designer. It's a robust graphic design tool with a one-time payment model, making it accessible. Its feature-rich interface and versatility meet the needs of various design projects, ensuring a positive user experience without notable drawbacks. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Affinity Designer solves the problem of expensive subscription-based design software. Its one-time payment model is cost-effective, benefiting users by providing professional graphic design tools without recurring fees. This affordability, coupled with its powerful features, makes it an accessible and efficient solution for diverse design needs. ### 42. Powerful Graphic software for beginners to professional designers **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Andre' Rubanz H. | Founder and Creative Director, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 04, 2023 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** The ability to seamlessly jump between pixel-based and vector-based editing **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** Inability to export Adobe Illustrator files. Inability to export text layers in PSD files. There are several great solutions to these 2 problems. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Affinity Designer was a great solution when I was trying to cut the cost of graphic software. It was more powerful than most of the open source tools that were on the market and the interface was much better ### 43. Professional editing for personal and public use - on going improvements in V2 **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Mario G. | Solution Architect - Enterprise Solution, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 18, 2022 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Clear UI, integration with Vector design, and Photo Editing tools (in a separate App but available from this one if you have the license). The app is also on regular review and update. Update in V2: it is getting better and the new release has improved / corrected some issue **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** Not always that easy to master some features. Some features may become still more easy.. but it looks like the dev team listen to request of users **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Create document template is not easy but the result is worth the effort ### 44. Affordable Solution **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Natasha L. | Marketing Manager, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 11, 2023 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** It works incredibly well and it's a one time fee that is affordable! I just it at work and at home. I love it so much I paid for it twice lol. Thank you for making a great product **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** If you have no idea what your doing it's a bit of a learning curve BUT there's lots of learning tips out there on their site and on youtube. There isn't a ton of updates to the software but it works well, don't fix what isn't broken. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use this for literally everything. Graphics for ads, regular graphics, photos, logos, OEM files, large files, creating, it's great, I cannot recommend a better product. ### 45. Absolutely the product to use!!! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** erin a. | Volunteer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 04, 2023 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Starting out, it's so easy to learn and grab onto it quickly. Your options of what you create are endless. Affinity Designer has SO MANY OPTIONS & ITS SO EASY TO LEARN. You will regret not getting Affinity Designer along with the other Affinity products. You can easily and quickly make your ideas, drawings, artwork in general and turn them into digital media art, posters, literary whatever you imagine, you can create! **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** I dislike that I wasted time on other products when I could have used that time with Affinity. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** Right now I'm happy with Affinity Designer and I am looking forward to seeing and learning about what Affinity & Affinity Designer do in the future. ### 46. A great tool for designing but needs improvement in ease of use **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Anmol L. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 09, 2023 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** There are lot of useful features which others tools do not offer. It is easier to learn. The features like pen tool and coloring which is so common for designers are easier as compared to other tools. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** Sometimes I find it difficult to find a feature which will help in a particular tasks. Familiarity should be increased for better usability **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** It helps me in my various projects and when there is a time crunch, I use Affinity for illustrations. i also use Affinity sometimes for presenting more attractive way of visualising data. ### 47. Excellent alternative to the more well known vector based software. **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jeffrey K. | Chief Operating Officer, Retail, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 18, 2023 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** The biggest appeal of Affinity Designer is that they have not embraced the subscription model for their software. As a small company that only requires the occasional use of certain software, monthly subscriptions can become cost prohibitive. With Affinity you just pay once. Above that though, its still a formidable alternative to Adobe. Having been a user of Adobe products for decades I have not encountered any major feature lacking in Affinity. If you are looking for a comparable alternative to Adobe products without the monthly subscription then check out Affinity. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** The primary downside is the learning curve if you are coming from other software. Finding things in menus. Shortcuts. etc. Other than that there isn't much to dislike. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use Affinity Designer to design and create our companies logos, advertisements, and signage. The major benefit is that there are no monthly fees associated with the software. I purchased V1 of the suite and upgraded to V2 as soon as it was offered. ### 48. Absolutely blows adobe away **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Mike S. | Freelancer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 18, 2023 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** I absolutely love have a raster and vector tools in one, it reminds me of fireworks before Adobe killed it. Also, not having a subscription is a big plus. I love it!! **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** The one big feature missing that I've noticed is an image trace function, however, there are apps in the store that just do vectorizing and the benefits far outweigh the small frustration of popping open a second program on the occasion I need it **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** I was looking to trim my costs, so anything that can move me away from a subscription model I'm all about, and there's a huge efficiency game, and not needing a separate vector and raster program although I should be clear if anyone needs a full blown photo editing, they have one called affinity photo you just don't often need it for every day graphics creation in almost every scenario I've ever needed raster tools the ones in Designer were sufficient ### 49. Best editing software **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Raghav B. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 27, 2023 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** The ease of use, the smooth UI flow and the tools to edit and modify images. It has great editing tools. **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** Its price can be lower than 10k inr but nothing major, maybe there can be more tools added as compared to photoshop by adobe. **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** It is a great design tool that is easy to use, I can conplete tasks with way less image size as it is not raster images and in vector format. ### 50. Easy vector file edits **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 08, 2024 **What do you like best about Affinity Designer?** Ease use from the start, stable software. Software alternative to Adobe Illustrator **What do you dislike about Affinity Designer?** I can't find anything to dislike about Affinity Designer currently **What problems is Affinity Designer solving and how is that benefiting you?** creation of silk-screen prints ## Affinity Designer Discussions - [What is Affinity Designer used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-affinity-designer-used-for) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [Where can I find a complete tutorial set for beginners?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/51827-where-can-i-find-a-complete-tutorial-set-for-beginners) - 5 comments, 1 upvote - [Is Affinity designer good for beginners?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/36810-is-affinity-designer-good-for-beginners) - 8 comments, 1 upvote - [How can I add text around circle in Affinity Designer?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/34756-how-can-i-add-text-around-circle-in-affinity-designer) - 6 comments, 1 upvote - [Can Affinity designer export to AI?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/can-affinity-designer-export-to-ai) - 1 comment - [View Affinity Designer pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/affinity-designer/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-05-13+12%3A23%3A24+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=45dfd72d-7c37-4e22-9e6a-3409d2b4b875&secure%5Btoken%5D=1db16acde5d51236c26aeb4058c86dddb17cd492a5943f7adf575d269e21f350&format=llm_user) ## Affinity Designer Integrations - [Adobe Illustrator](https://www.g2.com/products/adobe-illustrator/reviews) - [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.g2.com/products/adobe-photoshop/reviews) - [Affinity Photo](https://www.g2.com/products/affinity-photo/reviews) - [Affinity Publisher](https://www.g2.com/products/affinity-publisher/reviews) - [Autodesk 3ds Max](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-3ds-max/reviews) - [Canva](https://www.g2.com/products/canva/reviews) - [Figma](https://www.g2.com/products/figma/reviews) ## Top Affinity Designer Alternatives - [Adobe Illustrator](https://www.g2.com/products/adobe-illustrator/reviews) - 4.6/5.0 (5,995 reviews) - [Sketch](https://www.g2.com/products/sketch/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (1,209 reviews) - [CorelDRAW](https://www.g2.com/products/coreldraw/reviews) - 4.3/5.0 (534 reviews)