Affinity — The Complete Guide: Vector, Photo Editing and Layout in One Free App
Affinity is professional design software that used to be sold as three separate programs; since moving to Canva it has been merged into one app with three workspaces. It runs on Windows and macOS and is aimed at anyone who needs a clean, print-ready graphic — not just a quick sketch.
Affinity
Canva (Affinity)
One professional design app for vector graphics, photo editing and page layout — free for individuals.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- Vector — illustrations, logos, icons and vector diagrams with crisp lines.
- Pixel — layer- and mask-based photo editing, colour correction and retouching for web and product images.
- Layout — brochures, catalogues, product sheets and multi-page presentations.
- Seamless switching — work on the same document without exporting and importing between programs.
- Common formats — open and export PDF, SVG and PSD when working with suppliers and printers.
What to know about the licence
Use is free for individuals with no time limit, but downloading and running it requires signing in with a Canva account. The Canva AI tools built into the app are available only on paid plans. Organisations that need single sign-on (SSO) are directed to the Enterprise or Education plans. There is no Linux version.
Related tools
For open-source vector graphics with no account — Inkscape. For advanced open-source photo editing — GIMP. For quick image fixes on Windows — Paint.NET.
Inkscape
Inkscape project
Vector graphics editor — schematics, technical illustrations, report figures and SVG, PDF and DXF editing.
Get it from the vendor
GIMP
GIMP team
Advanced image editing — site photos, perspective correction, marking defects and preparing images for reports.
Get it from the vendor
Paint.NET
dotPDN
A fast, simple image editor for Windows with layers — for cropping, marking up and preparing photos and figures for reports.
Get it from the vendor
Excalidraw
Excalidraw
A virtual whiteboard with a hand-drawn look — for quick concept sketches, explaining ideas in calls and shared design reviews.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
Affinity delivers a professional-grade design suite at no cost. For engineers and architects preparing presentation boards, catalogues or report graphics, it is one of the strongest free options available today.