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  "name": "Affinity Designer",
  "description": "Vector design studio inside Affinity, the free professional creative application from Canva that merged the former Designer, Photo and Publisher apps into one program.",
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  "operatingSystem": "macOS",
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    "url": "https://www.canva.com/"
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    "slug": "affinity-designer",
    "name": "Affinity Designer",
    "type": "SoftwareApplication",
    "entityType": "vector graphics editor",
    "description": "Vector design studio inside Affinity, the free professional creative application from Canva that merged the former Designer, Photo and Publisher apps into one program.",
    "shortDescription": "Vector design studio in Affinity, now free from Canva.",
    "answer": "Affinity Designer no longer exists as a separate paid application. Affinity is now a single program from Canva, released free of charge, that contains a Vector Studio, a Pixel Studio and a Layout Studio — the work that used to be split across Designer, Photo and Publisher. Vector design happens in Vector Studio, with pen-precision curve and node editing, snapping and alignment, symbols and constraints for keeping icons and UI components consistent, and non-destructive editing with live pixel previews. It runs on macOS and Windows and requires a Canva account to sign in. Every tool is available at no cost, though Canva's AI features inside Affinity need a paid Canva plan. It suits designers who want professional vector tools without a subscription.",
    "page": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/affinity-designer/",
    "dataUrl": "https://www.nuanyue.com/data/software/affinity-designer.json",
    "categories": [
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    "tags": [],
    "platform": [
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    "featured": false,
    "pricing": "free",
    "pricingDescription": "Free. Canva states that every tool in the Vector, Pixel and Layout studios, along with all customisation and export features, can be used without restriction or payment, and that the app will keep receiving free updates. Canva's AI tools inside Affinity require a paid Canva plan (Pro, Business, Enterprise or Education). Signing in requires a Canva account.",
    "openSource": false,
    "website": "https://www.affinity.studio/",
    "developer": {
      "name": "Canva",
      "website": "https://www.canva.com/"
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    "features": [
      "Vector design inside the Affinity application's Vector Studio",
      "Pen-precision curve and node editing",
      "Snapping and alignment tools for precise placement",
      "Symbols and constraints that keep icons, logos and UI components consistent across artboards",
      "Non-destructive editing with real-time pixel previews",
      "Shape Builder for creating and customising geometric elements",
      "Fill Tool with bitmap fills, hatch patterns and linear, radial and mesh gradients",
      "Image Trace to convert a flat image into editable vectors",
      "Warp shapes and expand or contract paths on the fly",
      "Text on a path, ligatures, artistic text, and character and paragraph styles",
      "Expressive brushes that add raster texture to vector illustration",
      "Direct export to Canva for collaboration"
    ],
    "useCases": [
      "Designing logos, icons and UI components that stay consistent across artboards",
      "Turning a flat image into editable vectors with Image Trace",
      "Moving between vector illustration and photo editing in the same document",
      "Handing a finished file to colleagues or clients inside Canva"
    ],
    "formats": [],
    "integrations": [],
    "pros": [
      {
        "text": "Every tool in the Vector, Pixel and Layout studios is available free, with no restrictions or payment required.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Combines vector design, photo editing and layout in one application rather than three separate programs.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Image Trace converts a flat image into clean, editable vectors rather than requiring a redraw.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Symbols and constraints keep icons, logos and UI components consistent across every artboard.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Edits are non-destructive with real-time pixel previews.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Files can be exported directly to Canva for collaboration.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "The macOS build runs natively on both Apple silicon and Intel, so there is no translation layer.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "cons": [
      {
        "text": "A Canva account is required to download and sign in, so the app is tied to a cloud identity.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Canva's AI tools inside Affinity are locked behind a paid Canva plan.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "The application is closed source, so its implementation cannot be inspected.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "The previous perpetual licence for Affinity Designer no longer applies, because the product has been replaced by a free application.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "whoIsItFor": [
      "Designers who want professional vector tools without a subscription",
      "Illustrators who work across vector and raster in one document"
    ],
    "notFor": [
      "Anyone who needs to use the software without a Canva account, since signing in is required",
      "Users who need Canva's AI tools in Affinity, which require a paid Canva plan",
      "Anyone who needs the software to be open source, which it is not"
    ],
    "limitations": [
      "Signing in requires a Canva account, so the application is tied to a cloud identity",
      "The former one-time licence for Affinity Designer is gone; the app is now free and funded through Canva",
      "Canva's AI features inside Affinity require a paid Canva plan",
      "Closed source, so the application cannot be audited",
      "Canva states that the iPad version is still being built, so the application is desktop-only for now"
    ],
    "firstUse": {
      "installation": {
        "value": "Downloaded from the Affinity site for macOS or Windows, which requires signing in with a Canva account or creating one.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "firstLaunch": {
        "value": "Sign in with a Canva account, then set up a new document or open a file; vector tools are in Vector Studio.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "systemIntegration": {
        "value": "Exports files directly to Canva, and the workspace can be extended with the photo editing and layout tools from the other studios.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "appleSilicon": {
        "value": true,
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    },
    "updates": [],
    "faq": [
      {
        "question": "Is Affinity Designer still a paid app?",
        "answer": "No. Affinity Designer no longer exists as a separate paid product. Affinity is now a single application from Canva, released free of charge, and vector design is one of its studios. Canva states that every tool can be used without restriction or payment.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Do I need a Canva account to use Affinity?",
        "answer": "Yes. The download process prompts you to sign in with a Canva account or create one free, and the application is installed from there.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "What are the Vector, Pixel and Layout studios?",
        "answer": "They are the three working areas inside the single Affinity application. Vector Studio holds the vector design and illustration tools, Pixel Studio the photo editing tools, and Layout Studio the page layout tools — the work previously split across Affinity Designer, Photo and Publisher.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Does Affinity run natively on Apple silicon Macs?",
        "answer": "Yes. Canva states that the macOS build is fully optimised for macOS and runs natively on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Are Canva's AI features included in free Affinity?",
        "answer": "Not all of them. Canva states that users on a Canva premium plan — Pro, Business, Enterprise or Education — can unlock Canva's AI tools within Affinity through the Canva AI Studio. Generate Vector, which turns a prompt into editable vector artwork, is one of those features.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "relationships": [
      {
        "target": "affinity-photo",
        "type": "similar",
        "reason": "Both were separate Affinity applications and are now studios inside one free program, so the distinction between them is a workspace rather than a purchase.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "target": "inkscape",
        "type": "alternative",
        "reason": "Both are vector design tools available free, but Inkscape is open source and standards-focused while Affinity combines vector work with photo editing and layout in one closed-source app.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "target": "pixelmator",
        "type": "competitor",
        "reason": "Both are professional Mac creative tools, but Affinity is free and cross-platform with a Canva account while Pixelmator Pro is an Apple product sold on the App Store.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "sources": [
      {
        "id": "affinity-designer:official",
        "type": "official_website",
        "url": "https://www.affinity.studio/",
        "title": "Affinity Designer — official website",
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}