Photoshop vs Affinity Photo
Affinity Photo was already the strongest one-time-purchase rival to Photoshop. Since October 2025 it costs nothing at all. Here's how the two really compare — and where Affinity still trails.
The short version: Affinity Photo is now the closest thing to a free Photoshop. On 31 October 2025, Canva — which acquired the Affinity range in 2024 — relaunched Affinity as a single free desktop app that folds the old Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher into one program (a Pixel Studio, a Vector Studio and a Layout Studio). It's described as "free forever," runs on Windows and macOS, and works offline after a one-time free-account activation.
Where Affinity matches Photoshop
For raster photo editing, Affinity is a genuine professional tool: non-destructive layers and adjustment layers, masks, RAW development, blend modes, frequency separation, 16/32-bit and wide-gamut work, and a fast GPU-accelerated engine that often feels snappier than Photoshop on the same hardware. It opens and exports Photoshop .psd files, so you can hand work back and forth with Photoshop users.
Where Affinity still trails
Two honest gaps. First, generative AI: Photoshop's Firefly-powered Generative Fill and Expand are best-in-class, whereas Affinity's AI features (Generative Fill/Expand) require a paid Canva subscription — the free app doesn't include them. Second, the plugin and tutorial ecosystem: Photoshop has decades of third-party plugins, actions, courses and Stack Overflow-style answers. Affinity's community is healthy and growing, but smaller, and some Photoshop-specific effects don't map perfectly when importing complex PSDs.
| Adobe Photoshop | Affinity Photo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $22.99/mo (single app) | Free |
| Model | Subscription only | Free desktop app |
| Platforms | Win, macOS, iPad | Win, macOS (iPad in dev) |
| Opens PSD | ✓ native | ✓ |
| Non-destructive editing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Generative AI | ✓ Firefly built in | paid Canva plan |
| Works offline | partial | ✓ |
Compiled July 2026. Sources: Canva newsroom · Adobe pricing
Switch to Affinity Photo if you want a professional editor you never pay for and you don't lean on generative AI. Stay on Photoshop if Firefly AI, Creative Cloud round-tripping, or a specific plugin is central to your work. For most people leaving Photoshop over cost, Affinity is the first thing to try.
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