# Page 12 | Affinity Designer Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 12 - Is Affinity Designer the right Graphic Design solution for you? Explore 454 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/110533/WebPlus-X4/reviews --- Affinity Designer 4.7 (454) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/110533/WebPlus-X4/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Page 12 - Reviews of Affinity Designer ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 276-300 of 454 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use BN Brenda N. Graphic Designer Design Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "The best alternative " May 10, 2022 4.0 Pros It's a seamless combination of vector and raster design tools, it allows editing SVG, AI, EPS, and PDF files. If you are familiar with Illustrator the learning curve is simple, the controls are very intuitive and it's very easy to adapt, a great budget alternative to other design software. Cons Unfortunately lacks some features available in Illustrator but since Affinity is constantly updating and improving its software, they can be at the same level in a very short time. Review Source ST Sarah T. Graphic Designer Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Fantastic Program if you are not a professional" March 3, 2020 5.0 I was looking for a cheaper alternative to adobe illustrator when I started my graphic design business 6 years ago and loved affinity designer, but I quickly learned that most people in met industry use .ai files and need vectors for logos and big printing projects and this just doesn't have the capabilities that I needed as a professional. I so wish it did because I love this product and company! Pros This is a robust program that gets you a lot of bang for your buck. It is a great alternative to Adobe Illustrator in many ways and I recommend it to people who want to get started in designing things who don't have the need for vector capabilities. Cons No vector capabilities! This is it's one fatal flaw in my opinion. Review Source PK Paul K. owner Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Anything you need to do with all the money you'd LOVE to save!" February 24, 2019 5.0 Pros No garbage monthly subscription. One of my associates said it perfectly: It's the Illustrator Killer. Cons Couple display bugs; just needs a reset every 20-30 hours (yes, I use it for that long at a time) Don't judge me, or the software for it. Review Source DC David C. ceo Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Using it quite every day to work on designs, photos and websites" April 27, 2018 5.0 Pros The price, of course and the fact that it's easier to manipulate and more robust than other vector drawning programs. I tested it as a replacement of a well-known vector software, and fell in love with it. I use it every day, to nearly all the use you can imagine a such a tool. Really one of the best value you can find ! Cons Nothing really, maybe, and that's a maybe, a lack of typo tools that other package have form a long time. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Operations Manager Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A strong competitor for Adobe" September 26, 2018 5.0 I have been using Affinity for about 13 months now, and love it. I have completely switched from Adobe for almost every project. Pros Affinity has all of the features you expect from a robust vector design software (like Adobe Illustrator) and then some. Cons Some features are lacking - in particular some of the vector merging and filling options that are common with Adobe products. Review Source MT Marta T. Artist Arts and Crafts Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "I definitely recommend Affinity Designer" November 10, 2022 5.0 As a beginner I could create several designs with ease and pleasure! Pros The software is flawless, incredibly easy, fast and functional. As a beginner in graphic design I was impressed of all the possibilities and relative easiness of executing them! It's easy to put your ideas to life with Affinity Designer. Cons Throughout my use of Affinity Designer I haven't encountered any flaw or something I didn't like. I definitely recommend to try it! Review Source CD Chuck D. Owner Computer Software Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "The Best Alternative for Illustrator" May 28, 2021 5.0 Logo work and client mockups are two things that are essential for my business. For this and other work, I used more expensive alternatives. Then they moved to online only, and I knew it was time for a change. Affinity designer replaced them and more. The price point can't be beat, and is worth the glitches that appear at times- this is very much an evolving product and at times it shows, which is jarring considering the times that it is bulletproof. Pros The ease of use for creating a vast variety of design projects including concept art, mock ups, logos, and print projects. The customizable interface and the interaction with the other products (Publisher and Photo). The interface and commands are simplified and easy to understand compared to competitors. One time purchase. Price point. Cons It's similar to other products - so much so that the differences can be jarring when encountered. Some bugs in using the software and it is more resource intensive at rest than other options. Review Source BP Bailey P. CEO Computer Software Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Amazing software at amazing value for money" April 29, 2021 5.0 I love Affinity Designer and use it regularly for almost every design project. Pros Affinity's perpetual licensing is particularly attractive for people coming from Adobe. The software has all of the features you'd want, but is even more intuitive than competing products. Cons The app can sometimes take a little while to load up on the first launch on certain devices, presumably due to license checking. Review Source GT Grant T. Art Director Graphic Design Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great alternative" September 9, 2019 5.0 I've really enjoyed using this software as it works so well. And the biggest plus, no subscription! Pros Affinity's Designer is the closest thing to Adobe's Illustrator. Yet it has other great options. I particularly like how you can switch between vector and pixel mode. Additionally, it's really smooth to use. That's quite a hard thing to explain but it just works really well. It's also partly about how it feels like a mix of InDesign and Illustrator. I particularly like how you can easily export to many different formats. Cons I can't say there's anything really. I'm still slightly adjusting to the details of this from Adobe but that's to be expected, not that there's that much to pick up really. Review Source BT Boukary T. Ceo Internet Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Affinity review" September 14, 2022 5.0 Pros On touch screen nothing better than affinity. The purchase in one go is an advantage not to spend every month. the use on touch screen allows very beneficial maneuvers Cons I have no issues with affinity and highly recommend for anyone working with a tablet Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Technology Trainer Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Good alternative to Photoshop Illustrator. " July 18, 2019 5.0 Pros Designer is pretty easy to self-learn and get started with. It’s also a one-time purchase, so there is no need to worry if you are getting your monthly licensing fees out of it. Cons Although it’s easier to learn than illustrator, it’s still full of things to figure out. Luckily, there are lots of great tutorials online and videos on youtube to learn from. Review Source PA Patrick A. Owner Furniture Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Works for Me" October 26, 2018 5.0 Pros I like it. After many years of using Adobe products I switched over to Affinity and I am happy with the switch. The transition was pretty painless and I like the interface better. The one time purchase price and a low price at that is a big plus for me over a monthly contract to use adobe stuff. Overall satisfied. Cons There are a few areas where there was a fast and easy way to do something with the "other" software that I miss on the Affinity version. There are probably tricks, customizations and work arounds that I just haven't discovered yet though. Review Source MA Méo A. Creative director Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Design everywhere" September 12, 2022 5.0 Pros The fact that the software was designed for tablets is a good thing. Easy to use and allows very precise handling. Very pleasant software, the one-time fee is very useful Cons The software takes time to start, I am sure that the problem is not mine Review Source Joshua B. Graphic Design Consultant Graphic Design Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "I used Affinity Designer during the open beta, and as a trial. It really is great software." July 5, 2018 5.0 I still love Affinity. I believe it is worth every penny, especially with no background in Adobe. Keep up the great work! Pros Price. You can't beat a one-time purchase. That is the biggest selling point of this software. I currently subscribe to Adobe CC, and actively looking for ways to switch. Cons Learning Curve. I can't even begin to talk about the learning curve involved. \[Inkscape\] has less of a learning curve, and it is free. The Affinity team needs to work on their keyboard shortcuts and improve them. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Problem Solver¿¿¿¿ Design Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Almost good enough to rival Adobe" August 22, 2019 5.0 We tried it out to replace Adobe CC, used it daily for 6 months and got tired of trying to figure out how to do something I normally use in my workflow in adobe apps. It's almost there, but not as intuitive as some other 3rd party apps. Pros The software has all the basic features you need in a design tool. Slightly increased learning curve if coming from an all Adobe environment Cons My least favorite thing was some of the placement and locations of tools and panels. That may be partly due to having used Adobe apps for so many years. Review Source TB Tomas B. Game developer Computer Games Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Best lifetime license art software" March 27, 2020 5.0 It saves me money and makes my work more efficient. Pros Unlike the competition, offer life time license. Has all the tools I need for editing photos and create art for games. Cons Maybe like other professional softwares it is difficult for beginners become familiar with all that tools. Switched from [Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/) Because lifetime license and it's easier to use Review Source PA Patrick A. Owner Furniture Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Works for Me" April 25, 2019 5.0 Pros Great feature set. Good UI. Does everything I need it to. I switched to Affinity from adobe and the transition was pretty much problem free. In fact I prefer working with the affinity products. I love that I was able to buy it outright for a nominal fee instead of a monthly subscription and cloud based type of thing. Cons There are some shortcuts and quick key type of functions that I am missing, although I may be able to set them up with some research and custom configuration. The functions are all there but sometimes the flow isn't. Review Source Ethan M. Designer Design Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Low cost Alternative to Photoshop with additional features" November 12, 2020 4.0 Good solid software with lots of potential in the industry, although the company has not been around for that long the platform for creation seems flexible and like it will consistently improve- some aspects of adobe's softwares also might evolve because of Affinity's innovations and vice versa. Pros I have used this software to complement my other design applications in a time where I felt compelled to experiment with low cost / high functionality software as an alternative to photo editing softwares like photoshop. Certain features of this app are very similar to photoshop, thus making professional designing much easier to attain pricepoint wise- plus it has features photoshop does not have. Cons The ease of use is signficantly high, the workflow with it and integrateable asset management is slightly different and there were certain tools and features i use oftentimes in photoshop not really present in Affinity Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Founder Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "A great value" August 31, 2020 4.0 While I ended up switching back to Photoshop for the reasons listed above, Affinity is actually a fantastic deal for anyone on a budget Pros \- considering what you get for how little Affinity Designer costs, it's hard not to at least try it out - carries over much of the functionality from Photoshop Cons \- coming from Photoshop, the UI takes a while to get used to. Many tools/commands are similar but different - deciding when to use Designer vs Photo is confusing Alternatives considered [Adobe Creative Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/48969/Adobe-Creative-Cloud/) Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Co-Founder Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Cheaper than Adobe, but Comparable!" April 10, 2018 4.0 Pros Surprisingly, this software packs in most of what Adobe Illustrator has, but without the monthly fees. That is one heck of an offering! Although I still prefer Illustrator, I often recommend Designer to a lot of my student friends that are learning design on a budget. It's a great tool! Cons Still not quite as good as Adobe. They are getting closer and closer... But haven't yet hit the mark. I've heard they may come out with an iPad app, which would make me think about switching. Stay tuned, I guess! Review Source Mark N. Head of Paid Marketing Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Super easy software which..." February 12, 2019 5.0 A good midweight design program that achieves the same results for a one off price rather than a monthly subscription. Pros Has reduced my time in two other programs (Photoshop and Illustrator) and is less heavy on system resources. Interface is simple and familiar to those who have used Photoshop. Serif aren't looking to redesign the wheel but offer a faster way of achieving similar results. Cons Has some limitations when compared to Illustrator but for most users this will be more than enough Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Founder Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "An Illustrator alternative?" July 6, 2018 4.0 Pros Sure, this product has a great potential to be Illustrator worthy. For one, it has a lot of the great features of it's competitor Adobe product, But then you would still need to find another program to complete something that Illustrator does all in one. Yet, Affordable. Cons Although they have all the Artboards you need, it won't replace illustrator completely. But I would recommend this product based on the fact it can get some simple designs done for less. Review Source Alan H. Artist Entertainment Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Beautiful Design Software!" March 2, 2021 5.0 Overall, I'm very, no I'm beyond pleased with Affinity Designer, I feel as though I've chosen the ultimate Vector Design Software, the tools, effects and filters make it so easy to make game assets, t-shirts, stock images and more! Thank you so very much for the excellent software, I'm eager to see what else Affinity has in store for the future! Pros What do I like the most about this gem? Well, everything! The vector design tools are on point and there are so many features that I've still haven't used them all, I like how you can produce and export high quality graphics in a matter of minutes. I also love the filters that can make your art look 3D, or add instant shadow! Cons There's nothing wrong with this software in general, I love it, however, it may be me, but sometimes when I overwhelm it with too many filter effects it shuts down due to error, it could be my laptop. Review Source Ray P. Executive Assistant / Member Relations Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Affinity Designer is a top-notch design software" December 6, 2017 5.0 Pros I love that I can get a full-functioning design software for my Mac without spending a ton of money on Adobe. Affinity is one of the best reviewed and functioning options out there. Cons It's a learning curve. I've used Pixelmator for a while, and got Affinity Designer for the projects that it's more applicable for, but honestly haven't taken the time to learn how to use it better. Just the learning curve is a con- but that's with any new software. Review Source TL Timothy L. Student Higher Education Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Very useful tool for vector tracing" November 10, 2022 5.0 So far, I am happy using Affinity Designer. For a small one-time payment, I can use the app forever. I recommended to others who are new to doing artwork from scratch and want to save money. Pros I am enjoying using affinity designer for doint some work for my school projects. I am currently using the iPad version and it has been wonderful. I was able to start using it quickly, but still there are tons of features that I am not aware of. I am so eager to learn all the features the this app provides. Cons There is a learning curve to master affinity designer. It would be nice for them to offer in-app tutorials. Review Source Similar Products Featured