# Page 6 | Affinity Designer Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra

> Page 6 - 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

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Affinity Designer

4.7 (454)

[View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/110533/WebPlus-X4/alternatives/)

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Last updated March 13th, 2026

# Page 6 - Reviews of Affinity Designer

## Showing most helpful reviews

Showing 126-150 of 454 Reviews

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Reviewer's Role

Length of Use

Frequency of Use

PG

Paul G.  
ESL Teacher  
E-Learning  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Affordable Graphics Software That Offers Great Quality Editing Tools"

November 21, 2022

5.0

My overall experience with Affinity designer has been very enjoyable. Once you get used to using the editing tools, you quickly appreciate just how well this application has been designed to give the artist the best user experience possible.

Pros

What I really love about this graphic editing tool is that you don't have to pay a subscription for it. What's great as well is that the one-off price is very affordable. I think thier "personas" concept (vector, pixel, and export personas) is also very effective. These "personas" focus all of the needed editing tools in one area (persona), which in turn makes it a far more efficient and enjoyable way to create digital art.

Cons

As there are so many tools, it can be a little bit overwhelming when you first use Affinity Designer. However, their vast amount of online tutorials and other helpful documentation makes it easy to get used to all of the tools available.

Review Source

Mark W.  
Assistant Director  
Education Management  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Affinity Designer is a No-Brainer"

November 23, 2022

5.0

Great product for the pricd

Pros

Affinity makes it easy to design in vector graphics! It is very affordable.

Cons

Overall there isnt much wrong with Affinity Designer

Review Source

SP

Subigyan P.  
Graphics Designer  
Design  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Affinity Designer is great option in designing market "

May 4, 2020

5.0

Overall it was nice using Affinity designer. The major problem with it was it lacks some important tools which are existing in other software, which has been cleared out in newer updates. You can just make anything in it from website, app design to vector art and illustration which is a very nice point as this is only a single time payment software.

Pros

These major pros of the affinity designer I found 1. The software is an only one-time payment which makes the Affinity designer much more relevant than other subscription-based Softwares out there. 2. It consists of a lot of tools required for vector illustrations to UI/UX design to even web designs. 3. User Interface is very good compared to other Softwares out there in the market. 4. And at last, the cross-platform support from other software like adobe creative cloud suite makes it relevant for the price you pay.

Cons

There are not many cons you will get from this software actually one major con is 1. It lacks many tools compared to other competitive software in the industry

Switched from

[Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/)

It was not an actual switch but it was for a period of time I change my software usually to get a new feeling and to get a new idea generated.

Review Source

RK

RAJESH K.  
Content Visualizer  
Design  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Ditch Adobe Illustrator. Get Affinity Designer NOW"

October 7, 2020

5.0

I love this tool for graphic design. The learning curve is short, the tool itself is inexpensive (no recurring cost) and I look forward to use it on a daily basis - it's so intutive.

Pros

The best thing about Affinity Designer is not that it is feature rich, but that it has all the essential features for designing/illustration. This software can be bought for a low price (one-time) unlike Adoble Illustrator which demands you pay monthly license fee. The software is easy and intutive to use and I was able to learn the essentials within a week or so. You get basic photo editing features like selection tools for cropping, blending modes, etc.

Cons

Certain useful features like gradient map, 3D, mockups, etc. that are available in Illustrator may not be available with Affinity Designer. But I am OK with this - too many features make us forget essential ones. Besides, the magic wand tool available in Affinity Photo is not available in Affinity Designer - for precise cropping of people, etc. I wish Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo were a single software.

Alternatives considered

[Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/)[Inkscape](https://www.capterra.com/p/178240/Inkscape/)

Reason for choosing Affinity Designer

I know Inkscape is free, but Affinity Designer has an awesome community on Facebook. I love the energy and enthusiasm around this product.

Switched from

[Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/)

I was not happy with the high monthly subscription cost charged by Adobe Illustrator.

Review Source

HB

Harrison B.  
Marketing Manager  
Automotive  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Sublime platform for all creatives and illustrators"

July 5, 2023

5.0

Affinity Designer has been paramount in the marketing department from graphics designs for our social media platforms to vector graphics of cars and automotive solutions.

Pros

It offers a perfect artboard layout and infinite social media templates which I find simple and fun to use. I also use Affinity Designer for digital prints output due to its impeccable resolutions!

Cons

Definitely a bit complex when starting off. Training and tutorials helped me get accustomed. It is quite enjoyable now when I understand most tools and shortcuts.

Switched from

[Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/)

Affinity Designer simply offers more, in terms of tools, UI/UX and output

Review Source

Victor Conde B.  
Founder  
Retail  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Great for anyone that is not part of a big team"

June 29, 2021

5.0

I have used Adobe suite for almost 15 years, and have never been so happy after i changed to Designer.

Pros

The price, the graphical interface when you give it time to grow on you, and the preview of the files on a windows machine WHICH ADOBE DONT HAVE!

Cons

There is some very advanced functions in Illustrator still that Designer does not have, but the amount of tools and the high quality application is worth it.

Review Source

Jeremy D.  
Web Developer / Owner  
Graphic Design  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Illustrator Replacement."

October 16, 2018

5.0

I've switched my primary vector design tool to Affinity a little over 2 years ago. Since switching, I've taken time to learn the Affinity products, and really appreciate their features. I bought both books (Designer and Photo books), as well as both ipad apps, and am beta testing Affinity Publisher. So far, they have been great to use, and never caused me any issues. I highly recommend all of their software!

Pros

Price! Features, GUI, import / export options, plays nice with adobe, company is great at providing tutorials, updates, and enhancing the product.

Cons

learning curve is there (it's not an adobe clone), but take the time to learn this tool, it's worth it!

Review Source

Arpad S.  
Brand Designer | UI, UX & Visual Designer  
Design  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Affordable, professional grade vector graphics software"

July 19, 2019

4.0

It was a rough start, but I really wanted to get used to it. Creating vector art with a specific software is just about muscle memory. If you're persistent enough, you can work with any app. Affinity is a great non-subscription based application, with plenty of features to create professional graphics very quickly. It can be as good as any other alternatives.

Pros

The user interface of Affinity Designer is very intuitive, easy to use and also looks great. Features are easily accessible.

Cons

It has some stability issues, sometimes crashes and the vector output after expanding a shape is not optimized very well yet. I suppose this will change with time.

Review Source

Ricardo O.  
Owner  
Design  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Not the industry standard, but it has all the capabilities of the leader"

February 15, 2021

5.0

If you are new to design and illustration, Affinity Designer is a great option with a great set of tools that will help you materialize your ideas. However, keep in mind that compatibility issues will arise when sharing with others that may already be in the Adobe bandwagon for decades.

Pros

Affinity Designer has a very complete set of tools that are equal to those found in Adobe Illustrator... for a fraction of the cost! For a one time payment, you get almost all the functionality of Illustrator (in some cases, it is even better, especially when switching "personas" or working side by side with the other members of the family: Affinity Publisher and Affinity Photo).

Cons

Affinity Designer is not the industry standard and this can create some awkward compatibility issues when you want to share the files, even when exported to pdf or SVG. To be honest, this is the only "minus" I can find in this application.

Review Source

Glen S.  
Freelance Graphic designer  
Graphic Design  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Dump Illustrator and use this epically great software"

December 2, 2019

5.0

Very positive, I like how much power I have over the image I create! And how there are not so many panels everywhere it takes a while to get used to if you are switching from Adobe, but there is an elegance to their thinking!

Pros

Fluid ease of use, very little is a struggle to understand! Compared to Illustrator this is an exercise in brilliant illustration vector software! This is quality software well thought out and a joy to use!

Cons

Nothing, although gradients could be easier to apply! They are a struggle to find, but once you do they are logical and easy to find, just do not expect to find a panel for everything like in Adobe software!

Switched from

[Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/)

I loathe Reanted software, it means you lose your software if you go through a dry spell!

Review Source

Christopher Michael S.  
Technology Specialist  
Education Management  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "The illustrator killer.. almost"

October 16, 2018

5.0

All of Serif's software is amazing, and Affinity Designer is easily the best graphic design program I've ever used.

Pros

It's a lightweight, super functional graphics design software for the ages. It has 99% of the tools I need for vector and pixel art creation, all in one program. In some ways, it's like a hybrid of Illustrator and Photoshop.

Cons

There's not much I don't like, but it is missing a few features that make it hard to completely abandon adobe products. However, those are in the development roadmap, so it's only a matter of time.

Review Source

Andrés S.  
Director  
  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "A neck-and-neck competitor to Adobe Illustrator"

April 6, 2018

5.0

Being able to pay for a licensed fully reliable software, at a reasonable price. Hey! It's a no-brainer.

Pros

Designer, along with its brother Photo, makes the best out of a designer software, without the hustle and cost of a larger suite, such as Adobe CC. Every feature you are used to having on Illustrator you will find in Designer. The layout is very similar and with some name changes you are just at home. Additionally, Serif develops templates and themes that you can use just by being a registered user.

Cons

The only problem for most designers is to find where the usual tools (shadowing, rasterizing, among others) are located. Once you get familiarized with where is what, you are free.

Review Source

VW

Vanita W.  
Freelancer  
Computer Software  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Great low cost alternative to Adobe Illustrator."

January 15, 2022

5.0

Pros

Affinity designer is a one-time purchase; no subscription is needed. The user interface is simple which makes it easy to learn and master. You can switch between vector and pixel designs by clicking a button. It is also easy to create swatches and custom brushes.

Cons

Affinity Designer is not cross-platform. I had to purchase a separate Affinity Designer for my Dell laptop and iMac.

Switched from

[Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/)

Adobe Illustrator requires a subscription. Once my Creative Cloud subscription ended, I no longer had access to Illustrator. Affinity Designer allowed me to purchase and own the software at an affordable price with free updates for life.

Review Source

Bryan M.  
Product Director  
Design  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "A full featured and modern replacement for well known illustration and photo editing tools"

July 2, 2018

5.0

Pros

Affinity designer is fresh, affordable and easy to use. It has the features one would need from an app like Illustrator and it doesn't feel like too much was crammed into it. Some of the way the interface works reminds me of CorelDraw which I really enjoyed using, but has become a bit dated and is not available on Mac. This is a great app for illustration work, and for print design like business card design. The separate vector and pixel personas keep tools organized well.

Cons

Affinity Designer isn't specifically designed to be used for UI design, while I'm fine with this, it would be interesting if in the future it could handle some of the features that applications like Sketch do that make it great for UI design. That said, I wouldn't want this if it made the app cluttered. Right now Affinity Designer is great because it is easy to get around.

Review Source

Neel Kamal K.  
Web designer  
Online Media  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "A great vector design tool on a budget"

April 30, 2022

5.0

Overall, Affinity Designer is a great choice for anyone who needs an affordable vector design tool. It is feature rich and can do almost all the tasks thrown at it compared to the competitors.

Pros

The software does a pretty good job at vector graphics editing and it runs okay on mediocre systems as well. The price is very affordable and pepetual license is an icing on the cake.

Cons

Some features like shape designer tool are missing.

Review Source

DI

David I.  
Sales  
Telecommunications  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "Full power of creativity for and decent price "

August 1, 2020

5.0

Overall I can designs faster in this software than Illustrator, finally I can work with something similar to inkscape that can work with CMYK but this one is faster than both adobe and free products, I think is the best bang for your buck for working with vectors.

Pros

\- You can create and handle CMYK documents. - The user interface is extremely simple which makes it easy to pick up and learn it. - You can save files on different drives and you are capable of performing live updates on the storage file. - You have the option to generate procedural vectors and self created as well. - The effects and alterations on your designs are extremely fast, the refreshing is really quick no wasting time. - When working with vectors you can see the direct result of your design in vector mode on a split view mode before exporting as raster image. - Amazing brush control and customization. - Automatically create a color pallet form an existing document. - You can create multiple symmetry points to create outstanding designs in a breeze. - The history is not deleted your history is saved all the way, so you can go back in your design. - It works flawlessly in the iPad and you have as much control as the desktop version. - You can works with multiple Art boards. - I has photo shop most distinctive tools built in so you can remove backgrounds of images without using another software. - It has designer constrains to help you visualize your design on different devices. - Is extremely affordable price point is $69 one license with updates and $27.99 for iPad.

Cons

\- You do not have the access to all of the Adobe programs like Premiere, Dream weaver, After effects, etc. - The tools it has are not as convenient as the shape builder form the competitor.

Alternatives considered

[CorelDRAW](https://www.capterra.com/p/124823/CorelDRAW/)

Reason for choosing Affinity Designer

The UI is better by far

Switched from

[Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/)

Because is faster to design, I like the interface and the price is more accessible it is an incredible tool.

Review Source

César C.  
Computer engineer  
Computer Hardware  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "A worthy rival to Illustrator"

April 26, 2022

4.0

During the time that I was using it, it never caused me any problems, it never failed me, everything I wanted to do I could do with this program. It has a large catalog of tools, very useful and very well developed. For its price, it is a great alternative to take into account. It is a great design program.

Pros

Affinity Designer is a very complete design program, it works fast and accurately, the tools it has been very well implemented, and it is also very good that it works and exports with different types of files from AI, SVG, etc. It is a great software to vectorize, the process is simple and intuitive; It has good functionalities in image editing, and the text editor works correctly. Another key point is its price, being cheaper than Illustrator it is a great alternative for designers who do not have a high budget. In conclusion, it is a very complete and highly recommended program!

Cons

It is a very complete program, with very few flaws, or at least that I have noticed, the only thing that perhaps I did not like is its interface because it presents functions or tools that are quite similar, it needs optimization or simplification. Another point, perhaps not so specifically related to the program but that does affect it, is the lack of exclusive templates for Affinity Designer.

Alternatives considered

[Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/)

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
Coordinator of K-12 International Education  
Education Management  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Adobe has nothing on Affinity"

May 6, 2019

5.0

Pros

Their business model. Affinity provides an amazing product that I don't feel like I am buying again every month. I am sorry but Adobe is out of their mind to think that a casual user that occasionally needs design software is going to pay more for their product than they do all their streaming services combined. Affinity designer is an amazing piece of software that allows me to create and design simple print projects to.. something that I cannot do, create beautiful pieces of art. I have a tremendous amount of loyalty to Affinity. Bonus: they produce their own tutorial videos and post them online, so even if there is a task you don't know how to accomplish they help you.

Cons

I don't dislike anything about this software. I use is constantly and am always impressing friends and coworkers with the projects I complete with it.

Review Source

Ismaël D.  
Free-lance  
Design  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Graphic design software"

December 21, 2022

5.0

Software recommended for designers of all levels (beginner, intermediate, expert)

Pros

The tool supports almost any format of documents, images and vectors

Cons

Fortunately no problem during the use of the software with me

Review Source

MW

Matthew W.  
Pastor  
Religious Institutions  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Great product if you are interested in moving away from subscription software."

January 12, 2021

5.0

I have used Affinity designer for a number of years and the product has exceeded my expectation for the price of the software. It continues to receive useful updates and remains a strong competitor to other design software offerings.

Pros

I love that the Affinity Designer software is a one time purchase and has not become a subscription product like many others have. The product has all the features you need for advanced design work any is a great value for the price that you pay. There is a full range of features and instruction on using the various tools is more and more widely available.

Cons

Sometimes I find that the tools in Affinity are not quite as intuitive as some other design software programs but generally a quick internet search will provide the instructions I need to get over the hurdle.

Switched from

[Adobe Creative Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/48969/Adobe-Creative-Cloud/)

I did not use the Adobe product often enough to justify the expense of the subscription service and actually preferred the one time purchase model of Affinity as well as the operation of the Affinity software.

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
CEO  
Design  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "image editor"

September 24, 2023

5.0

it's a very practical program that offers many vector design features

Pros

it's an easy to use tool with a lot of basic and advanced features for vector design,it's a software for any artist who wants to create art,logo,poster.

Cons

its very intuitive interface, the button animation needs to be improved, otherwise it remains a complete program for vector creation

Alternatives considered

[Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/)

Reason for choosing Affinity Designer

ease of working for the first time

Review Source

LD

Luz D.  
Founder  
Information Technology and Services  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Affinity - Best of both worlds "

February 9, 2021

5.0

I been using the Affinity suite (Designer, Photo, Publisher) for months now and strongly feel that this is a great investment for the money (one time purchase). All my (basic) design needs have been met so far. I've seen examples of other projects done with the suite and it is a very powerful contender to Adobe.

Pros

Affinity Designer is a very cost effective solution vs Adobe Illustrator. I love that it has all the features I need (and more). It is easy to use (if you know Illustrator or other design software), the brushes are helpful. I regularly use it to create/edit icons, and designs for my books. I am not a professional designer, so for me it has been a great tool.

Cons

Some times it feels as if there are too many options. This comes with the package of not being a basic Design software (which is good actually). This is not a fault of the software, but lack of knowledge on my part.

Switched from

[Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/)

Cost. Adobe = $20 dlls/Month vs Affinity Design = $25 dlls unique payment. Features are very similar, locally installed and run (faster). To me, the Affinity suite is what Adobe Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) was many years ago, before Adobe grew too big. I wonder why would anyone continue paying monthly subscription fees when you can have a very similar product for a much lower price.

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
Web Analyst  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Excellent tool for a low price"

April 23, 2021

5.0

I absolutely love working with Affinity Designer, every part of it. I know I don't use its capabilities even in 10%, but I know I can if I would like to. I believe it's much better to learn Designer and be able to do anything with the graphic than paying a monthly fee for limited and inconvenient web apps.

Pros

I'm not a designer, but from time to time I needed to create a graphic for social media or for digital and print documents. I love Affinity Designer for its well-designed interface, full-featured functionality, and flexibility much higher than in any online tool. I found there everything I need, and what was hard or impossible in Canva. In fact, it's a competitor of Adobe Illustrator rather than Canva. And it's available for a one-time payment and ridiculously low price.

Cons

It has a rather steep learning curve. It's not as easy as Canva or Crello, but you don't have to watch hours of tutorials to start. One more drawback: if you want to create multi-page documents, you need their DTP app.

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
Sr. Experience Designer  
Human Resources  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Excellent replacement for Adobe Illustrator with a great price tag!"

July 12, 2018

5.0

I saved a lot of money by not having to pay a subscription model for bloated software. Affinity Designer gives me all the tools I need.

Pros

Affinity Designer is very easy to use, especially if you've worked with products like Adobe Illustrator in the past. Tools are easy and intuitive to use and the ability to customize the UI so you only see the things you need really cleans up your work space. I love the variety of export methods and use of canvases. Another big pro is the ability to open several different file formats, including .ai.

Cons

It can take a little effort to setup your workspace the way you like it. It's not always easy to find out how to display a specific palette of functions via the main app menu. I prefer submenus in tool docs so I can see what tool palettes I can add directly.

Review Source

AH

Afnan H.  
Researcher  
Research  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Evaluating the Pros and Cons of Affinity Designer: An In-Depth Review of the Vector Graphics Design"

February 11, 2023

5.0

Affinity Designer is a great choice for vector graphics design, offering precision tools, a user-friendly interface, and cross-platform compatibility. However, its limited compatibility with other software, steep learning curve, and performance issues can be drawbacks.

Pros

Affinity Designer offers precision tools for vector graphics design, making it a great choice for tasks such as logo design, typography, and illustrations.Affinity Designer has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate, making it accessible for both novice and professional designers.Affinity Designer is available on both Windows and Mac operating systems, making it a great choice for designers who use multiple platforms.Affinity Designer is an affordable alternative to other professional design software, such as Adobe Illustrator.Affinity Designer has a large and active community of users, providing support and resources to help users get the most out of the software.

Cons

Affinity Designer may not have all the features of more expensive design software, making it a less attractive choice for some professionals.Affinity Designer does not offer a free trial, making it difficult for users to test the software before purchasing

Review Source

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