---
title: "Affinity Photo Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra"
description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about Affinity Photo Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Graphic Design products and more."
source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/228748/Affinity-Photo/"
page_type: "product"
language: "en"
publication_date: "2026-09-28"
---

# 

 Affinity Photo Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons

Last updated on September 28, 2026

Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team.

[Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews)

Affinity Photo

## What is Affinity Photo?

Affinity Photo is a cloud-based photo editing software for Windows, macOS, and iPadOS. The professional-grade application provides powerful tools for editing, retouching, and compositing images as well as developing RAW photos. Key features include non-destructive adjustments and effects, advanced selections, customizable brushes, and support for unlimited layers.

## What is Affinity Photo used for?

[Graphic Design](https://www.capterra.com/graphic-design-software/)

Top alternative

Featured

Overall rating

Based on 99 user reviews

Reviews sentiment

Positive

96%

Neutral

4%

Negative

0%

Starting price

$54.99

Flat Rate, One Time

Free trial  
not available

Free version not included

Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products...

Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings...

Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings...

## Compare with a popular alternative

Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status.

### Affinity Photo

4.8 (99)

VS.

[4.7 (7,346)](https://www.capterra.com/p/48969/Adobe-Creative-Cloud/reviews/)

Starting Price

$54.99

Flat Rate, One Time

Starting Price

$52.99

Flat Rate, Per Month

Free Trial

Free Version

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

Ease Of Use

4.4 (99)

Ease Of Use

4.2 (13,453)

Value For Money

4.9 (82)

Value For Money

4.2 (10,230)

Customer Service

4.5 (50)

Customer Service

4.2 (8,416)

## Affinity Photo alternatives

[Canva](https://www.capterra.com/p/168956/Canva/)

[4.7 (13,465)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168956/Canva/reviews/)

Starting price

$15.00

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

97%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/168956/Canva/)

[Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/)

[4.8 (2,474)](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/reviews/)

Starting price

$22.99

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

98%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/)

[GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168960/GIMP/)

[4.4 (3,500)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168960/GIMP/reviews/)

Starting price

Contact vendor for pricing

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

89%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/168960/GIMP/)

Highest Rated

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

[4.8 (8,659)](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/reviews/)

Starting price

$22.99

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

98%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

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

[View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/228748/Affinity-Photo/alternatives/)

## FAQs about Affinity Photo

Overview

### What problems does Affinity Photo solve?

Affinity Photo solves costly subscription-dependent photo editing and design workflows by providing one-time-purchase tools for RAW development, retouching, object removal, masking, layered compositing, and PSD editing. Photographers, freelance designers, marketers, publishers, and content creators benefit when producing print-ready images, social graphics, book covers, ads, and client visuals.

Answer based on 91 reviews

Overview

### Which roles and teams benefit most from Affinity Photo?

Affinity Photo is most used by graphic designers, photographers, and photo editors creating retouched images, composited visuals, and print-ready assets. Freelancers, owners, founders, and marketing teams use it to produce brand materials, campaign graphics, and product imagery, while students and media producers develop visual projects and editing skills.

Answer based on 99 reviews

Overview

### What company size and industries is Affinity Photo built for?

Affinity Photo is for small businesses, which represent 90% of reviewers, and Marketing and Advertising, its top industry at 14%. It is also used by photographers, graphic designers, photo editors, creative professionals, enthusiasts, and artists across Design (12%) and Computer Software (7%), primarily for graphic design.

Answer based on 99 reviews

Features and Usability

### What are the key features of Affinity Photo?

Affinity Photo includes image editing tools and workspace personas for creating and adjusting images. It also provides custom brushes, text editing for graphic text, content management and content libraries for organizing files, plus watermarking to add signatures or logos to photographs.

Answer based on 43 reviews

Pricing

### How much does it cost and what fees or limitations are included?

Affinity Photo offers the Basic plan for $54.99 as a one-time flat rate for Windows or Mac, while the iPad plan costs 21.99 as a one-time purchase. Reviewers value the perpetual-license model and lack of recurring fees, though some say it lacks certain Photoshop options and requires a learning curve.

Answer based on 36 reviews

Integrations

### Which third-party tools and platforms does Affinity Photo integrate with?

Affinity Photo integrates with Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher for cross-application creative workflows. Users can open and transfer project files between Affinity Photo and Designer, while Publisher supports combining edited bitmap images with layouts. GIMP is also referenced by reviewers, primarily as an alternative image-editing application.

Answer based on 51 reviews

Getting Started and Support

### How easy is it to onboard and train a team on Affinity Photo?

Affinity Photo is relatively quick to onboard for designers familiar with Photoshop, layers, and standard photo-editing workflows; many users become comfortable after a few video tutorials. Newer or minimally technical users may need more practice, especially with personas and different workflows. Training resources include documentation, tutorial videos, online support, and workbooks, though some users find documentation sparse.

Answer based on 27 reviews

Getting Started and Support

### What customer support options does Affinity Photo offer?

Affinity Photo provides email/help desk support. User feedback focuses more on the software’s ease of use than on support interactions, so there is little evidence about response speed or helpfulness. The available support channel is direct, but reviewer sentiment does not add clear detail about service quality.

Answer based on 1 reviews

Image editing

### How well does Affinity Photo handle image editing?

Affinity Photo handles everyday and advanced image editing with layers, masks, RAW development, retouching, compositing, filters, and drawing tools. Photographers, content creators, and small business designers value its flexible workspace and non-destructive editing, though some advanced Photoshop-style automation, AI tools, and image-library management features remain limited.

Answer based on 41 reviews

## Features

AI summary

Based on 10,533 Graphic Design reviews

Capterra reviewers highlight these as the features buyers value most when comparing graphic design software:

-   **Content Import/Export** (**43%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical)
-   **Drag & Drop Editor** (**35%**)
-   **Image Editing** (**41%**)

Affinity Photo supports **Image Editing**, making it a fit for teams that need to retouch visuals and refine creative assets. However, it does not include **Content Import/Export** or **Drag & Drop Editor**. Instead, it offers **Design Templates** (**33%**), which can give users a starting point for recurring creative work. These features help businesses create and update visual content more efficiently, allowing teams to produce polished graphics with less manual effort.

Image Editing

4.8 (70)

84.29% of 70 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Edit, touch up, and convert images for publishing

Design Templates

4.0 (12)

75.00% of 12 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Create designs using pre-built templates or customize them with flowcharts, mindmaps, wireframes, network diagrams and org charts

Text Editing

4.3 (23)

56.52% of 23 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Edit text as needed

Content Management

3.9 (16)

56.25% of 16 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Handles digital content throughout its lifecycle, from creation and storage to distribution and archiving

Content Library

4.0 (13)

38.46% of 13 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Centralized repository to store content and assets

Watermarking

4.5 (11)

27.27% of 11 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Add a digital mark to show ownership of an image, video, document, etc.

Affinity Photo 8 features

### All Features
- CAD Tools: Computer aided design to create precision drawings or technical illustrations
- Content Library: Centralized repository to store content and assets
- Content Management: Handles digital content throughout its lifecycle, from creation and storage to distribution and archiving
- Custom Brushes: Import, create, or use custom brushes to add shapes/effects to designs
- Design Templates: Create designs using pre-built templates or customize them with flowcharts, mindmaps, wireframes, network diagrams and org charts
- Image Editing: Edit, touch up, and convert images for publishing
- Text Editing: Edit text as needed
- Watermarking: Add a digital mark to show ownership of an image, video, document, etc.

---

Features

4.5 (99)

4.5

Based on 99 reviews

## Pricing

Value for money

4.9 (82)

[View pricing plan details](https://www.capterra.com/p/228748/Affinity-Photo/pricing/)

Basic

$54.99

Flat Rate,One Time

It includes:

-   360 Image Editing
-   Batch Processing
-   Digital Painting
-   Focus Stacking
-   HDR Merge
-   Panorama Stitching
-   PSD Editing
-   Raw Editing
-   Smart Object Support
-   Unlimited Layers

iPad

$21.99

Flat Rate,One Time

It includes:

-   360 Image Editing
-   Batch Processing
-   Brush Support
-   Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts
-   Digital Painting
-   Focus Stacking
-   Full Suite of Selection Tools
-   HDR Merge
-   Panorama Stitching
-   PSB Import
-   PSD Editing
-   PSD Import/Export
-   PSD Smart Object Import
-   Raw Editing
-   Smart Object Support
-   Unlimited Layers

Value for money

4.9 (82)

4.9

Based on 82 reviews

## Integrations

[

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

Affinity Publisher](https://www.capterra.com/p/229592/Affinity-Publisher/)

## Support, customer service and training options

Customer Service

4.5 (50)

Support

-   Email/Help Desk
-   FAQs/Forum
-   Knowledge Base
-   Phone Support
-   24/7 (Live rep)
-   Chat

Training

-   In Person
-   Live Online
-   Webinars
-   Documentation
-   Videos

Deployment

-   Web
-   Android
-   iPhone/iPad

Typical users

-   Freelancers
-   Small businesses
-   Mid size businesses
-   Enterprises

Customer Service

4.5 (50)

4.5

Based on 50 reviews

## User reviews

Overall rating

4.8

Based on 99 reviews

Filter by rating

5(80)

4(15)

3(4)

2(0)

1(0)

Mentioned topic

Sorted by most recent

GL

Georg L.

Dipl. Designer

Graphic Design

### "Es fehlen wichtige Kleinigkeiten!"

3.0

Overall Rating

3.0

3.0

Ease of Use

1.0

1.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

0.0

0.0

Likelihood to Recommend

8/10

December 16, 2025

Das Arbeiten mit Affinity erinnert in Vielem an Photoshop. Das Programm könnte Photoshop definitiv ablösen, wenn die Usability besser wäre.

Pros

Das Preis-Leistungsverhältnis ist unschlagbar: kein Abo. Alle wichtigen Funktionen von Photoshop sind vorhanden.

Cons

Es sind keine Aktionen möglich, keine Shortcuts programmierbar. Viele halbautomatischen Funktionen, die ich aus Photoshop kenne, fehlen – zum Beispiel wiederholt Affinity keine Filter mit Befehl-F wenn man das Dokument wechselt. Man muss viele Funktionen, wie das Zuweisen eines CMYK-Profils sehr umständlich jedes Mal neu auswählen, die man leicht auf einen eigenen Tastenbefehl legen könnte.

Switched from

[Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/)

ich bin gewechselt, weil ich kein Abo bezahlen wollte.

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

AM

Alexander M.

IT Trainer

Health, Wellness and Fitness

### "The best Photoshop alternative "

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

3.0

3.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

3.0

3.0

Likelihood to Recommend

9/10

November 8, 2025

Completely replaced Adobe Photoshop for me, and no need for an inflated subscription price. Works brilliantly.

Pros

Fantastic product with everything I need for photo editing for just a one-off cost and no subscription.

Cons

It's a steep learning curve, especially if you are used to some of the other alternatives. But worth it.

Switched from

[Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/)

Did not need an expensive subscription to use.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

AL

Alexandra L.

Customer success manager

Marketing and Advertising

### "It’s photoshop but 100 times cheaper"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

3.0

3.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

3.0

3.0

Likelihood to Recommend

9/10

July 23, 2025

I’ve been using affinity photo for 5 years now, overall it’s great use and very similiar to photoshop.

Pros

Had almost same functionality as adobe photoshop and one-time only liscence purchase so it’s incredibly cheaper than Adobe.

Cons

Smart objects, it’s a bit more difficult to create smart objects in affinity photo. Also the mask layering can be confusing.

Switched from

[Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/)

When I was freelance I was not able to afford Adobe photoshop, now 5 years later I don’t see the need to pay monthly subsription when affinity delivers exactly what I need and only had to pay for it once.

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

JT

Joseph T.

Photo and Videomaker

Events Services

### "Awesome software"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

June 1, 2025

Very powerful too which can helps many creator to do beautiful visuals. There are also a lot of tool for pictures correction which is nice

Pros

Buy once licence is what made me curious to try and all the tools is what makes me stay. There are a ton of tool which helps you creat great pictures/visuals

Cons

There are many option which makes the learning curves a bit hard but as everything, you have to learn to master it

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

RW

Ray W.

Marketing Manager

Computer Software

### "Excellent Photoshop alternative, no subscription! "

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

March 14, 2025

Easy to use and affordable all around photo editor.

Pros

Love that it's cross platform (though a Linux version would make it even better) and that it's not a subscription. So much more affordable than Adobe and easier to use for someone like me that just dabbles in photo editing, but wants powerful features from time to time.

Cons

Might not have quite all the options that Photoshop does. But it's at least 90% there and does everything I need, so for the price, it's amazing.

Switched from

[GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168960/GIMP/)

[Paint.NET](https://www.capterra.com/p/237986/PaintNET/)

Paint.net was easy to use, but was missing advanced features. GIMP, powerful as it is, and a great open source project, is just very clunky and doesn't have the ease of use I need for a commercial setting. Didn't want to pay a subscription for something I only use a couple times a month, so Affinity Photo was the perfect fit.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

DB

Dave B.

Photo Editor

Photography

### "99% of the functionality of Photoshop, but as a great value perpetual licence"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

February 17, 2025

I'm still getting used to Affinity Photo, but it's been a very positive experience thus far, and a refreshing change from Adobe Photoshop.

Pros

The biggest and most important thing to know about Affinity Photo is that it's almost as good as Photoshop, but uses a perpetual licence. Depending on your exact usage scenario, it can cost you about the same to buy Affinity Photo outright, as to 'rent' Adobe Photoshop for 2½ months.

Cons

At time of writing, there are very few AI features built in to Affinity Photo.

Switched from

[Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/)

We moved to Affinity Photo from Photoshop because of Adobe's price structure (subscription only). At time of writing, and in our particular circumstance, Affinity Photo cost the same to buy outright (perpertual licence) as Photoshop would have cost for 2½ months of subscription, after which we'd have been left with nothing.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

Vasilis K.

Web Developer and Designer

Information Technology and Services

### "A powerful photo editor with a great potential"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

January 15, 2025

My overall experience with Affinity Photo is very positive. I really like the one-off payment option. It's a cheap and powerful photo editor but there's still room for a lot of improvements.

Pros

Affinity Photo has a clean user interface. It's also relatively lightweight and has many powerful features such us raw file editing, multi platform support, customizable interface and many more.

Cons

I wish there was a better tool for handling shadows, vignettes and bokeh effects.

Switched from

[Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/)

Mostly because of the better price and the one-off payment option.

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

AN

Anonymous User

Managing Partner

Photography

### "Powerful software without subscription"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

4.0

4.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

January 14, 2025

I use Affinity Photo a lot for developing raw images, creating images and refining images. It is a fast and powerful software that can do almost everything. Only generative AI tools are missing.

Pros

Extremely powerful program for photo editing. Almost everything can be done with Affinity Photo. Real competitor to Adobe Photoshop. One-time payment has big advantages over subscription model.

Cons

Generative AI tools of Adobe Photoshop are very helpful. Sadly, Affinity Photo does not offer any of these. Inpainting brush is slightly worse than Photoshop. Adobe Lightroom capabilities would be nice as well.

Switched from

[Adobe Lightroom](https://www.capterra.com/p/233631/Adobe-Photoshop-Lightroom/)

In-depth photo editing beyond the capabilities of Adobe Lightroom was needed. Unfortunately, Affinity Photo can only be used on top of Lightroom since it does not offer file organization features.

Alternatives considered

[Adobe Lightroom](https://www.capterra.com/p/233631/Adobe-Photoshop-Lightroom/)

[Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/)

Reasons for choosing Affinity Photo

One-time payment and a lot of functionality.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

RQ

Renea Q.

Graphic Design

Graphic Design

### "Powerful and Affordable Photo Editing for Professionals"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

4.0

4.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

October 31, 2024

Overall, Affinity Photo is a fantastic, professional-grade photo editor that meets the needs of most designers and photographers. It’s a powerful, budget-friendly alternative for those who want high-quality results without recurring fees.

Pros

Affinity Photo has been an amazing addition to my digital toolkit for creating genealogy templates and family history projects. It offers nearly everything you’d expect from Photoshop but with a much more affordable one-time purchase, which is ideal for small business owners like myself who want professional tools without monthly fees. Affinity Photo excels in handling complex edits and photo manipulations, with tools for retouching, advanced layering, and masking. The interface is intuitive, especially for anyone familiar with Adobe, and it integrates seamlessly with Affinity Publisher, which is a huge plus for my projects. The performance is consistently fast and smooth, even with high-resolution images.

Cons

While Affinity Photo covers most needs, a few niche features like automatic plugins aren’t as extensive as Photoshop’s, so there can be some limitations if you rely heavily on specific plugins.

Switched from

[Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/)

Adobe is a great tool, but it's very expensive

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

MC

Maysa C.

Graphic Designer

Design

### "An Attractive Alternative to Photoshop"

4.0

Overall Rating

4.0

4.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

3.0

3.0

Customer Service

0.0

0.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

September 23, 2024

Affinity Photo is an excellent choice for freelance graphic designers seeking a capable and budget-friendly alternative to Photoshop

Pros

Familiar interface, powerful features, and an appealing one-time price

Cons

Some Photoshop-specific tools are missing, and compatibility with certain plugins can be limited

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

[View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/228748/Affinity-Photo/reviews/)

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Popular comparisons

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