shouldiuse.io

Categories

VERDICT

Should I use Affinity?

Professional creative software — craft in Affinity, scale in Canva - affinity.serif.com

Worth it. Buy if you want pro-grade photo, vector, and layout tools with no subscription — v3 is now free under Canva. Skip if you need the full Adobe ecosystem, Linux support, or simple template-style editing.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~40 public sources. Only design-suite (affinity.serif.com) evidence used; Affinity.co CRM and unrelated 'Affinity' breach reports excluded.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence found
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Affinity v3

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Canva Premium (optional)$12.99/mo

Best for

  • Freelance designers ditching Adobe subscriptions
  • Illustrators and photo editors wanting precision tools
  • Students and hobbyists (it's free)
  • Teams pairing precision design with Canva scale

Not for

  • Pros needing the full Adobe ecosystem (After Effects, plugins)
  • Guess: Linux users — no native version
  • Casual creators who just need Canva templates
  • Buyers wanting perpetual licenses and vendor independence

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Classic perpetual licenses discontinued — v2 store closed; future model rides on Canva

medium

'Free' may gate commercial use or extras behind Canva Premium (~$12.99/mo)

medium

Eight CVEs disclosed in 2025-26 including local RCE — keep updated

medium

Ecosystem lock-in: 'craft in Affinity, scale in Canva' ties you to Canva accounts

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Full professional suite now free, no subscription
  • Widely reviewed as a genuine Adobe alternative
  • No forced AI features, per Canva's pitch
  • Praised for precision and artboard handling
  • Users actively switching from both Adobe and Canva

Cons

  • Reviewers say it's still not a full Adobe replacement
  • Perpetual-license purchases ended after Canva acquisition
  • Critics argue 'free' carries strings via Canva plans

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/05/2026 - 12 sources - Active CVE stream under Canva ownership — 8 disclosed in 2025-26: one local RCE, one CVSS 7.8 out-of-bounds write, several info-disclosure flaws.

official x1review x7security x2news x2
  • CVE-2025-66342 — local RCE, Remote code execution vulnerability reported in Canva Affinity.
  • CVE-2025-64301 — out-of-bounds write, High severity, CVSS 7.8.
  • CVE-2025-66617 — high severity, Flagged as high severity for Canva Affinity.
  • CVE-2025-64776, -58427, -62500, -61979, CVE-2026-20726, Multiple information-disclosure flaws, including an out-of-bounds read.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Full pro suite, zero cost
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Reviewers say streamlined; pro learning curve
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Powerful, but reviewers say still short of Adobe
  • Support quality. No support evidence found
  • Security posture: 2/5. Eight CVEs disclosed in 2025-26
  • Free Price Full v3 suite, no subscription
  • 8 Known CVEs (2025-26) Incl. RCE and info-disclosure
  • $12.99/mo Optional Canva plan Canva-side features, per third-party review
  • Mac, Windows Platforms Per r/Affinity listing

Pricing

Affinity v3

Free

  • Photo, Designer, Publisher capability
  • No subscription, per vendor

Canva Premium (optional)

$12.99/mo

  • Canva-side features and integration
  • Per third-party review; verify terms

Security

Active CVE stream under Canva ownership — 8 disclosed in 2025-26: one local RCE, one CVSS 7.8 out-of-bounds write, several info-disclosure flaws.

  • CVE-2025-66342 — local RCERemote code execution vulnerability reported in Canva Affinity.⁹
  • CVE-2025-64301 — out-of-bounds writeHigh severity, CVSS 7.8.10
  • CVE-2025-66617 — high severityFlagged as high severity for Canva Affinity.
  • CVE-2025-64776, -58427, -62500, -61979, CVE-2026-20726Multiple information-disclosure flaws, including an out-of-bounds read.

Companies that use it

  • WeCreate Digital12
Full analysis

Based on ~40 public sources. Only design-suite (affinity.serif.com) evidence used; Affinity.co CRM and unrelated 'Affinity' breach reports excluded.

Free, pro-grade Adobe alternative under Canva. No subscription. Not a full Adobe match; licenses gone; some CVEs.

Methodology

Based on ~40 public sources. Only design-suite (affinity.serif.com) evidence used; Affinity.co CRM and unrelated 'Affinity' breach reports excluded.

Sources

  1. Affinity Review: Free and Powerful, But Still Not Adobe (PCMag)pcmag.com
    review
  2. Get Affinity — official pricing pageaffinity.studio
    official
  3. Affinity by Canva Review (The Phoblographer)thephoblographer.com
    review
  4. Canva Affinity Studio Review (UXPilot)uxpilot.ai
    review
  5. Affinity by Canva Pricing: The Professional Cost of Free (Quark)quark.com
    news
  6. Affinity Stops Selling Their Software — Store is Closed (YouTube)youtube.com
    news
  7. Moving from Canva to Affinity (Reddit)reddit.com
    review
  8. Disgusting pricing — V2 feedback (Affinity forum)forum.affinity.serif.com
    review
  9. CVE-2025-66342: Canva Affinity RCE (SentinelOne)sentinelone.com
    security
  10. CVE-2025-64301: Out-of-Bounds Write, CVSS 7.8 (Strix)strix.ai
    security
  11. Affinity Review: The Best Adobe Alternative for Designerskusiima.com
    review
  12. Why we Switched from Adobe to Affinity Photo (WeCreate Digital)wecreate.digital
    review

Rate this review

Anonymous. You can change your vote.

Loading votes…

Comments

One queue. No nested comments. Give a display name first. Limit: 200 words per comment and 7 comments per day. You can edit or delete yours.

Save a name to write a comment.

0 / 200 words

No comments yet.