Canva has acquired Affinity in an effort to compete with Adobe

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall sentiment

  • Thread is dominated by disappointment and anxiety from Affinity users.
  • Main fear: loss of perpetual, offline, native desktop tools and “enshittification” via subscriptions, bloat, cloud lock‑in, and AI features that users don’t want.

Business model and acquisition concerns

  • Affinity’s one-time purchase model is repeatedly cited as its main differentiator from Adobe.
  • Many expect a staged transition: reassure users now, then introduce optional subscriptions, then tilt the product toward subscription over time.
  • Official statements/pledges from Canva/Affinity promise perpetual licenses will continue and any subscription would be optional, but language like “at this time” and focus on v2 (not v3+) makes users skeptical.
  • Several see this as a classic M&A pattern: acquisition → integration pressure → pricing/model changes → product decline.
  • Some note Serif was profitable and didn’t “need” to sell; others think AI and scale pressures made a sale rational.

Affinity vs Adobe

  • Split views on quality:
    • Some say Adobe tools are clearly superior and Affinity’s only real edge was pricing and lack of Creative Cloud bloat.
    • Others argue Affinity is faster, more stable, leaner, and superior in fundamentals for print and desktop publishing; Adobe is seen as legacy, bloated, and bug-ridden.
  • Lock‑in, industry standards, and network effects (education, agencies, file exchange) are seen as the main reasons pros stick with Adobe.

Canva’s reputation and fit

  • Canva is described as:
    • Highly successful, subscription-based, “lower-end” or prosumer design tool, strong in templates and social media content.
    • Cloud‑only, browser‑first, with collaboration, but frustrating or inadequate for power users.
  • Many worry Canva will:
    • Push Affinity towards cloud/web, subscriptions, and AI features.
    • Misunderstand Affinity’s pro workflows and loyal user base.
  • A minority is optimistic, thinking Canva’s scale could fund real improvements and that Affinity and Canva target different segments.

Alternatives, OSS, and user strategies

  • Some users plan to:
    • Freeze on Affinity v1/v2, disable updates, archive installers, or move to VMs.
    • Re‑evaluate Adobe, Pixelmator, Capture One, DaVinci Resolve, CorelDRAW, or niche tools.
    • Invest more in open-source tools (GIMP, Inkscape, Krita, Scribus, LaTeX, etc.), though many see current OSS UX as inadequate vs Affinity/Adobe.
  • Broader frustration with industry-wide shift to subscriptions and cloud dependence is a recurring theme.