Affinity's Adobe-rivaling creative suite is now free for six months

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Affinity’s Adobe-rivaling creative suite is offering a six‑month free trial, prompting wide comparisons between its one-time-purchase apps (Photo, Designer, Publisher) and Adobe’s subscription-based Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Many users find Affinity powerful, fast, and cost‑effective for hobbyist and some professional work, but note missing features such as advanced automation, scripting, image tracing, Lightroom-style cataloging, and certain high‑end editing tools that matter in established workflows. The recent Canva acquisition has also raised concern that Affinity could eventually shift toward a subscription or more restrictive activation model, undermining one of its main attractions for those trying to escape Adobe Creative Cloud.

Overview of the Offer

  • Six‑month free trial of Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher seen as a strong way to get Adobe users to seriously test switching.
  • Some users already own the suite and are very satisfied; others tried it and bounced back to Adobe or other tools.

Affinity vs. Adobe

  • General consensus: Affinity apps are solid, cheaper, and “good enough” for many use cases, but Adobe remains ahead for high‑end professional workflows.
  • Specific gaps noted:
    • Designer vs Illustrator: lacks image tracing, blend tools, advanced gradients, perspective tools, automation, curvature tool, robust shape replication.
    • Photo vs Photoshop: weaker advanced masking/brush workflows; confusing RAW “Develop Persona” and more destructive editing; missing support for Adobe XMP‑based edits.
    • Publisher vs InDesign: broadly comparable, but weaker multipage/layout/template tools and no scripting/plugin ecosystem.

Lightroom & Photo Management

  • Affinity has no Lightroom‑style cataloging or non‑destructive multi‑image workflow.
  • Develop Persona is non‑destructive but hidden/confusing and easy to break into destructive pixel layers.
  • Several discuss alternatives: Capture One, DxO PhotoLab, RAWTherapee, Darktable, RAW Power, AfterShot, digiKam, Ansel; none are viewed as a perfect Lightroom replacement.

Automation, Plugins, and AI

  • Major pain points: lack of scripting, plugin SDK, and batch/automated exports in Affinity; users resort to Krita scripting or other tools.
  • Some Photoshop plugins work in Affinity Photo; compatibility is inconsistent.
  • Affinity has some “smart” features (e.g., content‑aware fill) but no modern generative AI; some hope Canva backing will fund this.

Licensing, Subscriptions, and Canva

  • Strong appreciation for Affinity’s low‑cost perpetual licenses and cross‑app file compatibility.
  • Acquisition by Canva triggers fears of a future shift to subscriptions or “enshittification,” despite official statements that perpetual licenses will remain.
  • Debate over long‑term risks of online activation vs. older offline activation.

Platform Support & UX

  • No native Linux support; some report partial success via Wine.
  • Mixed reports on stability and performance: some praise speed and smoothness; others complain of lag, rendering glitches, and long startup.
  • Learning curve friction: Affinity often copies ~80–85% of Adobe workflows, but the remaining 15–20% behaves differently, frustrating experienced Adobe users.