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

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

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.