Affinity Designer Reviews

The best design software ever

Comments: - Fast development for my customers
- For any visit card design or else, it's very immersive

Pros:

I've been using affinity for about 3 years. It's soooo easy so great and mostly, SO QUICK ! I love designing with this software ! User experience is very cool, the customization is amazing. And the price it's like we give it to you ! I can only recommend that software !

Cons:

Sometimes, I need to go to Illustrator for some specific features such as color overall management or width modification. Anyway, there are a lot of innovative feature on Illustrator that i'd love to see on affinity.

No need for Adobe Products

Comments: Never had any problems with the software of the company at all

Pros:

Get 99.9% of what you pay a gazillion dollars for Adobe products with AD. It is way more user-friendly, has all the same features for the most part and total cross-use with other affinity programs... and it's a one-time fee for the amazing software.

Cons:

Every now and then you look for a feature you are used to with other platforms and its another key command or you have to dig for it a bit to get it done. a few features take a couple of extra steps that arent always necessary.

Perfect for a wide range of graphic tasks in a marketing agency environment

Comments: I was looking for a tool to do my entire design - from print materials to social media URL preview images. It covers it all and is easy to use.

Pros:

Pricing for what you actually get on functionality.

Cons:

Some minor issues on figuring out how to set up the studio.

User friendly

Comments: I think that losing quality when sizing images needs to be improved as it is a significant issue

Pros:

It’s very easy to figure out how to use, and it’s user friendlt

Cons:

Image sizing loses quality of the image for vectors

Why Affinity Earns My Loyalty: A Review of Their Customer-Centric Approach

Pros:

Affinity has always been a value-centered brand that genuinely cares about both the quality of its products and the satisfaction of its users. While many brands focus on maximizing profits and squeezing out every penny, Affinity chooses to do right by its customers with straightforward and simple purchase models. That's why their apps remain indispensable in my toolkit, and I feel a deep sense of loyalty toward their brand. Great job, team, and I think your 6-month model is brilliant. I wish you every success with it.

Cons:

Learning curve takes time and help files could be better.

Great app for creating nice designs

Comments: It’s very economic and it does everything that a design needs so I really recommend it, especially to small businesses

Pros:

I like the fact that it’s not a subscription but you pay it once and then have access forever. Also it has a lot of tools so you can create and personalize your design!

Cons:

It a professional app so it’s not that intuitive, you have to look to a lot of tutorials and guides to fully use it

More compatível with Photoshop than ilustrator

Comments: Great, very very fast comparing with illustrator, fast redraw on complex documentos. Less RAM requirement to work and very good export options and compatiliby with Adobe friends

Pros:

Pasta inside mutch better than illustrator with thouse cliping paths from last Century. Speed, and opening PSD in layeres and exporting in PSD format among other features and easy to learn and work.

Cons:

The mini Photoshop inside, the perna stuff

Breath of fresh air for design products

Pros:

Full-featured suite that reminds me of the way Adobe products used to work prior to subscriptions and feature bloat.

Cons:

Some features are still missing, but I’m hopeful they will arrive with the Canva merger.

Affinity Designer is an amazing program

Pros:

I love that you only have to pay for it once and you own it. No subscriptions, no hassles, I can learn at my own pace because there are no timelines. I love how much I’m learning I’m this program and how much it has helped me to design products I can then sell.

Cons:

There is nothing I dislike about the program except the amount of time I need to have to invest in actually learning it. There are a lot of videos that even Affinity has put out to help you learn the program on all the different platforms.

A Serious Contender to Illustrator

Comments: Affinity Designer is an excellent choice for freelance designers seeking a powerful and budget-friendly alternative to Illustrator

Pros:

Intuitive interface, powerful tools, and an affordable one-time price

Cons:

Some features are missing compared to Illustrator, and compatibility with certain files can be tricky

Vector graphics for everybody

Comments: As the leader of a small-to-medium-enterprise and an educator in sound for media, many times I have the need to create simple graphics. From schematics and diagrams to icons and beyond. I use them for my company's internal knowledge-base, when I blog, for my presentations in classrooms, and even to create our own software graphical assets from mockups to finished product. First of all, it's no secret that working in vector is what every software developer should do, as it allows for the generation of all the graphic assets to be made in various bitmap resolutions, so your application looks clear and crisp in any device. Lately, even the Unity game engine introduced a pipeline to use vector graphic assets to create games, so that they render in any resolution, I definitely recommend checking this out if you are a game developer.
Anyway, Affinity Designer always delivered a great experience for me and all my colleagues said that I became a graphic designer, which is not true, but it is a great compliment, and I really own that to Affinity Designer.
The exporter feature is one huge time saver, you should check out the videos they have about this one and also the rest of Affinity team's video tutorials in Vimeo.
Overall, the experience of using the application can be described as smooth, fast and easy.

Pros:

What I liked most about this program, is the workflow and interface. The developers managed to create a simple to use application for vector graphics, that everybody can operate. I can't remember how many times I got frustrated trying to make a simple graphic in other programs, while in Affinity Designer, the workflow is mapped so well, that everybody can use it. From computer graphics professionals around the world, to amateurs like me, it is straight forward to open the application and start creating. The online help system is awesome and omni-present and the graphical interface is sleek and looks good in any monitor that I tried it, even small ones. I also consider a great bonus that the company keeps a straight policy about pricing, they don't use the subscription model which is very good for SMEs.

Cons:

Some advanced vector tools are missing, but the software is still young and I'm sure it will develop to a great tool. After all, the developers seem to have usability, ease of use and fast workflows in mind, so they add new features very carefully, to keep Affinity Designer the great tool that it is now.

Excellent Product

Comments: My experience has been wonderful, I see some of the new AI-type features in CC, but for my purposes the Affinity can do 98% of everything I might have ever wanted from CC and for a much better, one-time price.

Pros:

I use the full Affinity suite (Designer, Photo and Publisher) and am VERY pleased with each. The ability to create and edit files in one and seamlessly switch to the other (e.g. edit photo in Photo and switch over to Designer to do some curved text or other vector work and then switch back to Photo) is amazing, and quite a time saver. I create several print-ready images every month and used to pay a LOT more for CC, which started to become a burden. Switching to Affinity saves me a lot of money (and also time)

Cons:

Not a complaint, but if this software could somehow use all of the thousands of Photoshop plugins and filters out there, it would be incredible.

Best Vector Design software in a Cheaper price

Comments: Overall, I am happy with this product. It comes with a perceptual purchase plan. I can do my 80% of design in affinity designer. I wish they add features like shape builder tool, Image tracer soon. Then, It will be the best Adobe Illustrator Competitor.

Pros:

The interface is less complicated. Layer management is awesome. It supports non-destructive editing for both vector & pixel editing. It supports live preview while changing any properties like colour, font & effects of the design.

Cons:

There is no image tracing option. Lacking of Shape builder tool, pattern tool, real vector brush tool made this software hard to recommend to others.

A powerful tool for all levels...

Comments: It's been stress-free. If ever I get stuck trying to do something I just search for video tutorials and there's always something to help you on your way. I've never had to contact support and to be honest, I don't even think I've had to upgrade more than once, and If I have it was a free upgrade. Affinity is really a great provider and suite of tools. Like I said I used to be all Adobe, but now I haven't looked back. Best workflow decision I've ever made.

Pros:

An easy-to-use layout design tool that is capable of absolutely everything I need to do. I've been in the creative industry for over 30 years and Affinity Designer can handle everything I'm throwing at it from logo design and layout to full-blown artwork, and art collections I'm developing. It integrates well with the Affinity family of products (obviously). Essentially it's easy, fast, full-featured, and straightforward to get started. I used to use Illustrator (a little) but now I use Affinity and have never looked back. The transition took me minutes rather than hours. It's very intuitive.

Cons:

I haven't hit any limitations with the software yet. I always generally feel the things we don't like about the software is that we've mainly not learned how to use particular features or combinations yet, so really it's on us to work it out and innovate. Sure in any software there can be occasional bugs. But I haven't come across any yet, or anything particularly frustrating about the workflow, tool, or system as a whole.

Ditch Adobe Illustrator. Get Affinity Designer NOW

Comments: I love this tool for graphic design. The learning curve is short, the tool itself is inexpensive (no recurring cost) and I look forward to use it on a daily basis - it's so intutive.

Pros:

The best thing about Affinity Designer is not that it is feature rich, but that it has all the essential features for designing/illustration. This software can be bought for a low price (one-time) unlike Adoble Illustrator which demands you pay monthly license fee. The software is easy and intutive to use and I was able to learn the essentials within a week or so. You get basic photo editing features like selection tools for cropping, blending modes, etc.

Cons:

Certain useful features like gradient map, 3D, mockups, etc. that are available in Illustrator may not be available with Affinity Designer. But I am OK with this - too many features make us forget essential ones. Besides, the magic wand tool available in Affinity Photo is not available in Affinity Designer - for precise cropping of people, etc. I wish Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo were a single software.

My essential UX, Vector Creating tool

Comments: I am very satisfied with the performance the look, style and usability of Affinity Designer I am also using the Affinity Photo and Publisher.

Pros:

It's built for Mac OS, an it works flawlessly with my M1 MacBook and my Dell 27" external screen. It has all the features and tools as Adobe Illustrator and then some more. I absolutely love it!

Cons:

Nothing that I can think of at the moment, all is rainbows and smiles after few years of using it.

Absolutely amazing product with mind-blowing price!

Comments: Wonderful. The quality is absolutely on par with Illustrator and works without a hitch on my Macbook Pro M1. No stutters or jitters.

Pros:

I love Affinity Designer so much! I been using it on a daily basis for 5+ years now. The price of $50 is absolutely mind blowing for what this is able to do. It's comparable to other products in its category for 1/10th of the price. I have not had any instance of something that could be done in Illustrator that can't be done with Affinity.

Cons:

The only thing about the product that I don't like is that the art board is not transparent. This becomes an issue because I am not able to view anything outside of the work area and unless I find it in the layers tab, I won't be able to locate anything I put on it.

Astounding quality applications at a great price point!

Comments: After using Adobe products for years, I switched to Affinity products. Initially it was cost driven, but once I tried it I loved it. I was able to open all my Adobe formats, but it all ran faster, and cleaner.
It takes patience however! When you're used to the Adobe solutions, you spend quite a bit of time trying to figure out the equal option. However when you do, it is almost always there, and sometimes in a better way!

Pros:

Its quality: I have bought all the software that Affinity offers, I didn't necessarily need it, but I didn't want to miss out! The software is well designed and created. It is very responsive and fulfills pretty much every need. Compatibility: I appreciate the fact that Affinity software can open so many different formats in their respective areas. Being able to open and edit a PDF in publisher is a breeze. Support: Support is faultless for me so far. The price: To be able to buy and own the software without a subscription is great. Its price is great when compared to its competition and its functionality matches and exceeds even the largest competitor in my opinion. MAC/Windows: It works on both platforms.

Cons:

Complexity: Not really a con, but there are some complex items. The software does provide some very deep options for what you're trying to do. Once I google how to achieve something its a breeze after that. Not enough products: Its like a delicious chocolate bar, you can never get enough :) I look forward to what else this team produces.

Gotta Get Them All

Comments: I should start by saying that I didn't think I'd need Affinity Designer when I bought it. The only reason I bought it (and its product sibling, Affinity Photo) was because the product I actually wanted (Affinity Publisher) has a component called "Studio Link" that allows owners of Designer and Photo to switch "personas," which is a fancy word for summoning the tool set for Designer or Photo, whenever they need to update an image, logo, vector, landscape photo, etc. within a print layout for magazines, books (my exact use case), posters, fliers, or any other printed publication for business. By having a copy of Designer, I can use its full feature set right inside Publisher (same with Photo). I never have to exit the program or swap the image file I need to work on. It's not just innovative, it's efficient: one of the functional reasons (outside the obvious cost benefit) to using Affinity Anything over Adobe Anything (including Illustrator, it's main competition). But the funny thing is that once I bought Designer (and Photo), I saw a need for it. It's now my go-to for designing vector images, which can help me to make a logo for my website or a character + scene or idea design for my book covers (in comedies and coming-of-age fiction). The hardest part is actually learning how to draw with vectors. Spoiler Alert: It's not hard, even if you're an amateur like me. Get the Affinity Designer textbook or watch expert tutorials, and you'll figure it out in no time.

Pros:

The main reason I bought the program was because it integrates with Affinity Publisher, another tool from the same company that I needed for book design. This is probably more of a pro in Publisher's camp, but Designer's compatibility with Affinity's entire suite of products made it attractive. But it didn't take long for me to realize that I needed a program to design vector graphics, and Affinity Designer scratches that itch well. I can't compare its feature set to its competitor, Adobe Illustrator, because I don't use Adobe products, so I can't discuss what it lacks. But when it comes to essential layered shape designs and special effects (and creating patterns, and designing logos, and so on), it includes everything you need to get the job done well. It's also easy to use. The product's store page also sells a textbook that holds your hand through designing projects, so it's very learn-as-you-go. The video tutorials also offer quick tips and best practices, and you can get additional design ideas from Affinity's YouTube channel. The price is unbeatable. It charges an ownership fee, not a subscription fee, so you pay for the product once (and depending on your budget, you don't pay much) and keep it forever. The price includes all updates within that version, and it updates enough to maintain user confidence. Overall, my opinion is that if you care about graphics of any kind, this is a tool worth having. But you should get all of Affinity's products. They're worth it.

Cons:

If I were a dedicated graphic design artist, I might have an opinion here. But as a writer and sometimes game designer, my graphic needs are governed by situation, and so far my situation has not revealed any frustrations that I wouldn't extend to all Affinity products. So, the only actual negative I have right now is trivial. I'd need to use the software consistently to become excellent, and I don't need it often enough to become excellent. But if I were to use it consistently, the tools it offers would help me become excellent. So, there's no real con to buying this program, especially at its price point. Keeping track of the art boards gave me a headache the first time I used them. I think I may have used them wrong. A true graphic designer probably wouldn't have that kind of problem. It would be like a non-writer trying to learn how to use the style sheets in Microsoft Word (or Affinity Publisher, for that matter). Not hopeless, but not easy on the first try. No, the only nitpick I have is the same about all of Affinity's products. To update them, you have to manually download and install the newest version. Each product is half a gigabyte in size. Multiply that by three (because all three share the same updates), and it can get expensive on your hard drive if you don't have that delete key ready. It would be nicer if they had an auto-updating option available (for those who trust the integrity of updates). But that's about it. Oh, and Affinity likes RAM. Lots of RAM.

An Affordable Champion

Comments: I've been looking for an alternative to Adobe illustrator for years now, and Affinity Designer is the one. The interface is much faster to open and lighter in feel, and it offers pretty much all the features one could want from a vector editor. You can jump between vector and raster quite easily too.

Pros:

Affinity Designer is very inexpensive, but you wouldn't know it from using it. This is a full-on, best-in-class vector graphics application for designing logos, icons, UI, mock-ups and more.

Cons:

While Affinity Designer is very similar to Adobe Illustrator, it does behave quite differently in some ways, and will take a little longer to adjust coming from Illustrator. That being said, it's still very easy to use.

Great software at a very affordable price

Comments: For the price, you honestly just can't ask for more. I haven't used everything it offers, and I know it's probably a few steps behind adobe, but it does everything that I need it to, and it does it well.

Pros:

I have been looking for software like inDesign and Photoshop without breaking the bank. I wanted software that was functional, easy to use and set up, and something that didn't require a subscription. When I found Affinity, I was blown away with how good it was. And the fact that the publisher software works hand in hand with the photo software is a very nice touch. Coming from Adobe, the learning curve was relatively low, and I could open my old adobe files and pick up where I left off. Very, very happy with my purchase.

Cons:

If I have to include cons, I'm going to have to be nit-picky. I wish I could safe natively to other file types (I can export to indesign file types, or photoshop file types, just not with the save function) but that is very minor. In some documents, exporting to a PDF took some time, although it was a very large document and not normal to do under any piece of software. Overall though, these are very, very minor issues.

Superior to Adobe Illustrator in just about every way

Comments: Affinity Designer is not just an alternative to Adobe Illustrator. In my opinion it is a superior competitor and does so without the onerous subscription model forced on Adobe users.

Pros:

I've been using Affinity Photo, Designer and now Publisher for years. I have consistently found their products to be far superior to the alternatives from Adobe in terms of performance, UI and the tools available. Given that they were originally designed specifically for the Mac, their performance and usability has always outstripped Adobe.

Cons:

There aren't any real cons to Designer. The only criticism I have of the overall creative suite from Affinity is that there is, as of now, no solution similar to Lightroom. The main focus of my business is photography, so being able to organize and make basic adjustments would be wonderful.

The software Adobe doesn't want you to know about

Comments: I think it far surpasses Adobe at a great price point. While there are some things that are convenient with Adobe, it does not warrant the price. While it may not be the most popular too for graphic design, it is still one of the best by far.

Pros:

I started looking for something cheaper than Adobe. While Adobe has the market corned, the price is very high considering it is a subscription based service. I started looking into Affinity during the pandemic after downloading the iPad app. After some research, I decided to take the plunge and try it out. The price was only $50 with no subscription, which I could easily stomach. The price itself is a huge selling point. I began using Affinity designer and found it far more used friendly than Adobe Illustrator. Because there is no cloud services or extra software, your computer's power goes directly to the app. Plus, because there is an iPad app, you can easily switch between devices.

Cons:

If you are used to Adobe products, it will be a learning curve moving to Affinity. you do not have access to Adobe fonts and will need to install font files from either another website or buying them from Adobe. You will also have to think about cloud storage for your projects. I use Google Drive and all of my projects and data sync perfectly.

Affinity Designer is the best choice

Comments: It let me use a very powerful software with a very low cost. In my opinion, it wins the comparison with Adobe Illustrator since it has all the features you need to work without subscribing a monthly.
With Designer I made flyers, brochures, full customizable t-shirt print , business cards and even a travel catalog without the needed of a publisher software. Its strong point is in printing, because it offers a complete control on color profile and, if you are designing with Pantone print support, the complete ICC and CMYK color management is integrated.

Pros:

It's a powerful tool for vectorial drawing, it has everything a designer needs to create, it's very easy to use and learn and can switch with other raster drawing software (affinity photo). The computer requirements are very low, so the software can work even on old computers. It has been developer both for Mac and Win, and has a full compatibility with Adobe's Suite.

Cons:

The interaction with wacom's graphic tablets could be improved. That's all.

Intuitive vector design tool

Comments: I found really useful when designing different size ads, since you can have your different size artboards and create symbols, that way every time I needed to change something I could just edit the symbol instead of changing every ad, it really saved us a lot of time at work.

Pros:

Definitely the best tool for vector design, the zoom in is infinite, you can have multiple artboards and layers and with Pixel Persona you can have a little of both worlds and do basic image edit. It is really great that you don't need a subscription.

Cons:

It can be a little difficult at first, if you learned on a different tool, but once you get used to it you'll love it. I only wish there was a LiveTrace tool, but you can manage without it.