Affinity vs Adobe

Hey Reader

Big news in the design world this week... Affinity just went “free forever.”

Bold move. But also… maybe a clever funnel straight to Canva?

As someone who’s been an Adobe user for 20 years (and a long-time Adobe Partner who’s referred thousands of creatives), I use their tools daily.

That said, I'll admit... I’ve got a mild case of subscriptionitis. So I totally get the appeal of “free.”

Inside Brand Builders Alliance™, our members have been chatting about this all week. And also on LinkedIn.

The general vibe is that they love the accessibility but are wary of the real cost over time.

The Pros

• It's “free” (they said it at least a dozen times in their announcement video)
• One unified app (handy, but another learning curve)
• Competition keeps everyone "honest" (I use that word lightly)
• And that new file extension is sweet .af (if you know, you know)

The Cons

• Nothing's truly free. Advanced AI features sit behind Canva Pro
• Unclear funding = slower innovation long-term
• Expect more feature gating + workflow lock-ins
• Fewer plugins and pro-level resources
• Still a long road to becoming an industry standard

So where does this land for pros?

• If you’re chasing speed, you'll probably end up using Canva AI anyway (and suddenly, it's not so free.)
• If you’re creating at scale, Adobe's suite still wins for collaboration, speed, and reliability
• If you’re an artist-first designer (illustrations & vector), Affinity might just fit the bill

So where does this land for beginners?

This is what makes this interesting... Adobe still offers 70% off for students, but as a student every dollar counts (I've been there!). Free means more beer money.

The allure of "free forever' seems like a massive win as it's a low-risk way to learn the fundamentals without up-front costs.

But that's going to hit a ceiling, especially as you enter the work-force, where Adobe is the industry-standard collaborative tool pros rely on (and increasingly, Figma).

In short, Affinity will be great for learning, but may be limited for earning in the long-run.

My take

I’m pro competition as it’s good for all of us.

I downloaded Affinity to test it and I'll keep trying it out for illustrations and small jobs.

But for client work, Adobe still wins for speed, features, and team workflows. (Plus, their new announcements at Adobe Max were flocking mind-blowing!) 🦩🤯

And let's be honest… after 20 years, change doesn't come easy.

That said, Adobe's Black Friday deal is just around the corner.

If you've been on the fence, that's the best time to lock in a Creative Cloud plan (and save big).

What do you think?

Does "free" make you want to switch, or just take a peek?

Hit reply, I'm curious how this lands with you.

---

PS. You may have missed these last week:

• AI is officially everywhere. I shared how I'm using AI daily + a full AI tools round-up
• JUST Branding Podcast: Laura Ries on The Strategic Enemy and Todd Irwin on De-Positioning
• Building X-traordinary Brands Podcast: Amelia Sordell on The New Rules of Personal Branding + Fabian Geyrhalter on Building Your Own DTC Brand
• Brand Builders Alliance™ updates: free Brand Builders Blueprint, personalized 90-Day Action Plans, Mini Mastermind Pods, 1:1 coaching, new guest experts.
• Brand X-pedition: All-Stars Encore recap + full replays now available
• Upcoming email marketing session in collaboration with Kit