Affinity (formerly Affinity Publisher) compared: free layout program with prepress, books and EPUB

Affinity Publisher is no longer developed as a separate program. Since the relaunch by Canva, the Affinity app combines the tools for photo editing, graphic design and page layout. According to the vendor, it comes with three studios: Pixel for photo editing and retouching, Vector for illustrations, logos and UI design, and Layout for multi-page publications and print design. The former Affinity Publisher product page redirects to the page layout page of the new app, and the version 2 page is now aimed only at existing users who re-download earlier purchases. According to the vendor, existing version 2 licences remain valid, but the old programs no longer receive updates. The new app opens files from Affinity V1 and V2, whereas the old programs cannot open the new format.

As the reference edition, this comparison considers free use with a Canva account. According to the vendor, it includes all pixel, vector and layout tools. You only need a subscription for the AI tools in the Canva AI studio and for the connection to Canva brand kits; the matching Canva plan is listed under “All plans”. You have to be online for download and activation; after that, according to the vendor, you can work without an internet connection even for longer periods. Updates are free. In September 2026 a larger update brought scripts and native INDD import, among other things, and the release notes in the help centre are dated October 2026. The pages checked do not give a version number.

Affinity runs on Windows 10 and 11 with 64 bits and on macOS from version 10.15, on the Mac natively with Apple Silicon and with Intel processors. According to the vendor, the Mac and Windows versions are the same app. The system requirements name an x64 processor for Windows, while the performance page also mentions ARM-based Windows devices with Snapdragon; whether there is a separate ARM version for them is not verified. An iPad version has been announced, but the vendor gives no date. It does not mention Linux or a browser version. The interface is available in German, among other languages.

In the Layout studio you work with master pages, which other programs also call parent pages. They serve as templates for the pages of your publication, for example for page numbers, headers or a column grid. You format text with text styles; the help centre distinguishes paragraph, character and group styles. According to the vendor, you create master pages and text styles once and use them throughout the document.

Longer texts run through linked text frames from frame to frame and across several pages. In addition, there is text wrap around images and automatic page threading. A baseline grid helps to keep lines in neighbouring columns at the same height. You create and format tables with the table tool. You bring existing text into the document via File > Place, according to the help from RTF, plain text and Word files (DOCX); with Word, Affinity takes over the text styles and applies them as in the original document.

The advantage of the combined app: you edit images and graphics directly in the layout without switching to another program. Pixel and vector tools are available in the same document, and according to the vendor the project stays in one .af file. You arrange panels and tools in your own studios to suit your workflow. How far the typography goes in detail, for example with OpenType features, and whether there are ready-made layout templates is not assessed here.

For print, according to the vendor you create documents directly in the CMYK/8 colour format. You set the ICC profile when you create the document or convert it later in the document setup. According to the vendor, Affinity detects installed ICC profiles automatically, and you choose the output profile in the export dialog. A soft proof adjustment layer simulates the print result on screen. You convert standard colours into spot colours such as Pantone colours (the German interface calls them Schmuckfarben), and you set overprinting for individual colours.

You export print PDFs with bleed and crop marks. As a safe starting point the vendor names the PDF (press ready) preset; if your print shop supports PDF/X-4, you choose this option. Before output, the checklist panel, which other programs call preflight, reports among other things missing or low-resolution images, missing fonts, elements in RGB mode and content that extends beyond the bleed. The vendor does not describe a separations view, which shows the document split by inks, on the pages checked. For the print shop you can create a package file if needed, and you print on your own printer directly from the program.

For the screen, according to the vendor Affinity exports PDF, SVG, JPEG, PNG and TIFF, among others. In addition there is EPUB in two variants: with a fixed layout, where the pages look as in print, and with a reflowable layout, where the text adapts to the screen. You add hyperlinks directly in the document. Interactive PDF forms with fields or buttons and output as a web page are not documented.

For books, catalogues and theses, the help centre documents the usual features for long documents. You insert a table of contents into the document and manage it there, and an index collects keywords with their page references. Notes are available as footnotes, sidenotes and endnotes, and cross-references point to other places in the document. A book combines several documents as chapters and publishes them as one publication.

The vendor does not describe conditional text, which shows or hides passages for different outputs, or structured work with XML or DITA. For technical documentation, this means that tools found in specialised programs are missing.

With data merge you combine text and image links from external data sources with your document, for example for business cards or labels. Since the September 2026 update there is a studio for scripts in which you write, run and manage scripts in JavaScript; according to the vendor, they work on vector, pixel and layout projects. According to the help, scripting is still a beta feature, and not all parts of Affinity can be addressed by scripts yet. In addition, there are Photoshop-compatible plug-ins whose search folders you set in the preferences.

If you do not want to write scripts, you connect Affinity to the AI assistant Claude via a connector and describe tasks in natural language; if you wish, the assistant saves completed workflows as reusable scripts. For this, an Affinity MCP server runs locally on your device, which you switch on in the settings. According to the help, the requirements are the desktop app Claude Desktop, which needs macOS 11 or later on the Mac, and Affinity from the April 2026 version; both programs must run at the same time, and this does not work on mobile devices. Affinity calls the connector free of charge during the beta phase; it does not yet say what it will cost afterwards. Your use of Claude depends on your Claude plan; Affinity does not say whether a paid plan is required. The connector only uses the AI allowance of a Canva plan if you enable the Canva AI features in the settings and the assistant uses premium or ultra tools.

The reference edition includes no AI tools from Affinity. Apart from that, you can let the AI assistant Claude control Affinity via a connector; requirements and costs are described in the chapter on long documents and automation. You unlock the Canva AI studio with a Canva premium plan, for example Canva Pro, Business or Enterprise. According to the vendor, it includes generative fill and expand, creating images and vectors from a description, removing backgrounds and upscaling. Some of the tools run on servers and count towards one monthly AI allowance shared by Canva and Affinity, while others use downloaded models on your device. The vendor does not describe tools for writing or translating text or for automatically resizing formats in Affinity; according to the vendor, you handle resizing and localisation after transferring designs to Canva. According to its own statement, Canva does not use your content in Affinity to train AI.

It does not work without a Canva account: download and activation require a sign-in and an internet connection. After that, according to the vendor, you work offline, and your files are stored locally on your device. You also need an internet connection for Canva services such as brand kits and the AI tools that run on servers.

You bring brand kits from Canva into Affinity via a dedicated panel, with fonts, text styles, colour palettes and images such as logos. According to Canva, Affinity picks up changes made in Canva automatically. However, this requires a paid Canva plan and an internet connection, and brand templates from the brand kit are not supported. So the reference edition lacks this connection. Collaboration in Affinity means: you pass on the .af file, which others open and edit with a free Canva account, or you transfer designs to Canva and continue working there as a team. The vendor does not describe simultaneous editing of the same Affinity file.

Affinity saves documents in its own .af format, which keeps pixel, vector and layout content together in one file. Anyone with a free Canva account can download the app and open and edit .af files. According to the vendor, the older programs of versions 1 and 2 cannot open the new format.

When switching from InDesign, the import helps: Affinity takes over IDML files with page structure, text frames and basic styles. According to the vendor, you may have to adjust GREP styles, anchored objects and tables by hand. Since the September 2026 update, according to the vendor, you can also open InDesign documents natively as INDD files. According to the help, Affinity is still developing the INDD import further; if you still have access to InDesign, the vendor recommends going via IDML because it gives more reliable results. How complete an INDD conversion is has not been verified here. You import PDF files and continue editing them, and according to the vendor there are also formats such as PSD, AI, SVG, TIFF and DWG.

There is no direct way back: Affinity does not export to INDD or IDML. If you work with agencies or clients who expect InDesign files, you deliver PDF or other export formats, or the other side opens your .af file in Affinity. For the print shop you export a press-ready PDF or create a package file. If you want to switch to another layout program later, in our view you take your work with you mainly as PDF, images or text.

In our view, Affinity suits you if:

• you want to typeset flyers, brochures, magazines or books without licence costs and without a subscription,
• you need print files with CMYK, ICC profiles, spot colours, PDF/X and a check before export,
• you create long documents with a table of contents, index, footnotes and cross-references or publish e-books as EPUB,
• you want to edit photos, vector graphics and layout in one app,
• you are switching from InDesign and want to take over existing IDML or INDD files.

In our view, Affinity is less suitable if:

• you regularly have to return InDesign files to clients or agencies,
• you want to work on a document with several people at the same time,
• you want to control brand guidelines centrally and lock templates without taking out a Canva plan,
• you maintain technical documentation with conditional text, XML or HTML output,
• you want to work on Linux, in the browser or already now on the iPad,
• you want to design quickly from templates without a learning curve, because Affinity is a professional tool with many features.