- Three Affinity apps now free on the App Store
- There’s no official announcement and might not last
- Removing prices comes ahead of a secret announcement on October 30
Affinity Designer, Photo, and Publisher are free on iPad right now. I’m not sure how long this will last, so I’ll cut to the chase – you can grab them all from the App Store by clicking here.
If you want to try three of the best creative software you can get, you’ll want to jump on this while you can. Seriously, these apps are phenomenally good, rivalling Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for features and workflow.
The price drop from $19 / £18 down to absolutely nothing comes ahead of a mysterious announcement from Affinity and Canva, who owns the company, set for October 30.
Affinity is up to something, I can feel it in my bones
I’ve been a big fan of the Affinity suite for a long time. Not only do they offer one of the best alternatives to Adobe’s apps, but I love the pricing model. Pay once, own it forever. In a sea of subscriptions, it’s refreshingly simple, accessible, and consumer-friendly.
So, what’s on offer here?
Affinity Designer 2 is the company’s answer to Adobe Illustrator for graphic designers and artists.
Affinity Photo 2 is a Photoshop alternative that lets you edit images at pro-grade quality.
Affinity Publisher 2 is my clear favorite alternative to InDesign for page layout designers .
In our reviews, they all received an Editor’s Choice award – and the iPad and desktop versions offer creative parity, with the added bonus of using touch on the Apple tablet.
But something strange is afoot.
It started back in 2024, when Canva bought the company, and confirmed that – unlike the Canva platform – Affinity would keep the perpetual license model.
Then, several weeks ago, Affinity’s website went dark. No way to purchase the desktop apps, no possibility of even seeing what they do. Nothing, in fact, except a single promise: “Creative freedom is coming.”
Well, it seems that freedom has come early for iPad owners, with the current V2 versions of Designer, Photo, and Publisher available to download via the App Store without cost.
Of course, some Adobe creative apps, like the lighter weight design app Express, are free on mobile, but still have subscriptions attached for the likes of assets and AI credits. What you’re getting from Affinity is full-suite professional creative tools for the princely sum of…nothing.
Grab all three while you can right here.
