Beyond the Teasers: Predicting Affinity’s Next Era of Creative Freedom
2025.10.07
Uh oh. That was my first thought when I opened my email from Affinity a few days ago, teasing “a new era of true creative freedom is just around the corner.” I’ve been a fan of Affinity software since the very early days when Affinity Designer was all there was, with Photo and Publisher still just long-off visions. Although the sneak peak won’t be released until the end of the month, I signed up immediately to see I and hopped on social media to see what others were saying.
Vague communication is bad communication. The ambiguous messaging doesn’t build excitement when users rely on a product for their careers. It just builds anxiety. And just like when Canva acquired Affinity back in early 2024, the fanbase is up in arms again assuming the worst. The teaser isn’t inspiring curiosity so much as fear. This is especially true among designers who left industry-standard software behind after years of broken trust. Too many beloved tools have been bought out, stripped down, or sunsetted, leaving creatives with nothing but memories of what once was. Add to that a decade of being locked into expensive, subscription-only models, and it’s no wonder people are worried when they see familiar patterns from a company whose flagship program is a subscription service. Unfortunately, Canva’s habit of marketing design as “democratized” only adds fuel to the fire, as it often oversimplifies the very real skills and expertise that professionals bring to the table. It’s the heart of why Canva is almost a swear word in some professional spaces.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit worried too. A few months after the Affinity acquisition, Canva announced it had acquired Leonardo.AI, an AI image generator, that July. While some users are curious about AI or cloud storage, realistically, these features can’t be offered without a subscription.
Generally speaking, I am not a fan of software as a service (SaaS), though I understand why software companies and even some users love them. Companies benefit with predictable income while users get the latest and greatest the software has to offer as well as version compatibility with colleagues. On paper that sounds like a good deal for everyone but the reality is having a subscription-everything isn’t sustainable for most people. Something has to give. Not everyone need the newest features they just need a reliable tool and access even when they fall on hard times.
AI and cloud storage can be useful additions but they don’t belong in a one time purchase model as they require ongoing infrastructure that only a subscription can realistically support. Some are very against AI and there are valid reasons for concern but thats a discussion for another time. Personally, I don’t want to pay for features I don’t need right now, and I don’t want to be forced into funding them just to access the basics I do need.
This is where a hybrid approach, like CorelDRAW’s model, makes sense. Corel offers both a one-time purchase option and subscription tiers for advanced features and cloud services that fits the needs of for hobbyists and creative pros alike. It would feel like a true win for everyone if Affinity adopted a similar approach. Keeping the core one-time purchase intact while offering optional subscription add-ons for AI or cloud. Personally, I would welcome this approach.
Additional concerns comes from the shut down of the forum and the commitment “to listening and being led by the design community at every step in this journey” Canva made in the pledge released when they acquired Affinity. Similarly the pledge also mentioned “continued investment in Affinity” specifically calling out support for ePub export a long requested feature that has yet to be delivered. For professionals who rely on Publisher for eBooks or digital publications, the delay is frustrating and it makes the sudden sales pause and vague teaser feel even more unsettling. When commitments like this aren’t delivered as expected, it’s natural for users to question whether future promises, like maintaining the one-time purchase model, will hold.
The truth is, if Affinity becomes a subscription-only offering, as much as I love the software, I’d have to carefully consider what is most advantageous for me. In all likelihood that would probably be a return to Adobe as it is still the industry standard every professional designer knows. I’d also consider Corel, because it is also a respected software among professionals and has a one time purchase option, which was cost prohibitive for me when I first discovered Affinity all those years ago but would be less burdensome now.
Aside from professional designers, Affinity is perfectly positioned as the best replacement for Microsoft Publisher, which is being sunsetted next year. Many organization still using Microsoft Publisher aren’t yet aware that Microsoft Publisher is being discontinued. For churches, non profits and small businesses who’ve tried it, Affinity has proven itself as a reliable tool for design and communications. In church circles, Canva is often recommended as an alternative to replace Microsoft Publisher due to it wide adoption in church communication but frankly, it doesn’t provide the same level of control, layout precision, or professional-grade output that Affinity Publisher offers. Although Canva offers Affinity for free to eligible non profits keeping the one time purchase access is essential for small businesses who rely on it for their work.
After signing up for the sneak peek, the next email arrived: “This isn’t just another update. It’s the beginning of something new. A shift in how creative freedom is defined.” Reading that, my unease deepened and I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe I was wrong to hope that Canva acquiring Affinity was going to be a good thing for the design industry. A month is a long time to wallow in that kind of anxiety.
Despite my trepidation, the imagery and language in these teasers probably hint at what’s coming. Here’s where I think things are headed:
Canva is likely preparing to launch Affinity V3. Shutting down the sales is to avoid a repeat of the last time where users were upset they had just purchased V1 only for V2 to launch soon after. We may see Affinity merged into a single app given the cross-compatibility already baked into the suite. I also suspect we’ll see the introduction of a hybrid model: a subscription tier that unlocks AI tools via Leonardo and perhaps cloud storage, while still keeping the core programs available as a one-time purchase, just as Affinity promised.
But the part that excites me most is the possibility of a new tool. I’ve seen plenty of users asking for one-to-one replacements for Adobe products, but I don’t think Canva wants to be (or should be) just a copy of Adobe. Affinity’s strength has always been in charting its own path. So what if this “new era” is about expanding that vision with something unique? What if they are giving us a font creation tool as part of the line up?
A font creation tool would set Affinity apart form Adobe and Corel, catering to a unique niche of the market. Creating a font isn’t easy. Affordable tools are often clunky, unintuitive, and lacking real guidance, leaving designers to just “figure it out”. Imagine if Affinity launched a dedicated font creation tool that was both powerful and user-friendly. Type design wouldn’t feel like a chore but rather a natural extension of the creative workflow. A font creation tool would give them a competitive edge Adobe doesn’t have, expanding what designers can do rather than simply replicating what they already know.
Finally, we might see Affinity and Canva become more compatible with one another creating the opportunity for more seamless workflows between designers needing pro tools and marketers who need the basics Canva offers. That would be a game-changer, opening doors for both professionals and hobbyists.
Whatever happens, I just hope Canva remembers why we fell in love with Affinity in the first place: software that puts designers first. What do you think? What’s next for Affinity?
