- Three Affinity apps are now free in the App Store
- There is no official announcement and may not last
- The price removal 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 it will last, so I’ll get to the bottom of it – 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 and rival Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for features and workflows.
The price drop from $19 / £18 down to absolutely nothing comes ahead of a mysterious announcement from Affinity and Canva, which 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 pack 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 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. Available in the App Store by clicking here.
Affinity Photo 2 is a Photoshop alternative that lets you edit photos in professional quality. Check out the App Store by clicking here.
Affinity Publisher 2 is my clear favorite alternative to InDesign for page layout designers. It’s in the App Store by clicking here.
In our reviews, they all got one Editor’s Choice price – and the iPad and desktop versions offer creative parity with the added bonus of using touch on the Apple tablet.
But something strange is coming.
It started back in 2024 when Canva bought the company, confirming that – unlike the Canva platform – Affinity would keep the perpetual license model.
Then, several weeks ago, Affinity’s website went dark. No way to buy desktop apps, no way to even see what they’re doing. Nothing, really, except a simple promise: “Creative freedom is coming.”
Well, it seems that freejudgment has come early for iPad owners, with the current V2 versions of Designer, Photo and Publisher available for download via the App Store at no cost.
Of course, some creative Adobe apps, such as the lighter design app Express, free on mobile, but still has subscriptions linked to e.g. assets and AI credits. What you get from Affinity is full-suite professional creative tools for the princely sum of…nothing.
Grab all three while you can right here.
