A design app can cost less to buy and more to use. It can also have a long list of features you will never touch. The useful choice comes down to two things: what you make, and who needs to open the file next.
There is a big change to know about first. You no longer buy Affinity Designer as a new, separate desktop app. Its vector tools now sit in the new Affinity app. Old guides may still show a one-time Affinity Designer price. That is no longer the deal.
Affinity Designer has changed. Here is what that means.
The current Affinity app has vector design, pixel work, and page layout. Its core tools are free. You sign in with a Canva account to get them. Some optional tools that generate art need a paid Canva plan. You do not need that plan for the core design work.
If you already own Affinity Designer 2, it helps to keep two questions apart. Do you want to keep using your old app? Or do you want to choose a new tool today? This guide covers the new choice. It also notes the old name you may still see in guides and files.
That does not make every old tutorial useless. Paths, nodes, and layers still matter. But the app name, price, and workspace may differ from the video on your screen. Start with a guide for your exact version.
Affinity vs Illustrator: the short comparison
Both are graphic design software. But they do not have the same tools or role in a creative workflow. Affinity puts photo editing and vector work in one app. Adobe Illustrator is built for vector creation. It also fits into the wider Adobe Creative Cloud workflow.
New users can compare the interface with one small design. Create three shapes, change a curve, add a line of type, and export the result. This task shows where the tools live. It also gives you a feel for the learning curve.
| Affinity | Adobe Illustrator |
|---|---|
| Free core tools with a Canva account | Paid subscription |
| Vector, pixel, and page layout tools in one app | Vector design tools that work with Adobe apps |
| Good for solo work when you can choose the file type | Good fit when clients or teams need native AI files |
| PDF and SVG exports for sharing vector work | Native Illustrator files plus common export formats |
| Choose when cost and mixed design tasks come first | Choose when the next person needs Adobe files |
Our default pick is Affinity for a solo designer starting from scratch. There is no core app fee to recover. Illustrator earns its place when its file format and tools solve a job you already have.
Price and the subscription model
Affinity's core desktop app costs nothing to download and use. It replaces the old one-time purchase model in this comparison. Do not pay a third party for a “new Affinity Designer license” without checking what it is selling.
Adobe lists Illustrator at $22.99 per month on an annual plan billed monthly. That is $275.88 over 12 months before tax. You commit for a year. You cannot treat it as a plan you can end each month. Other plans and offers have different terms.
For a hobby project, that ongoing cost is hard to ignore. For paid client work, it may be a normal expense. One client may need an AI file each week that they can edit. The time saved on that job may be worth the monthly fee.
Do the sums using your own work. Add the cost of the plan over a year. Then ask how often a file requirement would force you to use Illustrator anyway. A free tool is less useful if you still need a second paid tool to deliver each job.
On the other hand, do not buy a subscription just because it is common in design studios. If you make your own prints, icons, or shop graphics, the final PDF or SVG may be all you need.
Vector graphics: start with the output
Vector graphics use paths and points rather than a fixed grid of pixels. This lets a small logo grow into a large sign. You avoid the blocky edges that can show when you stretch a small pixel image. Both apps can create vector graphics.
For basic shapes, icons, and logo design, either is a serious tool. The more useful question is what happens after you draw. Will you export one final file? Will another designer need to edit every shape? Does the printer need a specific PDF setup?
Make that list before comparing advanced features. It is easy to spend an hour looking at brush packs and miss the one file format your client requires.
The pen tool and vector paths
Both apps let you place points and shape curves with a pen tool. You can adjust vector paths after drawing them. Use these core skills for clean icons, type, and digital illustration.
A learning curve is normal here. The pen tool is not quite like a pencil on paper. You place and move points to guide the curve. Try a simple leaf or a cup before judging an app by a dense poster project.
When you compare the interface, watch how many steps it takes to change a curve. Can you see the handles? Can you switch from drawing to editing without losing your place? Those small actions are a large part of daily vector work.
We would not call either app faster for every designer. To prove that, we would need a fair test with the same files, tasks, and hardware. A clean demo on a powerful computer is not proof of how your own drawing tablet will feel.
File compatibility: why you may need Illustrator
An app may open an AI file but lose parts you need to edit. This is the main catch when you compare the two.
Affinity's current file-format guide says AI import relies on PDF-compatible content. Some masks, effects, and appearance settings may become simpler or flatten. Affinity can export PDFs and SVGs that Illustrator opens. That does not make them native AI files with all parts kept intact.
Imagine a client sends a logo with live effects and editable type. You change the color and send it back as an SVG. The picture may look right. But the next designer may find that some parts no longer work as they should. That is a handoff problem even if the image still looks good.
For a team that uses Adobe apps, Illustrator is the safer way to send native AI files. It keeps the job in the file format the team requested. For a solo designer who supplies final PDFs, Affinity may be enough.
A small file check can prevent a large problem
- Ask which final formats the client or printer needs.
- Use a copy of a real file with text, masks, and effects.
- Open it in the receiving app and inspect those parts.
- Check the exported file at its final size.
Do this before you promise a workflow. “It opens” is a weak test. The question is whether the next person can still do the work they need to do.
Raster graphics and mixed design work
Affinity has a clear appeal when one job mixes shapes, photos, and type. The app puts those tools in linked workspaces called studios. You can move between them in one project. You need not treat each part as a separate task.
That can suit a small print, a flyer, or a set of social graphics. It gives a solo designer room to make small photo edits while working on the layout. It does not mean every tool has the same role or that you can skip learning the basics.
Illustrator remains a vector-first app. In Adobe Creative Cloud, other apps handle deeper pixel work and page layout. That split can make sense for a team whose jobs already follow it. It may feel like extra setup for someone who just wants to finish one poster.
If painting is your main goal, these are not the only choices to weigh. Our free drawing software shortlist includes tools built around brushes. A vector app and a painting app can serve very different needs.
Typography and graphic design details
Typography is more than choosing a font that looks right. Check the actual letters in your design. A font may have extra forms, number styles, or spacing controls that change the result. Those features can matter in a short logo or a page with lots of text.
Designers should check a sample in the exact font they plan to use. Do not assume a file that opens has preserved every text setting. Compare line breaks, spacing, and the width of the text block. Small changes can push a label out of a tight space.
Keep text editable while you work. Before handing it off, ask whether the next person needs to change the words. Turning letters into vector shapes can keep their look intact. But it changes how you can edit the file. Save a copy with live text before taking that step.
Do not choose a design app on shapes alone. Type often takes up more of the finished piece than the artwork. Test a real headline, body text, and a few font styles in both apps.
Check the things your work needs: spacing between letters, text on a curve, special glyphs, and font choices. If you use OpenType features, try the exact font and feature. Fonts do not all work the same way.
Adobe Fonts is part of the wider Adobe offering. It can help if you already use it. But the number of available fonts is not a reason to ignore licensing. Check that you have the right to use and share each font in the file.
A good practical test is a small label. It needs type, shapes, color, and an export. You will learn more from completing one label than from counting every menu item.
The learning curve and your drawing tablet
New users need time with either interface. The best starting point is a small project with a clear end. Draw an icon, build a short title, and export it. Repeat that task until the tools stop interrupting your thought.
Use tutorials for the exact app and version on your screen. An old Affinity Designer lesson may call a workspace Pixel Persona. A new lesson may call it a studio. The idea may still be useful, but the route to it may have changed.
With a drawing tablet, check pressure, shortcuts, and the driver on your own computer. The pen, operating system, and app all play a part. Do not buy a more costly app in the hope that it will fix a driver fault.
For drawing on an iPad, read our Fresco vs Procreate comparison. Do not assume a desktop feature list applies in full to an iPad app. This guide compares the current desktop apps.
Which app fits your next project?
Choose Affinity for independent work
Affinity is our first suggestion when you set the file rules. You can make vector art, add images, and export the final files. There is no core app fee. The free price also gives you room to learn without a subscription deadline.
The main tradeoff is handoff. Be clear about the formats you can supply. Do not promise native Illustrator files just because Affinity can import some AI content.
Choose Adobe Illustrator for Adobe-based delivery
Illustrator makes more sense when a client or team needs it. The subscription buys the app you need for that workflow. It is less of a draw when “industry standard” is your only reason.
Keep that phrase in context. A common tool can make hiring, training, and file sharing easier. It does not mean you cannot make strong design work in another app.
What if you already use Affinity Designer 2?
You do not need to replace a working setup just because a new app exists. Start with a copy of a project and check how it opens in current Affinity. Keep your original files until you have checked the result.
The Affinity launch announcement explains the move to the combined app. It is useful background for anyone returning to the software after a few years. For a new purchase, check the current terms. Do not rely on old sale prices.
Our pick: start with Affinity unless a real job needs Illustrator. Make one complete project, check the file handoff, and judge the app on that work. The best design software is the one that helps you finish and share the right file.