Affinity Designer is a vector graphics software designed for professional illustrators, web designers, and game developers. It offers a range of features and tools aimed at enhancing creative workflows across various platforms, including Windows, macOS, and iPad. This article will explore its features, user reviews, and alternative options to consider.
What is Affinity Designer?
Affinity Designer is a vector graphics software known for its high performance and extensive features, catering to professional illustrators, web designers, and game developers. The software offers live, responsive performance, handling thousands of objects without lag and providing precise selections with live outline view.
Users can benefit from vector and raster workspaces, allowing for detailed pixel editing and texture addition. The software also includes timesaving tools like customizable keyboard shortcuts and unlimited artboards, making it suitable for various design projects.
What to Consider When Selecting a Affinity Designer Alternative?
Performance and Speed: Ensure the alternative software can handle complex projects and large files efficiently. High performance is crucial for professional illustrators and designers who work with intricate designs.
Vector and Raster Capabilities: Look for software that offers both vector and raster workspaces. This flexibility allows for detailed pixel editing and texture addition, which is essential for creating high-quality designs.
Cross-Platform Compatibility: Choose a tool that works seamlessly across different operating systems like Windows, macOS, and iPad. This ensures that you can work on your projects from any device without compatibility issues.
File Format Support: The software should support a wide range of file types such as JPEG, PDF, SVG, PSD, PNG, and TIFF. This versatility is important for collaborating with clients and other designers who may use different software.
Cost and Licensing: Consider the pricing model—whether it’s a one-time purchase or subscription-based. Affinity Designer is known for its one-off payment model with no subscription fees, which can be more cost-effective in the long run.
Best Alternatives to Affinity Designer
1. Piktochart
Piktochart is a tool designed to transform complex ideas into captivating visuals such as infographics, reports, and presentations. It leverages AI to help users create professional-quality designs quickly and easily, without requiring any design experience. Try Piktochart For Free!
Pros of Using Piktochart
AI-Powered Design Generator: Quickly create stunning visuals from any prompt.
Instant Visual Generation: Transform ideas into professional infographics, banners, flyers, and posters in seconds.
Document to Visual Conversion: Effortlessly convert documents into engaging data visualizations.
Text-to-Image: Generate high-quality, contextually relevant images from text prompts.
Comprehensive Visual Toolbox: Includes charts, graphs, diagrams, icons, illustrations, photos, design components, maps, processes, flowcharts, and tables.
Who should use Piktochart?
Piktochart targets businesses, educators, and individuals who need to create professional-quality visuals quickly and easily. It's ideal for those who want to communicate complex ideas effectively without requiring design experience.
Pricing
Business pricing packages are available to suit different needs:
Free: $0 (Free forever)
Pro: $29 per member/month (billed monthly) or $14 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
Business: $49 per member/month (billed monthly) or $24 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
Enterprise: Custom Pricing (Contact for details)
Campus: Custom Pricing (Minimum 3000 seats, contact for details)
Reviews
Piktochart has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars based on 162 reviews. Users appreciate its ease of use and the ability to create professional content without design skills. Check out more of our reviews here!
2. RelayThat
RelayThat is a design automation tool that helps marketing managers, agencies, and teams create consistent, on-brand digital marketing materials. It offers features like brand management, headline generation, creative block solutions, one-click resizing, and access to a vast library of royalty-free images.
Pros of Using RelayThat
Brand Management: Easy management and switching between multiple workspaces and campaigns.
Headline Generator: Quick generation of copy to overcome writer's block.
Creative Block Solutions: Access to top-performing color and font combinations.
One Click Resize: Effortless resizing and remixing of layouts for different channels.
Cons of Using RelayThat
Lack of Flexibility: Some users find the design options limited and rigid.
Customer Support: There are complaints about the quality and responsiveness of customer support.
Pricing
PRO: $15 per month per user
PRO PLUS: $25 per month, includes 2 users
ENTERPRISE: Contact for pricing
Reviews
RelayThat has a rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars. Users generally appreciate the automation and time-saving features but have issues with the lack of flexibility and customer support. Check out more RelayThat reviews here.
3. Desygner
Desygner is an all-in-one business growth and marketing solution that provides tools for creating marketing materials without the need for costly designers or agencies. It offers a wide range of features including design tools, PDF editing, a vast library of royalty-free stock images, AI-powered text and image generation, and more. Desygner aims to streamline the content creation process, making it accessible and efficient for businesses of all sizes.
Pros of Using Desygner
Cost-Effective: Eliminates the need for expensive designers and stock images.
User-Friendly: Designed for users with no design or marketing expertise.
Comprehensive Tools: Offers a wide range of features including design tools, PDF editing, and AI-powered content creation.
Cons of Using Desygner
Learning Curve: Despite being user-friendly, new users might need some time to explore and utilize all features effectively.
Dependence on Internet: Requires a stable internet connection for optimal use.
Pricing
Free: USD 0.00 (For one person only)
Pro+: USD 7.50 per month (billed annually)
Business: USD 19.08 per month for the first 6 people (billed annually)
Enterprise: Desygner's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Desygner has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention the ease of use and customization options. Check out more Desygner reviews here.
4. Crello
VistaCreate (formerly known as Crello) is a free graphic design tool that offers thousands of free templates for various design needs. Users can pick a template, adjust it to their project, and post or print it. The platform provides a vast library of design elements, including fonts, music, animations, illustrations, backgrounds, and objects.
Pros of Using Crello
Extensive Template Library: Over 150,000 professionally designed templates.
Creative Assets: Access to 70 million+ photos, videos, and vectors.
Brand Kit and Styles: Easily manage brand colors, fonts, and logos.
Cons of Using Crello
Limited Free Plan: The free plan has limited access to premium templates and design elements.
Storage Limitations: The free plan offers only 10 GB of storage.
Pricing
Pro Plan: $10 per month
Reviews
Crello has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention the ease of use and the extensive library of templates. Check out more Crello reviews here.
5. Adobe Spark
Adobe Spark is a free web page maker that allows users to design professional-quality web pages for their brand or business. It offers a variety of customizable templates and professionally-designed themes to help users get started easily.
Pros of Using Adobe Spark
Free to Use: Adobe Spark is free and does not require a credit card to get started.
Customizable Templates: Offers a wide range of templates for different purposes such as education, business, and portfolios.
Ease of Use: Designed to be user-friendly with no design skills needed.
Cons of Using Adobe Spark
Limited Advanced Features: As a free tool, it may lack some advanced features available in paid web design software.
Dependency on Templates: Users might find the customization options limited compared to fully-fledged web design tools.
Pricing
Adobe Spark's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Adobe Spark has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention the ease of use and the extensive library of templates. Check out more Adobe Spark reviews here.
6. Visme
Visme is an interactive content creation platform designed for marketers and professionals to create engaging presentations, documents, visual forms, data visualizations, and more. It leverages AI to help users create on-brand content quickly and easily, even without prior design experience.
Pros of Using Visme
Versatility: Offers a wide range of tools for creating presentations, documents, infographics, charts, social media graphics, videos, and more.
AI Capabilities: Features like AI Designer, AI Presentation Maker, and AI Document Generator help save time and effort.
Branding: Easy to add brand fonts, colors, and logos to create consistent branded content.
Cons of Using Visme
Complexity for Beginners: Despite its ease of use, the wide range of features might be overwhelming for new users.
Cost: Advanced features and extensive template libraries may require a paid subscription.
Pricing
Basic: $0 per month (Free)
Starter: $12.25 per month
Pro: $24.75 per month
Enterprise: Custom pricing (not publicly listed)
Reviews
Visme has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Users generally find it easy to use for creating videos and infographics. Check out more Visme reviews here.
7. Stencil
Stencil is an easy-to-use graphic design tool designed for bloggers, business owners, and social media marketers. It allows users to create beautiful social media graphics, compelling ads, and stunning blog headers quickly.
Pros of Using Stencil
Ease of Use: Simple and intuitive interface suitable for non-designers.
Extensive Resources: Access to over 5,000,000 stock photos, 1,350+ templates, 6,550+ Google Web Fonts, and 3,100,000+ icons and graphics.
Social Media Integration: Direct sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Buffer.
Cons of Using Stencil
Limited Advanced Features: May not offer the advanced design capabilities that professional graphic design software provides.
Dependency on Internet: As a web-based tool, it requires an internet connection to function.
Pricing
Free Plan: $0 per month (always free)
Pro Plan: $9 per month (when paid annually) or $15 per month (monthly billing)
Unlimited Plan: $12 per month (when paid annually) or $20 per month (monthly billing)
Reviews
Stencil has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention the ease of use and the extensive library of templates. Check out more Stencil reviews here.
8. Snappa
Snappa is a graphic design software that allows users to create online graphics quickly and easily, even without graphic design experience.
Pros of Using Snappa
User-Friendly: Designed for ease of use with no learning curve.
Extensive Resources: Access to over 5,000,000 high-resolution stock photos and thousands of templates.
Background Removal: One-click background removal for quick edits.
Social Media Integration: Direct sharing and scheduling of graphics to social media platforms.
Cons of Using Snappa
Limited Advanced Features: May not offer the advanced design capabilities that professional graphic design software provides.
Dependency on Internet: Requires an internet connection to function.
Pricing
Pro Plan: $15 per month (monthly) or $10 per month (billed yearly)
Team Plan: $30 per month (monthly) or $20 per month (billed yearly)
Snappa's pricing for more than five users on the team plan is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Snappa has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention the ease of use and the extensive library of templates. Check out more Snappa reviews here.
9. Easil
Easil is a design tool that empowers teams to create brand-compliant digital and print marketing materials with drag-and-drop ease. It offers pre-designed graphic templates that can be customized using a brand kit, images, and videos. Easil aims to remove bottlenecks in content creation and ensure brand consistency across all designs.
Pros of Using Easil
Ease of Use: Drag-and-drop interface for easy design creation.
Brand Consistency: Tools for maintaining brand standards, including flexible locking permissions and design approval workflows.
Versatility: Ability to create both digital and print materials in one place.
Collaboration: Features for team collaboration, including shared templates and brand kits.
Cons of Using Easil
Learning Curve: While designed to be user-friendly, new users may still face a learning curve.
Feature Limitations: Some advanced features may be locked behind higher-tier plans.
Pricing
Easil's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Easil has a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention the ease of use and the extensive library of templates. Check out more Easil reviews here.
10. Fotor
Fotor is an online photo editor that offers a comprehensive suite of tools for enhancing and editing photos. It provides features for basic adjustments like brightness and contrast, as well as advanced editing options such as retouching portraits, removing backgrounds, and applying AI effects. Fotor is designed to be user-friendly, making it accessible for both amateurs and professionals. It also includes batch photo editing capabilities and a variety of templates for creating marketing materials and social media content.
Pros of Using Fotor
User-Friendly Interface: Easy to navigate and use, suitable for both beginners and professionals.
Comprehensive Tools: Offers a wide range of photo editing features, including basic adjustments and advanced AI tools.
AI Enhancements: Includes AI-powered tools for photo enhancement, background removal, and object removal.
Batch Editing: Allows users to edit multiple photos at once, saving time and effort.
Cons of Using Fotor
Limited Advanced Features: While Fotor offers many features, it may not be as comprehensive as professional software like Photoshop for advanced editing needs.
Subscription for Pro Features: Some advanced features and tools are only available with a Fotor Pro subscription.
Pricing
Fotor's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Fotor has a rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention the ease of use and the extensive library of templates. Check out more Fotor reviews here.
Which One Should You Go With?
While each of these tools offers unique features and benefits, Piktochart stands out for its AI-powered design capabilities and ease of use. Whether you're a business, educator, or individual, Piktochart makes it simple to create professional-quality visuals quickly. If you're looking for an alternative that combines efficiency with creativity, Piktochart is a fantastic choice.
Piktochart Team
