Affinity Designer vs Affinity Photo: Which One Is Better in 2024?

Both Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo are crucial for businesses and designers due to their cost-effective, professional-grade tools and cross-platform compatibility. We'll compare these products to determine which excels in specific tasks, helping you choose the best fit for your needs.

A Quick Overview of Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo

What is Affinity Designer?

Affinity Designer, developed by Serif (Europe) Ltd, is a graphic design and illustration software. It offers a one-off payment model with no subscription fees.

Affinity Designer features live, responsive performance and a combination of vector and raster workspaces. It also supports unlimited artboards, making it versatile for various project layouts.

What is Affinity Photo?

Affinity Photo, developed by Serif (Europe) Ltd, is a professional photo editing software available on macOS, Windows, and iPad. The company focuses on providing high-quality creative tools without subscription fees.

Affinity Photo offers real-time adjustment layers and full RAW development for high-quality image editing. It is the first professional photo editing application to provide 100% file format compatibility across Windows, Mac, and iPad, ensuring a seamless workflow across devices.

Features of Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo

Similarities

Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo, both developed by Serif, share several key features that make them powerful tools for creatives. These similarities ensure a seamless experience for users who switch between the two applications.

• Both applications are part of the Affinity suite and share a common user interface design.
• They offer non-destructive editing capabilities, allowing for flexible and reversible changes.
• Both support a wide range of file formats and are fully compatible across macOS, Windows, and iPad.
• They include advanced layer management and blending modes for complex compositions.
• Both applications are available for a one-off payment with no subscription fees, making them cost-effective solutions for professionals.

Differences

While Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo share a common interface and some overlapping features, they cater to different creative needs. Affinity Designer excels in vector graphics and illustration, whereas Affinity Photo is tailored for photo editing and retouching.

• Vector vs. Raster: Affinity Designer focuses on vector graphics, offering tools like the Shape Builder and Vector Warp, while Affinity Photo specializes in raster graphics with features like real-time adjustment layers and full RAW development.
• Typography: Affinity Designer provides sophisticated typography options, which are not a primary focus in Affinity Photo.
• Photo Retouching: Affinity Photo includes advanced retouching tools such as Dodge, Burn, and Inpainting Brush, which are absent in Affinity Designer.
• Brush Library: Affinity Photo supports custom brush creation and .abr file import, a feature not available in Affinity Designer.
• Liquify Workspace: Affinity Photo offers a dedicated liquify workspace for image distortion, which is not present in Affinity Designer.

User Interface and Usability

Affinity Designer's user interface is live and responsive, supporting both vector and raster workspaces. It includes features like layer groups, color tagging, and a zoom capability of over one million percent. The user experience is smooth, with tools for precise selections and pixel-perfect designs, enhancing creative freedom. The software's compatibility with major file types and cross-device functionality further improves usability.

Affinity Photo's interface is redesigned for a seamless image editing experience, featuring real-time adjustment layers and a dedicated liquify workspace. The user experience is optimized for speed and precision, with tools like Dodge, Burn, and Inpainting Brush. The software supports massive images and real-time adjustments, making it suitable for professional workflows. Affinity Designer has a better user interface and usability.

Collaboration

Affinity Designer offers cross-platform compatibility, allowing teams to work on the same project across different devices. It supports a wide range of file types, making it easier to share files with team members. However, the software does not explicitly mention real-time collaboration capabilities, focusing more on performance and features.

Affinity Photo, while also compatible across multiple platforms, does not highlight specific collaboration features. The software emphasizes individual capabilities like real-time adjustment layers and photo retouching tools. It supports 100% file format compatibility, but lacks detailed information on file-sharing options or real-time collaboration.

Neither company stands out as better for collaboration.

Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo Pricing

Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo both offer straightforward pricing models. For desktop versions on macOS or Windows, each costs US$69.99, while the iPad versions are priced at US$18.49. Additionally, a Universal Licence covering all platforms is available for US$164.99. All purchases are one-time payments with no subscription fees.

Both products share identical pricing structures, making it easy for users to choose based on their specific needs. The absence of subscription fees and the availability of a Universal Licence provide flexibility and cost-effectiveness. Neither Affinity Designer nor Affinity Photo has a pricing advantage over the other.

Comparing Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo to Piktochart

Piktochart transforms complex ideas into captivating visuals that inform and engage your audience. With Piktochart AI, you can create stunning infographics, reports, and presentations in seconds, perfectly aligned with your brand. No design experience required.

Pros of Piktochart

• AI-Powered Design Generator: Create stunning visuals quickly with the help of AI, making it easier to produce professional-quality designs without extensive effort.
• Wide Range of Visual Tools: From infographics to social media videos, Piktochart provides various tools like Infographic Maker, Banner Maker, and Video Cropper to meet diverse needs.
• Customizable Text and View Properties: Tailor your videos by adjusting text properties and view settings, including background color and aspect ratios, for a personalized touch.
• Accessible Video Editing: Easily edit and repurpose video content with features like Screen Recorder and Video to Text Converter, making video creation more accessible.
• Extensive Template Library: Save time and effort with a vast array of templates designed for different use cases, ensuring you have the right starting point for any project.

Piktochart's Pricing

• Free: $0 (Free forever)
• Pro:
  • $29 per member/month (billed monthly)
  • $14 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
• Business:
  • $49 per member/month (billed monthly)
  • $24 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
• Enterprise: Custom Pricing (Contact for details)

What Are Others Saying?

Affinity Designer Reviews

Overall, users have given Affinity Designer a rating of 4.6 out of 5. While many appreciate its affordability and intuitive interface, some find the tool limitations and learning curve frustrating.

• "The software is good but has some limitations in tools and features." - Manoranjan R., 3.5 out of 5
• "It’s a bit complex to learn initially, but once you get the hang of it, it’s manageable." - Lindsey P., 3.8 out of 5
• "Importing files can be a hassle, and it lacks some advanced features." - Nidhi B., 3.7 out of 5

Find more of Affinity Designer reviews on G2!

Affinity Photo Reviews

Affinity Photo has an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5. Users appreciate its affordability and robust features but find the learning curve and limited high-end features frustrating.

• "The software is good but has some limitations in tools and features." - Saniya S., 4.0 out of 5
• "It’s a bit complex to learn initially, but once you get the hang of it, it’s manageable." - Peter R., 3.0 out of 5
• "Importing files can be a hassle, and it lacks some advanced features." - Adarsh P., 3.0 out of 5

Find more of Affinity Photo reviews on G2!

Piktochart Reviews

Our users have given Piktochart an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5. They appreciate its ease of use, extensive template library, and powerful design tools.

• "Easy to create content even if you're not a designer." - Jennifer K.
• "My Go-To for ALL Professional Presentations!" - Jessica D.
• "Piktochart offers good looking pre-built templates for creating graphics." - Ganesh P.

Find more of our reviews on G2!

Why choose one over the other?

Why Choose Affinity Designer:

• Consumers who need advanced vector graphics and illustration tools will find Affinity Designer ideal for creating professional-grade designs. This software is perfect for graphic designers, illustrators, and web designers who require precise control over their creative projects.

Why Choose Affinity Photo:

• Affinity Photo is the go-to choice for those who need powerful photo editing and retouching capabilities. It is best suited for photographers, digital artists, and anyone involved in detailed image manipulation and enhancement.

Why Choose Piktochart:

• Piktochart is perfect for users who need to create engaging visual content quickly and easily without extensive design experience. It is ideal for marketers, educators, and small business owners who want to produce professional-quality infographics, reports, and presentations.

Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, or Piktochart: Which is the best platform for you?

Whether you're a designer, photographer, or someone looking to create stunning visuals without a steep learning curve, Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, and Piktochart each offer unique strengths. While all three are excellent choices, we believe Piktochart stands out for its ease of use and versatility, making it perfect for anyone looking to quickly produce professional-quality content. Give Piktochart a try and see how it can transform your creative projects.