Affinity vs Adobe Illustrator

Affinity9.0Visit Adobe Illustrator8.8Visit

Higher score Affinity #4 in Graphic Design Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 7 features Visit Affinity

vs

Adobe Illustrator #6 in Graphic Design Software 8.8/10 7-day trial Free trial✓ 4 of 7 features Visit site

• Affinity fits best

  Professionals wanting a free all-in-one design suite

• Adobe Illustrator fits best

  Professional vector design and illustration

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Side by side

Feature	Affinity 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Adobe Illustrator 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.8
Ranking	#4 in Graphic Design Software	#6 in Graphic Design Software
Best for	Professionals wanting a free all-in-one design suite	Professional vector design and illustration
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free	—
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	7 days
Deployment	Desktop	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Windows, macOS	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS
Support	Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	5 integrations	4 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Affinity 5/7 · Adobe Illustrator 4/7
Template library	✓	✓
Presentation design	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Illustration tools	✓	✓
Brand kit	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Real-time collaboration	✓ (best)	—
Desktop app	✓	✓
Mobile app	—	✓ (best)
Our review
Pros	Combines vector design, photo editing, and page layout Imports PSD, AI, PDF, SVG, IDML, DWG, and other formats Supports print-ready CMYK, spot colors, preflight, and bleed	Advanced vector, typography, artboard, effects, and illustration tools Generative AI features for shape fills, recoloring, and vector graphics Creative Cloud integrations with cloud documents and review workflows
Cons	Available on Windows and macOS, with no mobile app Requires a Canva account for individual access Additional Canva premium AI features require a paid Canva plan	No free plan Collaboration supports invited editing, not simultaneous real-time editing The individual plan includes 100GB of cloud storage
Our verdict	Affinity brings vector design, pixel-based photo editing, and page layout into one desktop workspace. It is aimed at professionals handling illustration, logos, typography, image editing, reusable layouts, and print production without… Read the review →	Adobe Illustrator is vector graphics software for creating logos, icons, illustrations, packaging, typography, and other scalable artwork for print and digital use. It is suited to professional designers, illustrators, brand teams, and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Affinity — where it wins

  • Combines vector design, photo editing, and page layout
  • Imports PSD, AI, PDF, SVG, IDML, DWG, and other formats
  • Supports print-ready CMYK, spot colors, preflight, and bleed

  Where it doesn't

  • Available on Windows and macOS, with no mobile app
  • Requires a Canva account for individual access
  • Additional Canva premium AI features require a paid Canva plan

• Adobe Illustrator — where it wins

  • Advanced vector, typography, artboard, effects, and illustration tools
  • Generative AI features for shape fills, recoloring, and vector graphics
  • Creative Cloud integrations with cloud documents and review workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan
  • Collaboration supports invited editing, not simultaneous real-time editing
  • The individual plan includes 100GB of cloud storage

• Affinity9.0/10 · Free plan

  A free desktop suite covering vector, pixel, layout, scripting, and print production.

  Visit AffinityFull verdict →
• Adobe Illustrator8.8/10 · 7-day trial

  A deep vector design suite for professional artwork across desktop, iPad, and web.

  Visit siteFull verdict →