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Affinity Photo

Features
Ease of use
Ease of management
Quality of support
Affordability
Market presence
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Pricing from
$18.50 one-time
Free Trial
Free version unavailable
User corporate size
Small
Medium
Large
User industry
  1. Professional services (engineering, legal, consulting, etc.)
  2. Arts, entertainment, and recreation
  3. Real estate and property management

What is Affinity Photo

Affinity Photo is a desktop photo editing application used for raster image retouching, compositing, and RAW photo development. It targets photographers, designers, and creative teams that need layer-based editing, color management, and export for print and digital workflows. The product is positioned as a locally installed editor with a one-time license model and support for common professional file formats such as PSD.

pros

Full-featured layer editing

Affinity Photo provides non-destructive, layer-based editing with masks, adjustment layers, blend modes, and advanced selections. It supports complex retouching and compositing workflows that are difficult to replicate in template-first or browser-based tools. This makes it suitable for detailed pixel-level work such as product photo cleanup, portrait retouching, and multi-layer composites.

Strong file format compatibility

The application opens and exports common professional formats, including PSD, and supports RAW development workflows. It includes ICC color management and tools relevant to print production, such as soft proofing and high-quality export options. These capabilities help teams integrate Affinity Photo into existing creative pipelines without requiring a cloud-first workflow.

One-time licensing option

Affinity Photo is commonly sold with a perpetual license rather than a subscription requirement. This can simplify procurement for individuals and small teams that prefer predictable, upfront software costs. It also reduces dependency on ongoing account access for core editing functionality compared with many web-first creative suites.

cons

Limited built-in generative AI

Affinity Photo is primarily a manual editing tool and does not focus on text-to-image generation or broad generative fill workflows. Some AI-oriented categories listed (e.g., AI expand image tools, AI photo restoration tools) may require third-party plugins or external services rather than being native capabilities. Organizations prioritizing automated, prompt-driven creation may find the workflow less streamlined.

Not a collaborative design platform

The product is a desktop application and does not provide the same real-time collaboration, shared templates, or browser-based review flows typical of online design platforms. Team governance features such as centralized asset libraries, approval workflows, and role-based content controls are more limited. This can add process overhead for distributed marketing or content teams.

Narrow fit for apparel design

While it can be used to create raster artwork for apparel graphics, it is not purpose-built for garment pattern drafting, grading, or production tech packs. Apparel-specific workflows often require vector-first tools and specialized CAD features that are outside Affinity Photo’s scope. Users in clothing and garment design may need additional software to complete end-to-end production workflows.

Plan & Pricing

Plan Price Key features & notes
Affinity Photo (macOS & Windows) $69.99 one-off (perpetual) Full desktop app; perpetual (non-subscription) licence per platform; historically marketed as a one-off purchase. Source: official Affinity press material.
Affinity Photo (iPad) $18.50 one-off (perpetual) Full iPad app one-off purchase.
Affinity V2 Universal License (macOS, Windows & iPad) $164.99 one-off (excl. tax) Bundle includes Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher across desktop and iPad; listed on Affinity's official trial/purchase pages; available to try via the official 7-day free trial.

Notes: Prices are one-time (not subscription) as stated on Affinity/Serif official pages. Some promotional discounts and historical offers (e.g., 40-50% launch/sale discounts, a temporary 6-month trial in 2024) have been run by the vendor; those promotional prices are not included above (above are the standard retail numbers shown on Affinity’s official pages).

Seller details

Serif Ltd.
Nottingham, England, United Kingdom
1987
Private
https://serif.com/
https://x.com/affinitybyserif
https://www.linkedin.com/company/serif

Tools by Serif Ltd.

Affinity Publisher
Affinity Designer
Affinity Photo

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