CompareStack/Affinity Designer vs Adobe Photoshop
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Updated March 2026 · Independent Analysis

Affinity DesignervsAdobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop starts at $9.99/mo, 86% cheaper than Affinity Designer's $69.99/mo. Adobe Photoshop is rated higher at 4.7/5 vs Affinity Designer's 4.6/5.

A
Affinity Designer

Professional vector graphic design software as an Adobe Illustrator alternative

★ 4.6/5Founded 201410M+ users users
Try Affinity Designer Free →
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Adobe Photoshop

The definitive image editing and design tool for photography and graphics

★ 4.7/5Founded 1990Part of Creative Cloud (30M+) users
Try Adobe Photoshop Free →

⚡ Quick Stats

⭐
Avg Rating
Affinity Designer4.6/5
Adobe Photoshop4.7/5
🏆 Adobe Photoshop wins
💰
Starting Price
Affinity Designer$69.99/mo
Adobe Photoshop$9.99/mo
🏆 Adobe Photoshop wins
🔧
Features
Affinity Designer15
Adobe Photoshop15
🏆 Affinity Designer wins
🎁
Free Plan
Affinity DesignerNo
Adobe PhotoshopNo

📊 Ratings Breakdown

A

Affinity Designer

4.6/5 avg
G2 Score4.5/5
Capterra Score4.7/5
Overall Avg4.6/5
A

Adobe Photoshop

4.7/5 avg
G2 Score4.6/5
Capterra Score4.8/5
Overall Avg4.699999999999999/5

⚡ Quick Verdict

Independent analysis based on features, pricing, and user ratings

Choose Affinity Designer if you need:
  • ✓ Vector Design
  • ✓ Raster & Vector Hybrid
  • ✓ PSD/AI Import
  • ✓ Pen & Node Tools
  • ✓ Typography
Try Affinity Designer Free →
Choose Adobe Photoshop if you need:
  • ✓ Photo Editing
  • ✓ Layer-based Design
  • ✓ Generative Fill (AI)
  • ✓ Generative Expand
  • ✓ Neural Filters
Try Adobe Photoshop Free →

🔧 Feature Comparison

Affinity Designer uniquely offers Vector Design, Raster & Vector Hybrid, PSD/AI Import. Adobe Photoshop uniquely offers Photo Editing, Layer-based Design, Generative Fill (AI). Both share 1 features including iPad Version.

Feature
Affinity Designer
Adobe Photoshop
iPad Version
✓
✓
Vector Design
✓
✗
Raster & Vector Hybrid
✓
✗
PSD/AI Import
✓
✗
Pen & Node Tools
✓
✗
Typography
✓
✗
Color Management
✓
✗
Non-destructive Effects
✓
✗
Artboards
✓
✗
Symbols
✓
✗
Grids & Guides
✓
✗
Export Personas
✓
✗
GPU Accelerated
✓
✗
Pixel-perfect Zoom
✓
✗
Master Pages
✓
✗
Photo Editing
✗
✓
Layer-based Design
✗
✓
Generative Fill (AI)
✗
✓
Generative Expand
✗
✓
Neural Filters
✗
✓
Object Selection
✗
✓
Content-Aware Fill
✗
✓
Camera RAW
✗
✓
Brushes
✗
✓
Masks & Channels
✗
✓
Smart Objects
✗
✓
Actions & Automation
✗
✓
3D
✗
✓
Cloud Documents
✗
✓
Total Features
15
15

💰 Pricing Comparison

Adobe Photoshop starts at $9.99/mo, 86% cheaper than Affinity Designer's $69.99/mo.

A

Affinity Designer Plans

Paid plans only

Affinity Designer V2
$69.99/one-time
  • • Desktop app
  • • No subscription
Affinity V2 Universal
$169.99/one-time
  • • Designer + Photo + Publisher
  • • All platforms
Canva SubscriptionBest Value
$14.99/mo
  • • Full Affinity suite via Canva Teams
Full Affinity Designer pricing breakdown →
A

Adobe Photoshop Plans

Paid plans only

Photography PlanBest Value
$9.99/mo
  • • Photoshop + Lightroom
  • • 20GB storage
Photoshop
$22.99/mo
  • • Single app
  • • 100GB storage
All Apps
$59.99/mo
  • • 20+ Creative Cloud apps
Full Adobe Photoshop pricing breakdown →
🔔 Get notified when prices change

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

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