Affinity and the end of the perpetual licence

Affinity stopped selling perpetual licences at the end of 2025 and instead released a single free app.

For years, Affinity was the best-known example of affordable software with a perpetual licence: you bought Affinity Photo, Designer or Publisher once and used the app without a subscription. On 30 October 2025, owner Canva announced a new direction. The three separate programmes were merged into a single application, simply called Affinity, which is free.

Around the same time, sales of the existing paid versions ceased. The question 'Affinity subscription' many users ask therefore has a nuanced answer: the software itself costs nothing, but the classic one-time purchase model has disappeared and the new app is linked to a Canva account.

For existing users, this is a major shift. Those accustomed to a programme they bought and owned now receive a free app tied to an online account. Below, we explain exactly what changed, what happens to your existing licence, and the choices you have.

This change does not stand alone. It fits into a broader trend where software makers are gradually moving away from one-time purchases, each in their own way. For some packages this became a paid subscription; for Affinity, it turned into a free app with an account model. What this shift means in practice for software ownership is exactly what this article explores, using Affinity as the example.

The road to the free model began with the acquisition by Canva in 2024.

The change did not come out of nowhere. The key steps at a glance:

• Serif and the first versions: British company Serif developed Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher as an affordable alternative to expensive creative suites, with a one-time purchase per programme.
• Affinity V2 (2022): the second generation was released, again as a perpetual licence, with a universal licence covering all three apps across multiple platforms.
• Acquisition by Canva (2024): Canva acquired Serif. At that time, Canva stated it would continue to offer affordable perpetual licences.
• The turnaround (October 2025): Canva stopped selling existing versions and on 30 October 2025 unveiled the new, free Affinity app.

So the promise from 2024 to continue selling perpetual licences did not materialise as many users expected. Instead of a paid one-off purchase, a free app requiring an account appeared. That difference is at the heart of the discussion that erupted in the community afterwards.

The timing is understandable from Canva's position. Canva grew big with an online design tool and a free entry-level model, with paid tiers on top. Fitting Affinity into that picture meant decoupling individual sales and connecting it to the account and subscription system Canva already used. The free app fits that strategy: it brings professional desktop functionality within everyone's reach, while connecting it to the maker's wider offering.

The new Affinity is free and works offline, but requires a Canva account.

The new app combines photo editing, vector design, and layout into one programme. Its main characteristics:

• Free: the app costs nothing and will continue to receive free updates.
• Desktop programme: it is a local application you install, not a web tool.
• Works offline: you do not need a permanent internet connection to use it.
• Canva account required: to use the app, you must log in with a Canva account.

It is precisely that last point that meets resistance from some users. A free app is appealing, but the account requirement means you have to register with Canva in order to work locally. For users who deliberately chose Affinity because it needed no account or cloud service, this is a principled objection.

The mandatory registration is related to how modern software manages licences. Where a perpetual licence stood apart from any service, the new app ties usage to an account. This mechanism resembles what you see with other account-linked software, and it also determines what can happen if access is lost. Read more about that in what happens when your software licence expires.

The fact that the app works offline is reassuring for many users. You don't need a constant connection to draw or edit, which is important for those working on the go or in a secure workspace. The account requirement and the ability to work offline thus coexist: you log in once, but daily work takes place locally on your own machine. This distinction sometimes gets lost in the discussion, although it makes a big practical difference.

The AI features within Affinity do require a paid Canva subscription.

Here, the word subscription finally comes into play. The Affinity app itself is free, but several AI features are not. Examples include generative edits such as automatically expanding or filling in areas of an image. These features only work with a paid Canva subscription.

The distinction is important:

• All drawing tools, photo editing and layout in Affinity are free and work without a paid subscription.
• The AI-driven extras are behind a paid Canva subscription.

So Affinity is not a classic subscription programme like the creative packages you rent per month. It is rather a free core with a paid layer for those who want the AI features. For most drawing and editing tasks, you don't need that subscription.

This setup explains why people search for Affinity subscription when the app is free. The confusion arises because Affinity is now part of an ecosystem that does have subscriptions. It pays to distinguish between the free core of Affinity and the paid Canva services around it. Those who only draw, edit, or lay out pages pay nothing; those who want to use the generative tools intensively end up with a paid Canva subscription.

The announcement led to mixed reactions: enthusiasm about the free app, disappointment about the account requirement.

A free, full-featured design suite is good news for many people, especially students, freelancers, and hobbyists who found the paid versions too expensive. For them, the new app lowers the barrier to zero.

Nevertheless there was also criticism, especially from loyal users who valued Affinity precisely as an account-free alternative. Their objections centred on three points:

• The account requirement: a programme you run locally but that still requires an account feels like a step backwards compared to purchased versions.
• The unfulfilled promise: at the acquisition, it was pledged that affordable perpetual licences would continue. That expectation was not met.
• Uncertainty about the future: free software raises the question of how the model will be funded long-term and whether paid components will be added later.

This mixed reception is understandable. The shift touches exactly on what distinguished Affinity from the major competitors: the ownership of your software without an account or ongoing payment. Those for whom that was important lose that with the new app, even if it is free.

For those who judge purely on price, the outcome is positive: a complete design suite for zero euros. For those who also judge on independence and ownership, the outcome is mixed. That explains why the same announcement was received as both good and bad news, depending on what someone expects from software. Both viewpoints are defensible, and which carries more weight differs per user and per type of work.

Anyone who already owns a perpetual Affinity licence keeps it and can continue using the old apps.

A frequently asked question after the announcement: will I lose my purchased version? The answer is no. A previously purchased perpetual licence for Affinity V1 or V2 remains valid. You can continue using those apps as you were used to, because the very point of a perpetual licence is that it does not expire.

This means that in practice you have two tracks:

• The old, purchased apps: Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher V2 continue to work on the basis of your existing licence. However, they will no longer be sold and likely receive fewer or no new features over time.
• The new free app: the combined Affinity app that you install separately and that is tied to a Canva account.

Keep your installation files and licence details for the old versions safe. As with all perpetual-licence software: as long as you have the installer and the key, you can reinstall, even after sales have stopped. That principle applies more broadly than Affinity and relates to the licence type you own, explained in OEM, retail, and volume licences.

The old and new Affinity differ in price, ownership, and account requirement.

This table puts the two situations side by side, so you can see what actually shifts.

The biggest gain is in price and the bundled features. The biggest sacrifice is the account requirement and the disappearance of the one-time purchase. Whether that's an improvement depends on how much value you place on a programme that is completely separate from an online account.

For most users, the free app is sufficient, but those who want to work without an account look at alternatives.

What the change means for you depends on your situation:

• You use Affinity for drawing, photo editing, or layout: the free app covers those tasks. You don't have to pay anything, provided you create a Canva account.
• You already own a V2 licence: you can continue working with your existing apps and decide for yourself whether to switch to the new one.
• You deliberately want no account or cloud service: then the new app chafes, and an alternative is worth considering.

This table gives a few directions for those looking for a different route.

Current terms and system requirements can be found at the source itself. Canva explains the new direction in the announcement of the new Affinity, and you can download the programme from affinity.studio. Check there for what applies at the time of download, because details about the account and AI features may change after launch. The broader consideration between buying and renting is independent of Affinity and described in the comparison of professional suites, such as AutoCAD LT vs AutoCAD.