Canva took some of the air out of Adobe’s sails last week,announcing that going forward, Affinity, the Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign competitor made by software developer Serif, would be free, for everyone, forever.
Unlike the far more dominant Adobe Creative Cloud, Affinity was previously sold on a per-license basis, with free updates provided until a new version of the software became available. Adobe used to sell its software in the same way until it finally discontinued Creative Suite in 2013.
For many creative professionals, the idea of “buy once, cry once” for the software tools they use may be compelling enough, especially as subscription costscontinue to rise. Some designers begrudgingly pay Adobe every month (or annually) whatever it asks because that’s the devil they know, and if they’re going to pay for the software, they might as well go for the “standard.” However, not having to pay anything at all, ever, lowers any financial barrier to entry. It’s a good enough reason to check out Affinity’s software, work on some projects with it, put it through its paces, and if it’s good enough, make the switch.
