<description>&lt;p class="p1"&gt;&lt;span class="s1"&gt;During Adobe MAX, Canva dropped a bombshell announcement: the entire Affinity suite—Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher—would be &lt;strong&gt;free forever&lt;/strong&gt;. In this episode, David Blatner, Theresa Jackson, and Mike Rankin share their reactions to the news and unpack what it means for creative professionals.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class="p1"&gt;&lt;span class="s1"&gt;They discuss how Canva's move shakes up the design software landscape and whether Affinity can ever rival Adobe's Creative Cloud. The team also explores why this announcement might be good news for everyone, from professional designers to the next generation of creatives.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class="p1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="s1"&gt;Episode Highlights&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class="ul1"&gt; &lt;li class="li1"&gt;&lt;span class="s1"&gt;Canva's surprise move announced during Adobe MAX&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li1"&gt;&lt;span class="s1"&gt;Why David says "free" doesn't necessarily mean "professional-grade"&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li1"&gt;&lt;span class="s1"&gt;Theresa's take on Adobe's shifting focus toward hobbyists&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li1"&gt;&lt;span class="s1"&gt;Mike's look at Affinity's strengths (and key limitations)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li1"&gt;&lt;span class="s1"&gt;The gap between Adobe's "everyone" tools and enterprise solutions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li1"&gt;&lt;span class="s1"&gt;How Affinity compares for pros: what's missing and what's impressive&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li3"&gt;&lt;span class="s1"&gt;The bigger picture: education, accessibility, and competition in creative software&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="p1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class= "s1"&gt;Resources&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class="ul1"&gt; &lt;li class="li4"&gt;&lt;span class="s2"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://www.canva.com/"&gt;&lt;span class="s3"&gt;Canva's official announcement: Affinity now free forever&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li4"&gt;&lt;span class="s2"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://www.affinity.studio/"&gt;&lt;span class="s3"&gt;Affinity Suite overview (Photo, Designer, Publisher)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li4"&gt;&lt;span class="s2"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://www.adobe.com/max/2025/sessions.html"&gt;&lt;span class= "s3"&gt;Adobe MAX on demand&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span class= "s4"&gt;sessions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="li5"&gt;&lt;span class="s2"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://creativepro.com/event/indesign-conference-2025/"&gt;&lt;span class="s3"&gt; CreativePro InDesign Conference&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="p6"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description>

The CreativePro Podcast

CreativePro Network

Canva Makes Affinity Free?!

NOV 10, 202519 MIN
The CreativePro Podcast

Canva Makes Affinity Free?!

NOV 10, 202519 MIN

Description

During Adobe MAX, Canva dropped a bombshell announcement: the entire Affinity suite—Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher—would be free forever. In this episode, David Blatner, Theresa Jackson, and Mike Rankin share their reactions to the news and unpack what it means for creative professionals.

They discuss how Canva's move shakes up the design software landscape and whether Affinity can ever rival Adobe's Creative Cloud. The team also explores why this announcement might be good news for everyone, from professional designers to the next generation of creatives.

Episode Highlights

  • Canva's surprise move announced during Adobe MAX
  • Why David says "free" doesn't necessarily mean "professional-grade"
  • Theresa's take on Adobe's shifting focus toward hobbyists
  • Mike's look at Affinity's strengths (and key limitations)
  • The gap between Adobe's "everyone" tools and enterprise solutions
  • How Affinity compares for pros: what's missing and what's impressive
  • The bigger picture: education, accessibility, and competition in creative software

Resources