Try or ByeTry or Bye

Adobe IllustratorvsAffinity Designer

App
vs
App

Score Comparison

52
Overall
70
35
Pricing
95
65
Usability
72
50
Performance
65
40
Support
70
55
Reliability
65
40
Onboarding
65
45
Mobile
75
70
Security
70
85
Integrations
60
Adobe IllustratorAffinity Designer

Signals Comparison

Pricing

Adobe Illustrator

  • Subscription trap with hidden cancellation fees(9/10)
  • No affordable option - subscription-only model(8/10)

Affinity Designer

No signals

Performance

Adobe Illustrator

  • Severe lag and slowdowns after 2025/2026 updates(8/10)
  • High memory and resource consumption(7/10)

Affinity Designer

  • Slow performance with large or complex files(7/10)
Reliability

Adobe Illustrator

  • Frequent crashes causing lost work(9/10)
  • Updates break existing workflows(7/10)
  • Character style formatting bugs(5/10)

Affinity Designer

  • SVG and PDF export bugs(8/10)
  • Frequent crashes on Windows(8/10)
  • Intermittent interface bugs and focus issues(5/10)
Onboarding

Adobe Illustrator

  • Steep learning curve frustrates beginners(6/10)

Affinity Designer

  • Updater requires manual download(3/10)
Usability

Adobe Illustrator

  • Complex menus and overcrowded interface(6/10)
  • Pen tool frustrating to use(5/10)
  • Limited raster graphics support(4/10)

Affinity Designer

  • No image trace / auto-trace feature(9/10)
  • Steep learning curve for beginners(6/10)
  • No plugin or extension support(6/10)
  • Vector brushes are actually pixel brushes(7/10)
  • Cannot merge vectors into one layer(5/10)
  • Artboard layer management is confusing(5/10)
  • No built-in templates or shape library(4/10)
Support

Adobe Illustrator

  • Poor customer support quality(7/10)

Affinity Designer

No signals

Mobile

Adobe Illustrator

  • iPad version missing critical tools(6/10)

Affinity Designer

  • iPad version has gesture conflicts(6/10)
Integrations

Adobe Illustrator

  • Inconsistent shortcuts with other Adobe apps(4/10)

Affinity Designer

  • Cannot export to Adobe Illustrator AI format(7/10)
Security

Adobe Illustrator

No signals

Affinity Designer

  • Concerns about Canva ownership and AI data usage(6/10)

Pricing Comparison

Adobe Illustrator

Annual (Monthly Payment)
Popular
$22.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 100GB Creative Cloud

Limits: Annual commitment required, no perpetual license option

50% early termination fee if canceled before 12 months. Most users don't realize this is a 12-month commitment disguised as monthly billing.
Annual (Prepaid)
$263.88/yr

Users: 1 user

Storage: 100GB Creative Cloud

Limits: Full payment required upfront, no monthly flexibility

No refund after 14 days. Full year payment upfront with no flexibility.
Month-to-Month
$34.49/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 100GB Creative Cloud

Limits: Significantly higher monthly cost, no discount for commitment

50% more expensive than annual plan. Adobe makes the annual plan appear cheaper to lock users in.
Creative Cloud All Apps
$54.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 100GB Creative Cloud

Limits: Annual commitment, overwhelming number of apps for users who only need Illustrator

Same 50% early termination fee. At $660/year, costs add up significantly over time vs one-time purchase alternatives.

Affinity Designer

Free (Current)
Popular
Free

Users: Unlimited

Storage: Local storage only

Limits: Must have Canva account, V1/V2 perpetual licenses no longer receive updates, AI features locked behind Canva Pro

Canva AI features (like AI Studio) require Canva Pro subscription at $120/year
Canva Pro (for AI features)
$120/yr

Users: 1 user

Storage: 1TB cloud storage (Canva)

Limits: AI features require Canva ecosystem, data shared with Canva platform

Monthly billing is $15/month ($180/year), team plans cost more
Legacy V2 (No longer sold)
$69.99/mo

Users: 1 user per platform

Storage: Local storage only

Limits: No longer sold, existing licenses work but won't receive new features, V2 Universal was $169.99

Separate purchase required for each platform (Mac, Windows, iPad)

Feature Comparison

FeatureAdobe IllustratorAffinity Designer
Core Features
Vector illustration

Industry-leading vector tools

Vector editing

Comprehensive vector tools

Pen and bezier tools

Powerful but steep learning curve

Raster/Pixel editing

Via Pixel Persona

Typography tools

Advanced OpenType and variable font support

Image trace / Auto-trace

Major missing feature

Gradient mesh

Complex color blending

Pattern creation

Seamless pattern tools

3D effects

Basic 3D extrusion and mapping

Image trace

Raster to vector conversion

Extensibility
Plugin/Extension support

Not supported

File Formats
Adobe AI file export

Can open but not save

PDF export

Including PDF/X

Platform
iPad companion app

Limited compared to desktop

Offline mode

Works offline but needs periodic check-in

Integration
Creative Cloud sync

Assets sync across Adobe apps

Platforms
iPad version

Full-featured

Windows version

Some stability issues

Mac version

Native Apple Silicon

Export
AI file format

Native industry-standard format

SVG export

Clean SVG output

PDF creation

Print-ready PDF output

Print
CMYK color mode

Full print color support

Pantone colors

Professional color matching

Cloud Features
Cloud sync

Local files only

Collaboration
Real-time collaboration

Not available unlike Figma

Pricing
Perpetual license option

Subscription only

Free tier

7-day trial only

AI
Generative AI features

Text to vector, generative fill