Adobe PhotoshopvsAffinity Photo

App

Score Comparison

Overall

Pricing

Usability

Performance

Support

Reliability

Onboarding

Mobile

Security

Integrations

Adobe PhotoshopAffinity Photo

Signals Comparison

Pricing

Adobe Photoshop

50% early termination fee buried in fine print(10/10)
Subscription model eliminates software ownership(9/10)
AI features limited by generative credits system(7/10)
Free trial secretly activates annual subscription(9/10)

Affinity Photo

No signals

Usability

Adobe Photoshop

Cancellation process designed to be intentionally difficult(9/10)
Constant updates break established workflows(6/10)
No real-time collaboration features(5/10)

Affinity Photo

No generative AI or content-aware fill(8/10)
No photo library or asset management(7/10)
Confusing mask layering system(6/10)
No Smart Objects like Photoshop(6/10)
No Save for Web feature(5/10)
Keyboard shortcuts differ from Photoshop(5/10)
UI text too small on high-DPI displays(5/10)
No video or animation timeline(4/10)

Support

Adobe Photoshop

Customer support wait times exceed 2 hours(8/10)

Affinity Photo

No signals

Performance

Adobe Photoshop

Severe lag with large files and many layers(7/10)
High system requirements exclude older hardware(6/10)

Affinity Photo

Slow RAW file processing(8/10)
Limited AI noise reduction capabilities(5/10)

Mobile

Adobe Photoshop

iPad app missing crucial desktop features(7/10)

Affinity Photo

No iPhone or Android mobile app(5/10)

Security

Adobe Photoshop

Affinity Photo

Forum shutdown and Discord migration concerns(4/10)

Onboarding

Adobe Photoshop

Steep learning curve intimidates beginners(6/10)

Affinity Photo

No signals

Reliability

Adobe Photoshop

Frequent crashes and bugs after updates(7/10)

Affinity Photo

Crashes during RAW import and export(8/10)

Integrations

Adobe Photoshop

Plugin ecosystem requires additional purchases(5/10)

Affinity Photo

Limited plugin ecosystem(7/10)

Pricing Comparison

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop Single App

Popular

$22.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 100GB cloud storage

Limits: Annual commitment required for advertised price. Monthly plan costs more. No Lightroom included. iPad version has limited features compared to desktop.

50% early termination fee if cancelled within first year on annual plan. Generative AI credits are limited and don't roll over - unlimited requires separate Firefly plan at $9.99/month extra.

Photography Plan (20GB)

$9.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 20GB cloud storage

Limits: Only 20GB storage is inadequate for serious photographers. Cannot be purchased without annual commitment. No iPad Photoshop included in base plan.

Early termination fee applies on annual plan. Very limited 20GB storage fills up quickly with RAW files. Generative credits still limited.

Photography Plan (1TB)

Popular

$19.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 1TB cloud storage

Limits: Annual commitment required. No true monthly option available. iPad Photoshop has feature limitations.

Annual commitment with 50% early termination fee. Price doubles vs basic Photography plan for 1TB storage. Still has generative credit limits.

Creative Cloud All Apps

$59.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 100GB cloud storage

Limits: Annual commitment required. Standard tier (cheaper) excludes iPad/mobile apps and has very limited Firefly credits. Pro tier required for full access.

50% early termination fee on annual plan. Only 100GB storage included despite paying for entire suite. Extra storage costs more. Standard tier excludes iPad and mobile apps.

Creative Cloud for Teams

$89.99/mo

Users: Per user

Storage: 1TB per user

Limits: Expensive for small teams. Still lacks real-time collaboration. SSO/Enterprise features require Enterprise tier (custom pricing).

Requires minimum annual commitment. No real-time collaboration features despite 'Teams' naming. Each seat is billed separately.

Affinity Photo

Free (Current)

Popular

Free

Users: Unlimited

Storage: Local storage only

Limits: Must have Canva account, no AI-powered tools in free tier, V1/V2 licenses no longer updated

Canva AI features (Generative Fill, AI expansion) require Canva Pro at $120/year

Canva Pro (for AI features)

$120/yr

Users: 1 user

Storage: 1TB Canva cloud storage

Limits: AI features require Canva ecosystem integration

Monthly billing is $15/month ($180/year), additional team seats cost extra

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 V3 features

Each platform (Mac, Windows, iPad) required separate purchase, V2 Universal was $169.99

Feature Comparison

Feature	Adobe Photoshop	Affinity Photo
Editing
Non-destructive editing Via smart objects and adjustment layers
RAW file processing Via Camera Raw integration
Core Features
Layer-based editing Full layer support
RAW development Non-destructive, but slow
HDR merge Built-in HDR tools
Panorama stitching Automatic stitching
Focus stacking Multi-focus merge
AI Features
AI-powered selection Select Subject, Sky, Hair refinement
AI Generative Fill Requires Canva Pro
Generative Fill (AI) Limited by monthly credits
Neural Filters Some require cloud processing
Content-Aware Fill Traditional inpainting only
Organization
Photo library/catalog No asset management
Collaboration
Real-time collaboration Not available - major gap vs Figma
Storage
Cloud storage Limited by plan (20GB-1TB)
Mobile
iPad version Limited features vs desktop
File Formats
PSD compatibility Good import/export
Usability
Offline mode Some AI features require internet
Integrations
Plugin support Extensive ecosystem, many paid
File Support
PSD file format Industry standard
Platforms
iPhone/Android app Not available
Advanced
3D capabilities Being phased out in newer versions
Video editing Basic timeline editing
Productivity
Actions/automation Powerful batch processing

Signals Comparison

Pricing

Adobe Photoshop

50% early termination fee buried in fine print(10/10)
Subscription model eliminates software ownership(9/10)
AI features limited by generative credits system(7/10)
Free trial secretly activates annual subscription(9/10)

Affinity Photo

No signals

Usability

Adobe Photoshop

Cancellation process designed to be intentionally difficult(9/10)
Constant updates break established workflows(6/10)
No real-time collaboration features(5/10)

Affinity Photo

No generative AI or content-aware fill(8/10)
No photo library or asset management(7/10)
Confusing mask layering system(6/10)
No Smart Objects like Photoshop(6/10)
No Save for Web feature(5/10)
Keyboard shortcuts differ from Photoshop(5/10)
UI text too small on high-DPI displays(5/10)
No video or animation timeline(4/10)

Support

Adobe Photoshop

Customer support wait times exceed 2 hours(8/10)

Affinity Photo

No signals

Performance

Adobe Photoshop

Severe lag with large files and many layers(7/10)
High system requirements exclude older hardware(6/10)

Affinity Photo

Slow RAW file processing(8/10)
Limited AI noise reduction capabilities(5/10)

Mobile

Adobe Photoshop

iPad app missing crucial desktop features(7/10)

Affinity Photo

No iPhone or Android mobile app(5/10)

Security

Adobe Photoshop

Affinity Photo

Forum shutdown and Discord migration concerns(4/10)

Onboarding

Adobe Photoshop

Steep learning curve intimidates beginners(6/10)

Affinity Photo

No signals

Reliability

Adobe Photoshop

Frequent crashes and bugs after updates(7/10)

Affinity Photo

Crashes during RAW import and export(8/10)

Integrations

Adobe Photoshop

Plugin ecosystem requires additional purchases(5/10)

Affinity Photo

Limited plugin ecosystem(7/10)

Pricing Comparison

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop Single App

Popular

$22.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 100GB cloud storage

Limits: Annual commitment required for advertised price. Monthly plan costs more. No Lightroom included. iPad version has limited features compared to desktop.

50% early termination fee if cancelled within first year on annual plan. Generative AI credits are limited and don't roll over - unlimited requires separate Firefly plan at $9.99/month extra.

Photography Plan (20GB)

$9.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 20GB cloud storage

Limits: Only 20GB storage is inadequate for serious photographers. Cannot be purchased without annual commitment. No iPad Photoshop included in base plan.

Early termination fee applies on annual plan. Very limited 20GB storage fills up quickly with RAW files. Generative credits still limited.

Photography Plan (1TB)

Popular

$19.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 1TB cloud storage

Limits: Annual commitment required. No true monthly option available. iPad Photoshop has feature limitations.

Annual commitment with 50% early termination fee. Price doubles vs basic Photography plan for 1TB storage. Still has generative credit limits.

Creative Cloud All Apps

$59.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 100GB cloud storage

Limits: Annual commitment required. Standard tier (cheaper) excludes iPad/mobile apps and has very limited Firefly credits. Pro tier required for full access.

50% early termination fee on annual plan. Only 100GB storage included despite paying for entire suite. Extra storage costs more. Standard tier excludes iPad and mobile apps.

Creative Cloud for Teams

$89.99/mo

Users: Per user

Storage: 1TB per user

Limits: Expensive for small teams. Still lacks real-time collaboration. SSO/Enterprise features require Enterprise tier (custom pricing).

Requires minimum annual commitment. No real-time collaboration features despite 'Teams' naming. Each seat is billed separately.

Affinity Photo

Free (Current)

Popular

Free

Users: Unlimited

Storage: Local storage only

Limits: Must have Canva account, no AI-powered tools in free tier, V1/V2 licenses no longer updated

Canva AI features (Generative Fill, AI expansion) require Canva Pro at $120/year

Canva Pro (for AI features)

$120/yr

Users: 1 user

Storage: 1TB Canva cloud storage

Limits: AI features require Canva ecosystem integration

Monthly billing is $15/month ($180/year), additional team seats cost extra

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 V3 features

Each platform (Mac, Windows, iPad) required separate purchase, V2 Universal was $169.99

Feature Comparison

Feature	Adobe Photoshop	Affinity Photo
Editing
Non-destructive editing Via smart objects and adjustment layers
RAW file processing Via Camera Raw integration
Core Features
Layer-based editing Full layer support
RAW development Non-destructive, but slow
HDR merge Built-in HDR tools
Panorama stitching Automatic stitching
Focus stacking Multi-focus merge
AI Features
AI-powered selection Select Subject, Sky, Hair refinement
AI Generative Fill Requires Canva Pro
Generative Fill (AI) Limited by monthly credits
Neural Filters Some require cloud processing
Content-Aware Fill Traditional inpainting only
Organization
Photo library/catalog No asset management
Collaboration
Real-time collaboration Not available - major gap vs Figma
Storage
Cloud storage Limited by plan (20GB-1TB)
Mobile
iPad version Limited features vs desktop
File Formats
PSD compatibility Good import/export
Usability
Offline mode Some AI features require internet
Integrations
Plugin support Extensive ecosystem, many paid
File Support
PSD file format Industry standard
Platforms
iPhone/Android app Not available
Advanced
3D capabilities Being phased out in newer versions
Video editing Basic timeline editing
Productivity
Actions/automation Powerful batch processing