Canva isn’t eliminating Affinity’s best feature, but subscriptions may be coming
It’s official: Canva isn’t eliminating the best feature of Affinity software: the perpetual license, a one-time fee, no endless subscriptions.
A commitment to the ‘perpetual model’ is one of them four commitments made in a joint statement from the Canva and Affinity teams, aimed at allaying fears after the former took over the latter.
Of course, users will soon be able to subscribe to Affinity’s creative apps as well, but to the relief of many, both teams confirmed: “If we do offer a subscription, it will only be as an option in addition to the perpetual model. for those who prefer that.” Champagne all around.
A promise to users
When news broke that Canva had acquired the company behind some of the best graphic design software and DTP software we, like many, have ever used, we wondered what this meant for the always welcome one-time fee.
You can’t open Canva without a Canva Pro ad popping up every time (admittedly a small price to pay). Affinity’s biggest competitor, Adobe, offers three different plans for its Creative Cloud suite – and that’s just for one person.
So Affinity’s refreshing one-time payment for Designer, Photo, and Publisher (and the Universal License that bundles all three apps) made them one of the best alternatives to Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. Would the perpetual license be valid in that environment?
The answer is a resounding yes. The Affinity and Canva Pledge commit both companies to fair pricing, saying “we know this model has been an important part of the Affinity offering and we are committed to continuing to offer perpetual licenses in the future.”
Pledges also pledge to continue “accelerating” support for Affinity as a standalone product, free availability to schools and registered nonprofits, and “listening and being guided by every step of this journey” the design community.”
As if to prove this, the company is already preparing to roll out user-requested features. Look for support for variable fonts, blending and width tools, automatic object selection, multi-page spreads, and ePub export as free updates coming to the design suite in 2024.