Affinity is a Powerful Free Photoshop Alternative for Mac (and Windows)
Affinity is a powerful creative application that offers photo and image editing capabilities, vector design, and page layout features, all in a single app, and feature-wise it’s easily able to compete with the likes of Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. But unlike Photoshop or Illustrator, Affinity is now completely free – though advanced features like AI powered tools require a subscription – making it easily one of the best possible options out there for Mac users who want an advanced image editor or graphic design toolkit. Not only is Affinity free, it’s also not just for Mac, and it runs on Windows too, and an iPad version is in the works as well.
If you’re looking for a powerful image editor and vector design tool, Affinity is well worth checking out, and it makes for a fantastic Adobe Photoshop alternative as well.
Affinity and its various powerful creative modes (Pixel, Vector, Layout) make it an incredible tool with professional grade features, and it’s hard to believe such a great app is free now. With full raw support, layers, retouching tools, stitching, cloning, masks, blend modes, vector pen and sdhape tools, scalable graphics, powerful typography, layout and page design features, and broad file compatibility including the ability to import and export PSD, SVG, PDF, and basically any image format, you’re in for a real treat with pro level capabilities. Whether you’re a professional, hobbyist, student, tinkerer, freelancer, does not matter, and that it’s available without cost or subscription is substantial.
How to Download Affinity Free for Mac (or Windows)
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- Head on over to Affinity.studio and signup to download
- Create a free Canva account (I use the Apple account feature and Hide My Email personally, making this process super easy) and download
- Install the app as usual by dragging it into the /Applications folder
- Launch Affinity and sign-in with the Canva account you created in the second step
- Away you go with powerful tools for image editing, vector editing, page layout




The free version of Affinity is really full featured, but if you’re looking for some AI powered features and tools you will need a Canva Pro account, which is paid. Some pro users will undoubtedly want those capabilities, but for the more average user, the free version is more than sufficient for image editing, page layout, vector design, and more.
Truth be told, I had heard of Affinity but never paid it much attention, until Simon left a comment on my article about enabling Quiet Mode in Photoshop, suggesting giving it a try, and I’m glad I did! Whether you’re in the market for a Photoshop alternative for the Mac, free or otherwise, or you just want another powerful pro tool to add to your workflow, check out Affinity, it’s a really great app.
