Affinity by Canva Takes a Leap: What the New Unified App Means for Designers

The design-software world has just taken an interesting turn. If you’re familiar with the tools used by creators and agencies, you know the names Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo and Affinity Publisher well—they’ve been respected alternatives to Adobe’s ecosystem for years.

Now, under the ownership of Canva (after Canva’s acquisition of Serif in 2024), the Affinity brand is undergoing a major shift. Announced in October 2025, the platform is being relaunched as “Affinity by Canva”, a unified all-in-one design application that blends vector, raster and layout functionality under a single roof. The Verge+1

Here’s a breakdown of what’s changed, the opportunities this opens up—and the things to keep in mind if you’re already an Affinity user.

What’s changed

  • Affinity now moves from separate apps (Designer, Photo, Publisher) into one singular app covering all workflows: illustration, photo editing, layout. en.wikipedia.org+1

  • A universal file type is introduced, allowing seamless cross-workflow usage and easier sharing. The Verge

  • AI-powered features are integrated, especially via Canva’s AI tools. For example: image generation, cleanup, and integration with Canva Premium. The Verge

  • The licensing model shifts: Whereas the Legacy Affinity apps were perpetual-license (one-time purchase), the new model under Canva uses a freemium approach: the base application is free (at least for now), while advanced AI-features tie into Canva-Pro/paid tier. The Times

What this means for existing users

If you already own Affinity Designer, Photo or Publisher under version 2.x (or earlier), here are the key take-aways:

  • Your version will still work. The legacy apps won’t immediately disappear—existing users can continue to use them “in parallel.”

  • Support may change: While the new unified app becomes the flagship, the legacy versions may receive fewer updates or slower support overhead. Some users have noted slower bug-fix cycles in recent builds. Affinity | Forum

  • If you choose to migrate to the new unified app, you’ll gain the new features—but you’ll also effectively adopt the new licensing model (freemium + AI-premium).

  • For agencies or teams with established workflows in Affinity 2.x, the message is clear: you’re not forced to migrate immediately, but evaluating the transition makes sense.

Why this matters for design workflows

The consolidation into one app offers real advantages:

  • Fewer apps to juggle → faster workflows, more coherent toolsets

  • Better interoperability between vector, raster and layout tasks in one environment

  • Easier collaboration via file format consistency

  • AI-features can accelerate repetitive tasks (background removal, clean-up, quick mockups)

But it also raises a few questions:

  • Will the freemium model restrict advanced features behind paywalls? Some worry about hidden costs.

  • Will the legacy versions remain fully supported long-term? The announcement doesn’t guarantee indefinite updates for 2.x versions.

  • For teams who value predictive licensing (one-time purchase, no subscriptions) the shift may require careful budgeting.

Latest version highlights

According to Serif’s “What’s New” pages and community release notes under version 2.6, recent features included:

  • Machine Learning features: intelligent object selection on image/RAW layers. Canva+1

  • Improved Pencil Tool smoothing, auto-close behaviours, node tool enhancements. youtube.com+1

  • Expanded RAW layer support, ability to enter certain personas with image/RAW layers, better import, merge and selection behaviours. dpreview.com+1

These improvements show how the platform was already evolving; the major shift now is the unified app + freemium + AI model under Canva.

Should you upgrade or stay?

If you’re using legacy Affinity apps and they serve you well, you don’t have to upgrade immediately. You will still have a working system. But if you:

  • Frequently switch between photo, illustration, layout tasks

  • Want to adopt AI-assisted workflows

  • Collaborate with others on shared file types

Then exploring the new unified app makes sense. Just weigh the licensing implications and plan for the transition.

Final thoughts

The relaunch of Affinity by Canva represents a bold shift in the design software space. It offers exciting new tools and workflows, but also prompts questions about licensing, support and long-term strategy. For creative professionals, the message is: staying informed and planning ahead is key.