Canva has revealed the acquisition of three of our favorite graphic design software – and we’re not sure how to feel about it.
In an exciting announcement, the company behind some of the best graphic design software for marketers and non-designers has announced that it has acquired photography, designer and publisher apps from Affinity.
But what will this mean for Affinity and Canva users, and is there a risk of this becoming another Adobe-Figma debacle?
Canva and Affinity sit on a tree
For several years, Canva has had a serious mission – both to become a comprehensive platform for visual communications and to increase its presence in Europe. Like Flourish’s previous purchases of data and image sites Pexels and Pixabay, the acquisition of Affinity fulfills both of Canva’s goals.
However, it’s currently unclear what, if any, changes Affinity or Canva users can expect with this announcement. In the meantime, we would at least expect very little change.
Discussing the new partnership, Ashley Hewson, CEO of Affinity, said: “Since Affinity’s inception, our mission has been to empower creatives with tools that unleash their full potential, fostering a community where innovation and art flourish. Canva’s commitment to empowering everyone to create is perfectly aligned with these values.”
“From sales and marketing, to brands and creative teams, the need to create effective and engaging visual content is on the rise. The Affinity team brings an incredible caliber of talent and technology, and we are delighted to welcome them to Canva as we enter our next phase together,” said Canva Co-Founder and COO, Cliff Obrecht.
While acquisitions don’t always go according to plan (look at that ill-fated $20 billion Adobe-Figma love affair), we’re cautiously optimistic about this merger. Serif’s line of Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher is simply one of the best alternatives to Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign available.
And, in our experience, Canva offers one of the best design experiences for non-designers (or those who like simple and clean design software). So at first glance, this could be a match made in heaven.
But we sound cautious. One of the reasons the Affinity trio app gets an Editor’s Choice is the included one-time fee, so there’s no need for a subscription. With Canva pushing its Pro subscription into a free design app, will we see Serif’s software go the same way?
For more. check out our Affinity Designer 2 review , Affinity Publisher 2 review , and Affinity Photo review .