What the test was, and what it wasn't
Mitchell had already built an Andes adventure brochure and a social media flyer in Figma while helping friends with marketing work. He then went back to that project in Affinity. He imported the brochure and created a new page from scratch titled "A day on the trail" using trekking photos, short captions and the brochure's navy, gold and cream palette.
He says up front that this was not a like-for-like comparison. His Figma pages came out better straight away, and his first Affinity page lacked polish. He is a novice in Affinity, and he gives no version number, hardware or timing. Read it as a workflow impression, not a verdict on either tool's ceiling.
Why Windows users can try this at no cost
Affinity today is not the old three-app Serif suite. According to Gizmodo's download listing, Affinity started as separate Photo, Designer and Publisher tools from Serif Europe, and Canva bought the company at the end of 2025. Canva then rebuilt them into one program, which puts photo editing, vector design and page layout under one roof.
Affinity's own pages say a few practical things:
- Cost: The price is $0. Techspot's listing also says Affinity is free, and Affinity's own FAQ says every tool in the Pixel, Vector and Layout studios is included.
- Account: You need a free Canva account to download and activate it. "Free" does not mean account-free.
- AI features: Canva's AI tools inside Affinity need a premium Canva plan. The core vector, layout and pixel tools do not.
- Windows requirements: Affinity lists Windows 10 (May 2020 Update or later) or Windows 11 (64-bit), an Intel, AMD or ARM64 processor, 8 GB of RAM recommended, 1 GB of available hard drive space and a DirectX 10-compatible GPU.
- Installers: Windows users can choose between four installers: Intel/AMD, ARM, Enterprise Intel/AMD and Enterprise ARM. The enterprise variants are meant for business devices.
- Offline use: You must be online to download and activate. After that, Affinity says there is no requirement to be online, even for long offline periods. Help, lessons, stock libraries and Canva integrations still need a connection.
If you manage a mixed fleet that includes Snapdragon-based Windows laptops, the ARM installers matter. The Windows installer choice is also the first thing to settle before a rollout. Third-party listings show a winget package exists. One such listing, Wingetly, says it requires Windows 10 (1809+) or Windows 11. That is a secondary source and not Affinity's own documentation, so check the current package yourself before scripting a deployment.
Where Figma felt easier: Auto Layout
Mitchell's main complaint about Affinity is that it didn't arrange his page the way Figma did, so he placed headings, images and captions by hand. Affinity does have alignment and distribution controls, snapping, smart guides, grids and document guides. He didn't set them up before starting, and he advises other newcomers to do so.
Figma's documentation explains why his page felt different. Auto Layout is a property you apply to frames. It arranges the contents by flow, spacing, padding, alignment and resizing. The three flows are vertical, horizontal and grid. Horizontal and vertical flows can also wrap. Figma says elements adjust without manual repositioning when content is added, removed or resized... which is exactly the behaviour that suits templates you keep updating.
To use it in Figma:
- Select one or more layers.
- Press Shift+A, or click "Add auto layout" in the right sidebar.
- Pick a flow if Figma's guess is wrong. Figma tries to pick vertical, horizontal or grid for you, and you can switch at any time.
- Set padding (space between the frame edge and its children) and gap (space between the children).
- Choose resizing behaviour: Hug contents, Fill container or fixed size.
Auto Layout is therefore not magic. You still build the frame and set its properties. What Mitchell experienced was a workflow difference, not proof that Affinity can't build structured layouts. Affinity also lists layout features of its own, including linked text frames, master pages and data merge from CSV. His test didn't touch those.
The rounded-corner example
Mitchell spent a long time fitting a photo into a rounded rectangle in Affinity, using a clipping mask. In Figma he ticked the corner radius option and entered a value. He read this as a steeper learning curve, but also as more control over each element. He also says it would be wrong to call one app "professional" and the other "casual". They are different working styles.
Local files: Figma is less cloud-only than he assumed
Mitchell liked that Affinity saves a native .af file on his own machine, which gives him his own backups and offline work. He had assumed Figma kept everything in the cloud until export, and he corrected that.
Figma's help pages confirm what he found, and add some limits:
- How to save a copy: Open the file, click the main menu, then choose File > Save local copy. The
.figfile downloads to your downloads folder. - Missing option: If you don't see it, the file owner may have restricted copying or export.
- What's left out: The copy has no version history or comments.
- Re-importing: A re-imported copy is a new file, not connected to the original. Components become new main components, and instances stop receiving updates from the original.
- Format risk: Figma calls
.figproprietary and says it may change. It advises against third-party tools that ask for the format. - Offline mode: Figma says it has no current plans for a fully featured offline mode. Offline, you can use the pages already loaded. Multiplayer features, version history and library searches are unavailable.
- Autosave: Changes are kept in the browser's storage and synced when you reconnect. Figma calls this a safeguard, not an offline mode.
So the two apps differ in kind. Affinity gives you an ordinary document on your disk. Figma is a live cloud file whose local copy is a snapshot. Figma's documentation says its files are live, so several people can work in one at once, each with version history. That is the collaboration advantage Mitchell credits for choosing Figma on team projects.
Compatibility to check before switching
Affinity's documentation says it can open files from Affinity V1 and V2. The reverse does not hold, because the older V1 and V2 apps cannot open files saved by the new app. If you mix versions, or use V2 on iPad, plan for that. Affinity also says it imports PSD, AI, PDF, SVG, IDML and other formats, but that doesn't guarantee every brochure element comes through clean or editable. Test your own files.
Which should you choose?
Mitchell's conclusion is conditional. These are my readings of his points, not independent test results.
| Situation | Better fit, based on the features described |
|---|---|
| Solo work, local project files, hands-on control of each element | Affinity |
| Templates that change constantly, such as social campaigns | Figma |
| Remote team sharing a live file with comments and history | Figma |
| Working offline after a one-time sign-in | Affinity |
| A tight deadline with no time to learn a layout app | Figma, on his experience |
One caution. His plan to keep learning Affinity is a personal preference, not proof it will produce better work over time. And the fact that both tools are free is the strongest argument for a trial. Build the same small project in each, using your own assets, before you commit.
Correction (October 26, 2026): The Windows requirements bullet previously listed 4 GB of RAM minimum and 2.5 GB of storage. Affinity's official system requirements page lists 8 GB of RAM recommended with no separate minimum figure, and 1 GB of available hard drive space.