Canva expands design tool offerings with acquisition of Adobe alternative, Affinity

Canva, the well-known online graphic design tool, has announced its acquisition of Affinity, a suite of design software that includes Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher. Affinity has been recognized as a subscription-free competitive alternative to Adobe's main products such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Canva stated in its announcement that the merger with Affinity aims to “unlock the full spectrum of designers at every level and stage of the design journey.” Affinity currently boasts over 3 million users worldwide who utilize its software for a variety of tasks, including complex multi-layered graphics, detailed technical diagrams, art and illustration, logos, mockups, documents, magazines, and more.

The acquisition of Affinity will notably expand Canva's design tool offerings, allowing it to penetrate further into the professional design market. Affinity, in its announcement, assured that Canva will continue to invest in the Affinity suite to meet and enhance the experiences of professional designers, empowering them “to do their best work”.

This acquisition is part of a series of purchases Canva has made from Europe’s startup ecosystem, which have significantly advanced Canva’s technology and expanded its physical presence in the region. Affinity is the latest Europe-based acquisition for Canva, following Pexels and Pixabay in 2019, Kaleido and Smartmockups in 2021, and Flourish in 2022.