Affinity Suite vs Sketch: Free Design Suite vs Subscription UI Tool

Compare Affinity Suite (now free from Canva/Serif) and Sketch, the Mac-based UI design tool, on pricing, collaboration, and platform support.

Updated 2026-09 · 2026

Affinity Suite

Professional design suite for photo, vector, and layout — now completely free

Freeforever

Strengths

+Completely free (Canva made Affinity free in 2025, no subscription)
+Cross-platform: Mac, Windows, and iPad
+One app combines vector design, photo editing, and page layout

Weaknesses

-No real-time multiplayer collaboration like Sketch Cloud
-Smaller plugin/extension ecosystem
-Weaker developer handoff/inspect tooling

Best for

Freelancers and small studios needing a full design suite (vector, photo, layout) without subscription costs

Sketch

The original Mac-based vector design tool for UI/UX teams

$10/editor/month (billed annually)

Strengths

+Mature, purpose-built UI/UX design tool
+Large plugin ecosystem
+Cloud collaboration and developer handoff via Sketch Cloud

Weaknesses

-Mac-only, no native Windows or Linux app
-Subscription cost adds up for teams
-Not built for photo editing or print/page layout

Best for

Mac-based UI/UX design teams needing collaboration, symbols, and developer handoff

Feature Comparison

Feature	Affinity Suite	Sketch
Platform support	Mac, Windows, iPad	Mac only (web viewer for others)
Pricing model	Free, one-time (no subscription)	Subscription per editor/month
Vector design	Yes, robust (Affinity Designer)	Yes, robust, industry standard
Raster/photo editing	Yes (Affinity Photo)	No
Page layout/print	Yes (Affinity Publisher)	No
Real-time collaboration	Limited	Yes, via Sketch Cloud
Plugin/extension ecosystem	Small	Large, mature
Developer handoff/inspect	Basic (export panels)	Robust (Sketch Cloud inspect)
Component/symbol system	Yes, basic assets/styles	Yes, advanced symbols/libraries
iPad app	Yes, native	No
Offline use	Full offline	Full offline (cloud features optional)
Native file format	.afdesign / .afphoto / .afpub	.sketch

The Verdict

Affinity Suite is now free, making it the obvious choice for solo designers or small teams who need vector, photo, and layout tools without paying a subscription. Sketch still wins for Mac-based product teams that need real-time collaboration, symbol libraries, and developer handoff baked into the workflow. If your team's work is mostly UI systems shared with engineers, Sketch's cost is justified; if it's mixed design work on a budget, Affinity is hard to beat at $0.

How to switch from Affinity Suite to Sketch

1In Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher, use File > Export As to export each artboard or document to SVG or PDF, since Affinity's native .afdesign/.afphoto/.afpub files aren't compatible with Sketch.
2Open Sketch and use File > Import (or drag-and-drop) to bring the exported SVG/PDF files in as new Sketch documents.
3Rebuild reusable elements as Sketch Symbols and Libraries, since Affinity's asset/style panels don't map directly to Sketch's component system.
4Recreate any developer handoff workflow using Sketch Cloud's inspect and share-link features, replacing the manual PDF/PNG exports you may have used with Affinity.
5Reconnect plugin-based integrations like Jira, Zeplin, or Slack inside Sketch, since Affinity typically relied on manual file exports for these workflows.
6Migrate the team gradually — keep Affinity for photo editing and print work, and use Sketch only for collaborative UI projects until everyone is comfortable with the new tool.

Affinity Suite vs Sketch: common questions

How do I export my files from Affinity Suite to open in Sketch?+

Sketch can't open native .afdesign, .afphoto, or .afpub files directly. In Affinity, use File > Export As to export to SVG or PDF, then use File > Import in Sketch to bring them in. Vector shapes usually translate cleanly, but text styles and effects often need manual cleanup after import.

What features will I lose moving from Affinity to Sketch?+

You'll lose raster photo editing since Sketch has no Affinity Photo equivalent, and you'll lose desktop publishing/print layout since Sketch is vector-only. You'll also lose Windows and iPad support, since Sketch runs on macOS only.

Is Sketch's free trial enough to evaluate for a small team?+

Sketch offers a 30-day free trial of the Standard plan, which is enough time to test collaboration and handoff features but not enough to fully migrate a design system. After the trial ends there's no permanent free tier, so budget for at least one paid seat per active designer.

Does Sketch integrate with tools I already use like Jira or Zeplin?+

Yes, Sketch integrates with tools like Jira, Slack, Zeplin, and Abstract through plugins, plus native developer handoff via Sketch Cloud. Affinity has far fewer native integrations and typically relies on manual export/import of files.

How much more will Sketch cost over time compared to using Affinity for free?+

Sketch Standard runs about $120/editor/year (billed annually), so a 5-person team pays roughly $600/year indefinitely, while Affinity remains $0 forever. Over three years that's around $1,800 versus $0, so only switch if you specifically need Sketch's collaboration and handoff features.