What is the difference between Affinity Designer and Photopea?

Affinity Designer is best for Designers wanting professional tools without subscriptions, while Photopea is best for Anyone needing Photoshop-like editing in the browser. Affinity Designer starts at $69.99 one-time and Photopea starts at Free.

Is Affinity Designer or Photopea cheaper?

Affinity Designer starts at $69.99 one-time. Photopea starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Affinity Designer?

Yes, Photopea offers a free tier (Free with ads).

Affinity Designer vs Photopea

Affinity Designer is professional vector graphic design software with one-time purchase pricing, while Photopea is free online photo editor compatible with PSD, XCF, Sketch, and other formats. The biggest difference up front: Photopea is free, while Affinity Designer starts at $69.99 one-time. Affinity Designer is built for designers wanting professional tools without subscriptions, whereas Photopea targets anyone needing photoshop-like editing in the browser.

At a glance

	Affinity Designer	Photopea
Best for	Designers wanting professional tools without subscriptions	Anyone needing Photoshop-like editing in the browser
Starting price	$69.99 one-time	Free
Free tier	—	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	—	✓
Open source	—	—
Browser-Based	—	✓
Layers	—	✓
Multi-Platform	✓	—
One-Time Purchase	✓	—
PSD Import	✓	—
PSD Support	—	✓
RAW Support	—	✓
Vector Design	✓	—

Affinity Designer

Strengths

Vector design tools handle illustrations, icons, and UI assets at any resolution
Includes One-Time Purchase as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows
Pricing starts at $69.99 one-time, which includes the full design feature set
Established product with 12+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Starts at $69.99 one-time — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Output quality depends on your design skills — templates only go so far
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Affinity Designer → Full review

Photopea

Strengths

PSD file support lets you open and edit Photoshop files directly
Includes Browser-Based as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows
Free with ads — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 13+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Output quality depends on your design skills — templates only go so far
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Photopea → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Photopea is completely free (Free with ads), which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Affinity Designer starts at $69.99 one-time. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Affinity Designer offers Multi-Platform, One-Time Purchase and PSD Import that Photopea lacks. Photopea brings Browser-Based, Layers and PSD Support that Affinity Designer does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target individuals teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Where each tool shines: Affinity Designer's biggest strengths are: vector design tools handle illustrations, icons, and ui assets at any resolution. includes one-time purchase as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows. Photopea's biggest strengths are: psd file support lets you open and edit photoshop files directly. includes browser-based as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows.

Watch out for: With Affinity Designer, users commonly note that starts at $69.99 one-time — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users. With Photopea, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Affinity Designer if...

You need a tool built for designers wanting professional tools without subscriptions
You specifically need Multi-Platform and One-Time Purchase
You care about includes one-time purchase as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows

Choose Photopea if...

You need a tool built for anyone needing photoshop-like editing in the browser
Budget is a hard constraint — Photopea is free, Affinity Designer is not
You specifically need Browser-Based and Layers
You care about includes browser-based as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows
The free tier works for you: free with ads