What is the difference between Spline and Affinity Designer?

Spline is best for Designers who want 3D on the web, while Affinity Designer is best for Designers wanting professional tools without subscriptions. Spline starts at Free and Affinity Designer starts at $69.99 one-time.

Is Spline or Affinity Designer cheaper?

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

Is there a free alternative to Affinity Designer?

Yes, Spline offers a free tier (Free for 2 projects).

Spline vs Affinity Designer

Spline is 3D design tool for the web with real-time collaboration and easy export to web formats, while Affinity Designer is professional vector graphic design software with one-time purchase pricing. The biggest difference up front: Spline is free, while Affinity Designer starts at $69.99 one-time. Spline is built for designers who want 3d on the web, whereas Affinity Designer targets designers wanting professional tools without subscriptions.

At a glance

	Spline	Affinity Designer
Best for	Designers who want 3D on the web	Designers wanting professional tools without subscriptions
Starting price	Free	$69.99 one-time
Free tier	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	—
Open source	—	—
3D Design	✓	—
Interactions	✓	—
Multi-Platform	—	✓
One-Time Purchase	—	✓
PSD Import	—	✓
Real-Time Collab	✓	—
Vector Design	—	✓
Web Export	✓	—

Spline

Strengths

Browser-based 3D design — no heavy software install required
One-click export to web formats (HTML, React, iframes) for production use
Free for 2 projects — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes interactions alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

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 Spline → Full review

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

The bottom line

Pricing: Spline is completely free (Free for 2 projects), 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: Spline offers 3D Design, Interactions and Real-Time Collab that Affinity Designer lacks. Affinity Designer brings Multi-Platform, One-Time Purchase and PSD Import that Spline does not have.

Team fit: Spline is geared toward small teams teams, while Affinity Designer is aimed at individual users and small setups. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: Spline's biggest strengths are: browser-based 3d design — no heavy software install required. one-click export to web formats (html, react, iframes) for production use. 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.

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

Choose Spline if...

You need a tool built for designers who want 3d on the web
Budget is a hard constraint — Spline is free, Affinity Designer is not
You specifically need 3D Design and Interactions
You care about one-click export to web formats (html, react, iframes) for production use
Your team size fits the small teams profile Spline is designed for

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
Your team size fits the individuals profile Affinity Designer is designed for