Affinity Designer
InVision
| Feature | Affinity Designer | InVision |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $69.99/mo | Free / from $7.95/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 | 3.8 / 5 |
| Best For | illustrators, graphic-designers, budget-conscious-professionals, print-designers | design-teams, product-managers, stakeholder-reviews, legacy-users |
| Founded | 2014 | 2011 |
| Vector Editing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Raster Editing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pen Tool | ✓ | ✗ |
| Artboards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Constraints | ✓ | ✗ |
| Export Personas | ✓ | ✗ |
| Isometric Design | ✓ | ✗ |
| Prototyping | ✗ | ✓ |
| Freehand Whiteboard | ✗ | ✓ |
| Design Systems | ✗ | ✓ |
| Inspect Mode | ✗ | ✓ |
| Commenting | ✗ | ✓ |
| User Testing | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Affinity Designer Pros
- One-time purchase with no subscription fees
- Professional-grade vector and raster tools combined
- Excellent performance even on large canvases
- Cross-platform (Mac, Windows, iPad)
✗ Affinity Designer Cons
- Smaller plugin ecosystem than Adobe
- Less industry adoption for collaboration
- No AI-powered features yet
✓ InVision Pros
- Excellent prototyping with hotspots and transitions
- Freehand whiteboarding for brainstorming
- Design system manager (DSM) for consistency
- Good stakeholder review and commenting workflow
✗ InVision Cons
- Company has pivoted and scaled down significantly
- Studio product was discontinued
- Most teams have migrated to Figma
The Verdict
Affinity Designer is built for illustrators and graphic designers, with a focus on vector-editing and raster-editing. InVision targets design teams and product managers and leads with prototyping and freehand-whiteboard.
On pricing, InVision is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $7.95/mo compared to $69.99/mo for Affinity Designer. That $62.03999999999999/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
InVision has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Affinity Designer requires a paid subscription from day one.
Affinity Designer edges out on user ratings (4.6 vs 3.8). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, Affinity Designer offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while InVision takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Affinity Designer has a slight overall edge — but if excellent prototyping with hotspots and transitions matters most to you, InVision may still be the right call.