Affinity Designer
Polotno
| Feature | Affinity Designer | Polotno |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $69.99/mo | Free / from $20.99/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 | 4 / 5 |
| Best For | illustrators, graphic-designers, budget-conscious-professionals, print-designers | developers, saas-builders, budget-designers, quick-design-needs |
| Founded | 2014 | 2021 |
| Vector Editing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Raster Editing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pen Tool | ✓ | ✗ |
| Artboards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Constraints | ✓ | ✗ |
| Export Personas | ✓ | ✗ |
| Isometric Design | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Image Generation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Background Removal | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sdk Embedding | ✗ | ✓ |
| Text Effects | ✗ | ✓ |
| Export Options | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Polotno Pros
- No account required to start
- SDK for embedding in your own app
- AI background removal and generation
- Clean and fast interface
✗ Polotno Cons
- Smaller template library than Canva
- Limited brand kit features
- Community-driven content
The Verdict
Affinity Designer is built for illustrators and graphic designers, with a focus on vector-editing and raster-editing. Polotno targets developers and saas builders and leads with templates and ai-image-generation.
On pricing, Polotno is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $20.99/mo compared to $69.99/mo for Affinity Designer. That $49/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Polotno 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 4). 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 Polotno takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Affinity Designer has a slight overall edge — but if no account required to start matters most to you, Polotno may still be the right call.