Too Good to be True? Canva Aims to End Adobe’s Monopoly
The splash screen for Affinity Publisher 2 open on a laptop. Affinity Publisher 2 has now been re-released for free along with the new all-in-one Affinity app by Canva. (PC: Ian Murphy)
Affinity, a “studio-grade creative app” according to owner Canva, had its previously-paid V2 software suite released for free, along with all-new, free and tiers of V3 software suite Oct. 29.
Their marketing campaign leads with the tag line “burn your subscription,” a direct jab at Adobe’s pricing practices that many consumers take issue with.
Julienne Villar, an Elmhurst University Digital Marketing Communications major, is one such consumer, upset with Adobe pricing. Villar uses digital design tools for their marketing classes. When asked their opinion on Adobe’s current pricing structure, their frustration was clear.
“It’s terrible, I live off Adobe free trials and canceling and refunding subscriptions. I just think it’s too expensive to pay out of pocket for a student. Even with the student discount, it’s still almost as much as a gas run. If the school is providing a subscription for a semester, fine, but out in the working world? Let alone leisure? No way.”
Adobe effectively has a monopoly on digital design software and has priced out many individuals, including Julienne. Canva’s decision to make Affinity free is an attempt to build a stronger market share and compete where Adobe does not.
This should be great news for students. Affinity is free, powerful, and effectively replaces Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Is this enough to make designers switch? Villar believes so.
“I’m making the switch. Put the word free next to any Photoshop alternative and I’m there. Something that has always bothered me is how expensive Adobe is,” said Villar. “I don’t even use all the apps and features in the Creative Cloud. Why should I pay for 20+ apps?”
The new Affinity app also has a paid option included with Canva Premium that gives designers access to the Canva AI Studio.
While Affinity is free for now, it is possible that Canva might not be so generous once it acquires a larger market share.
“It does worry me slightly that it won’t stay free forever. Even though there is a slight doubt, I do believe Canva will keep Affinity free, or at least, affordable. Their whole thing is making art software accessible, and they’re doing exactly that,” said Villar.
The feeling in student minds is cautious optimism. At best, Affinity is a great resource available to everyone right now. Consumers can only hope that the introduction of a good, competitive alternative to Adobe will impact their pricing structures.
