Canva acquires Affinity, takes aim at Adobe's design dominance

Affinity Designer 2 (Image: Affinity)

Canva, the popular web-based design platform, made a strategic move to challenge Adobe's stronghold on the design software market by acquiring the well-regarded Affinity suite. Announced in March 2024, the deal brings Affinity Designer, Photo, and Publisher—powerful design applications for desktop and iPad—under Canva's umbrella. These applications offer functionalities similar to Adobe's industry-standard Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign, respectively.

While financial details remain undisclosed, Bloomberg estimates the acquisition to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds. This move strengthens Canva's position, particularly in attracting professional designers. While boasting 170 million monthly users, many likely aren't utilizing Adobe's professional offerings. However, Canva previously lacked design applications specifically catering to creative professionals like photographers, illustrators, and video editors.

While dwarfed by Adobe's user base, Affinity's 3 million users shouldn't be overlooked. Their strategy of offering a one-time purchase instead of subscriptions has garnered a loyal following, especially among those seeking alternatives to Adobe's subscription model.

Canva co-founder Cameron Adams assures users that Affinity applications will remain independent entities, with the potential for future integrations. "Our product teams have already started chatting and we have some immediate plans for lightweight integration, but we think the products themselves will always be separate,” Adams clarified in a Sydney Morning Herald interview.

By acquiring Affinity and its skilled UK-based team, Canva gains significant firepower to compete with Adobe across the design software landscape. Given Canva's user-friendly approach and Affinity's established reputation, this merger has the potential to entice design professionals frustrated with Adobe's subscription model.

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