For many people, that $636 annual expense is just the cost of doing business. They need the full power of Adobe\u2019s tools, and they need to collaborate with others using native Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign files. If you fall into that camp, no worries, and you can stop reading right now, stick with Creative Cloud.<\/p>\n
However, if you\u2019re subscribing to Adobe Creative Cloud merely because you need a capable image editor, illustration app, or page layout package, and you aren\u2019t otherwise deep in the Adobe ecosystem, consider the Affinity suite from Serif<\/a>: Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher, each of which costs $55. Once. That\u2019s right, you can buy all three for $165, or just about the same as 3 months of Creative Cloud. Updates are free. Versions for Microsoft Windows are available for $55 too, and Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer also come as $10 iPad apps.<\/p>\n The obvious question is if you could replace Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign with Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher. We can\u2019t answer that for sure\u2014the Adobe apps have so many features that it\u2019s impossible to know which are most important to you and if the Affinity apps\u2019 features are comparable. Some may not match up\u2014we\u2019ve been told that master pages in Affinity Publisher are a bit funkier than master pages in InDesign, for instance. Others may even be better\u2014some people we know find exporting Web graphics from Affinity Designer easier than exporting from Illustrator. And some may not exist at all\u2014it doesn\u2019t seem that Affinity Publisher (the newest addition to the suite) has a Track Changes feature like InDesign.<\/p>\n For instance, just as you can embed Photoshop and Illustrator files in an InDesign layout and then use the Edit Original command to edit them in the other app, you can embed Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer files in Affinity Publisher. Serif\u2019s StudioLink technology provides direct access to the primary tools from Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer right within an Affinity Publisher document. It\u2019s a time saving feature unique to Affinity Publisher, and many would say even better than Adobe’s integration.<\/p>\n Overall, the feature sets are similar. Those who would consider switching from Creative Cloud can probably figure out how to accomplish their necessary tasks using the Affinity apps. That\u2019s not to say that they\u2019re clones of Adobe\u2019s apps. In many cases, you might need to learn a new technique for accomplishing some task or altering your workflow. Along with full documentation, Serif provides hundreds of tutorial videos<\/a> and runs an active user forum<\/a> where people ask questions, make suggestions, and share tutorials. Simple Web searches also often turn up blog posts with useful techniques from Affinity users.<\/p>\n What about moving files back and forth? Affinity Photo can open Photoshop\u2019s proprietary PSD files, although it\u2019s not guaranteed to import everything perfectly. Affinity Designer can open Illustrator documents as long as they were saved with the Create Compatible PDF File option selected. Similarly, it can open Illustrator-created PDF files that many designers send to clients as proofs. And Affinity Designer can open InDesign files that have been saved in IDML (InDesign Markup Language) format. Plus, you can often just copy and paste text and objects between the apps. If you decide to switch, you might want to continue your Creative Cloud subscription while ensuring that your key Adobe files are saved such that the Affinity apps can open them.<\/p>\n On the export side, the Affinity apps can export in many formats, but they\u2019re more for final exports when it\u2019s time to print or publish. You probably wouldn\u2019t want to use the Affinity apps to collaborate on files with those using the Adobe apps. That said, Affinity Photo can export PSD files for use in Photoshop, and Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher are probably best served by exporting PDF files that Illustrator and InDesign can open. Just don\u2019t expect everything to move between the apps flawlessly.<\/p>\n In the end, the decision is yours\u2014we\u2019re merely offering the Affinity suite as a cost-saving option if you don\u2019t need everything Creative Cloud provides. Visit the Affinity site, watch Serif\u2019s marketing and tutorial videos, and poke around in the extensive online help. Free trial versions of all the apps are available, and there\u2019s a 14-day money-back guarantee. In the best of all worlds, you\u2019ll save hundreds of dollars per year and find that you like the Affinity apps more than Adobe\u2019s.<\/p>\n (Featured image by Serif)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Looking for an affordable alternative to an expensive Adobe Creative Cloud subscription? Check out the Affinity suite: Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, and Affinity Publisher. Read on for thoughts on how they compare and if Affinity is for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[66,39,74,60,196,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-blog","category-graphics","category-productivity","category-restricted-content","category-solution"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/perturbed-by-the-price-of-adobe-creative-cloud-consider-the-affinity-suite.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6YLEm-8St","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1566,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/goldilocks-and-the-three-pdf-apps-which-is-right-for-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":34129,"position":0},"title":"Goldilocks and the Three PDF Apps: Which Is Right for You?","author":"computeradv","date":"June 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Whether you\u2019d like to fill out and sign PDF forms, rearrange PDF pages, or otherwise manipulate PDF files, you have three excellent choices on the Mac: Preview, PDFpen, and Acrobat Pro DC. But they range in price from free to $450.","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/PDF-on-desktop-1080x675.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/PDF-on-desktop-1080x675.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/PDF-on-desktop-1080x675.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/PDF-on-desktop-1080x675.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/PDF-on-desktop-1080x675.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28680,"url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/whats-with-all-these-dialogs-saying-someapp-is-not-optimized-for-your-mac\/","url_meta":{"origin":34129,"position":1},"title":"What\u2019s with All These Dialogs Saying, \u201cSomeApp is not optimized for your Mac\u201d?","author":"computeradv","date":"April 11, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"If you\u2019re running macOS 10.13.4 High Sierra or macOS 10.14 Mojave, you may have seen a dialog that says an app isn\u2019t optimized for your Mac. The message differs slightly between High Sierra and Mojave, with the High Sierra version telling you the developer needs to update the app to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Apple Pros"","block_context":{"text":"Apple Pros","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/apple-pros\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/64-bit-app-System-Information-apps-1024x635.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/64-bit-app-System-Information-apps-1024x635.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/64-bit-app-System-Information-apps-1024x635.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/64-bit-app-System-Information-apps-1024x635.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31688,"url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/flash-is-dead-uninstall-flash-player-to-keep-your-mac-secure\/","url_meta":{"origin":34129,"position":2},"title":"Flash Is Dead\u2014Uninstall Flash Player to Keep Your Mac Secure","author":"computeradv","date":"December 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"In July 2017, Adobe announced that it would stop distributing and updating Flash Player on December 31st, 2020. Web standards like HTML5 provide a viable alternative to Flash content, and organizations that relied on Flash have had three years to replace it. Because Adobe will no longer be addressing security\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/flash-is-dead-uninstall-flash-player-to-keep-your-mac-secure.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/flash-is-dead-uninstall-flash-player-to-keep-your-mac-secure.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/flash-is-dead-uninstall-flash-player-to-keep-your-mac-secure.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/flash-is-dead-uninstall-flash-player-to-keep-your-mac-secure.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/flash-is-dead-uninstall-flash-player-to-keep-your-mac-secure.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26968,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/get-to-work-more-quickly-with-the-right-mac-login-items\/","url_meta":{"origin":34129,"position":3},"title":"Get to Work More Quickly with the Right Mac Login Items","author":"computeradv","date":"August 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"There\u2019s a French culinary phrase\u2014mise en place\u2014that means \u201ceverything in its place.\u201d The idea is that, before you start cooking, you organize and arrange all the ingredients for the dish so they\u2019re right at hand when you need them. In essence, mise en place is about being well-prepared for the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Login-Items-Users-Groups-pref-pane.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Login-Items-Users-Groups-pref-pane.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Login-Items-Users-Groups-pref-pane.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29640,"url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/we-recommend-you-delay-upgrading-to-macos-10-15-catalina\/","url_meta":{"origin":34129,"position":4},"title":"We Recommend You Delay Upgrading to macOS 10.15 Catalina","author":"computeradv","date":"October 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Apple released macOS 10.15 Catalina on October 7th, and like all major operating system releases, Apple has been talking it up since it was introduced at the company\u2019s Worldwide Developer Conference in June. It will feature new Music, TV, and Podcasts apps to replace iTunes. A new Mac Catalyst technology\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/New-in-Catalina-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/New-in-Catalina-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/New-in-Catalina-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/New-in-Catalina-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/New-in-Catalina-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27925,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/how-to-recover-space-by-offloading-unused-apps-in-ios-11\/","url_meta":{"origin":34129,"position":5},"title":"How to Recover Space by Offloading Unused Apps in iOS 11","author":"computeradv","date":"June 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Running low on space on your iPhone or iPad in iOS 11? This problem may be easier to deal with than you expect because Apple has added a quick way to free up storage space by removing unneeded apps. Go to Settings > General > iPhone\/iPad Storage, where you\u2019ll see\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Apple Pros"","block_context":{"text":"Apple Pros","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/apple-pros\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Offload-unused-apps-iPhone-1024x940.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34129"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34215,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34129\/revisions\/34215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/perturbed-by-the-price-of-adobe-creative-cloud-consider-the-affinity-suite-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/perturbed-by-the-price-of-adobe-creative-cloud-consider-the-affinity-suite.png\")
<\/p>\n