Adobe PhotoShop vs. Affinity Publisher

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe PhotoShop
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Adobe Photoshop is the best known graphics product on the market.
$20
per month
Affinity Publisher
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Affinity Publisher replaces the former PagePlus desktop publishing application, from Serif Europe headquartered in Nottingham.
$24.99
Pricing
Adobe PhotoShopAffinity Publisher
Editions & Modules
Single App
$20.00
per month
Affinity Publisher
$24.99
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe PhotoShopAffinity Publisher
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe PhotoShopAffinity Publisher
Considered Both Products
Adobe PhotoShop
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Photoshop is leap years ahead of their competition.
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Canva is easier to use, but Photoshop is meant for professionals, so it can do so much more if you know how to use it.
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Each adobe tool really is created to stand alone for different purposes. I don't think I can compare Adobe PhotoShop with other tools simply because they do different things. As far as Canva goes, I do enjoy using Canva, but there are at times more complicated things I need to …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Adobe PhotoShop has so much more functionality and features compared to Canva and Canva Pro. There are so many more options in editing and designing. Many Canva designs can end up being repetitive because of the lack of options and Photoshop opens up a lot more possibilities …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
There is no comparison needed. Each of these apps has a place in one's production tasks. You don't compare a donut to a glass of orange juice. They both taste pretty good. One is for fun (and fat). The other is for thirst-quenching and health benefits. Adobe Photoshop is for …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
A lot of the newer, younger staff, have worked extensively in Express and/or Canva. Some things in those platforms, like one-button background removal, have made it very easy for them to quickly do mock ups. But if they have to do something a bit more complex, Adobe PhotoShop …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
I've used Gimp a little bit but not enough to really compare. It's certainly a contender and improving all the time. If I didn't have the budget for a pro tool like PhotoShop I would likely use it more. I've also heard good things about Krita and Affinity but haven't tried them.
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Krita has been open-source and around for a while, though lacks many of the key features that Adobe PhotoShop has as standard and the easy usability. Krita lacks UX friendliness often leading to greater confusion when trying to learn the software. Krita has not been in …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
I used all of these for different reasons. For a quick job that is a duplicate of previous efforts, Canva can get the job done. For actual illustration, Clip Studio Paint is a better choice for drawing. Adobe PhotoShop is the all-arounder, though, that can accomplish any of the …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
photoshop has more capability to edit fine details
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
There is no comparison. It’s far more advanced and has higher capabilities.
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Sometimes PhotoShop just gives that extra edge when it comes to functionality when you have to edit a very detailed picture. PhotoShop has a lot more tools and is thus great for creating visuals that you can later use in print settings, for example; we want this tablecloth to …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Every software has its kind of users, and Photoshop is ranked as one of the most competitive softwares and is used mainly by professionals. Figma is great for working in collaboration and designing Ui/Ux interface. Illustrator is great for vector-based work, such as logos and …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
I selected Adobe PhotoShop over other as it is more useful and convenient then other platform,It helps in giving a pro touch in every images and it helps to adjust each and every single element in a photo as we can manually adjust that how much exposure is needed our how much …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Adobe stands out for the quality of the results of the work it provides. You will of course have to be well trained but Adobe is complete and has all the assets
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Adobe photoshop is flexible with simple tool. The user interface is not clumpy but very clean. You can customize the canvas to what you like and set your own shortcuts key to keep the software accustom to yourself. Photoshop is unmatched when it comes to images manipulate and …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
I'd say there are different use cases for each tool. PhotoShop is a beast at image editing, I haven't used anything else for this purpose. But with the other tools, they serve different purpose - Canva is good for templated stuff, illustrator is good for anything …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
every software work is different ... indesign is good for making multiple pages like magazine booklet and illustrator is good in picking colors and directly fill them in object just clicking ... Adobe Photoshop can do everything but every software has its own speciality.
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
PS is a notable device for a long time and I have been a client since before they utilized the CS part.For the adaptability the device has and every one of the capabilities, I never "totally" changed to different apparatuses, I utilize different devices for different things. …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Photoshop is definitely way more comprehensive than Canva when it comes to creating complex designs. For simpler design needs, we use Canva's free version
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
Adobe Photoshop is really best if we compare this software with other graphic designing software. There are several reasons, but the most important reason is the difference in tools and features because Adobe Photoshop offers a number of incredibly professional tools that allow …
Chose Adobe PhotoShop
I was able to make infographics of any scale once I mastered Adobe PhotoShop. I also performed pixel-level photo editing. For a long time, it was my "go-to" piece of software. Although I tried other programmes, nothing compared to Adobe PhotoShop. I've always been able to put …
Affinity Publisher
Chose Affinity Publisher
It works just as well if not better than Adobe and doesn't have a monthly fee
Chose Affinity Publisher
Only useful on the Windows platform. Perhaps it is just fine, but the plug-in style function of the Affinity photo and designer attached to Publisher makes the Affinity solution more robust. The Microsoft product is also attached to a subscription platform, where the Serif …
Chose Affinity Publisher
I used to use Adobe FrameMaker for similar tasks. Affinity Publisher is easier to use with similar functionality (excluding mathematics).
Chose Affinity Publisher
The features in Affinity Publisher easily stack up against the much more expensive Adobe suite of products. With the ability to open all file types it is a bit of a workhorse for all things. We have been using it for social media template designs as well as client booklets and …
Chose Affinity Publisher
It's just as full-featured. It's nice to not be locked into the Adobe Creative Suite. We also use Affinity Photo, so we knew Affinity was a reputable company making some incredible software worth looking into. It took us a while, but very glad we gave it a chance. It can do …
Chose Affinity Publisher
Affinity Publisher has a comparable feature set to Adobe InDesign, but for a fraction of the cost. You can technically create print graphics in Illustrator and Sketch (and some of our people still do), but you have to worry about converting pixels to inches pretty regularly to …
Chose Affinity Publisher
Affinity Publisher is a more cost effective way to achieve the same goals as InDesign and Quark. I'm sure there are various differences that Affinity may lack, however we have yet to run into one that our business has needed, or even recognized. It has completely replaced any …
Best Alternatives
Adobe PhotoShopAffinity Publisher
Small Businesses
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.0 out of 10
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
GIMP
GIMP
Score 7.9 out of 10
Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.0 out of 10
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Adobe PhotoShopAffinity Publisher
Likelihood to Recommend
9.1
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.1
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
8.6
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
4.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe PhotoShopAffinity Publisher
Likelihood to Recommend
Photoshop is a useful tool for everything from creating social media graphics to editing and sizing photos. There is a bit of a learning curve, so you need to have a bit of experience to master it and use it for a variety of tasks. You also need to have a good sense of file organization so you can find files quickly without losing track of them.
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Honestly, I thought our department would use this more for creating documentation for our staff and doing some mock-ups and layouts to envision future projects. I also run the social media for us, and I didn't expect to come to rely on Publisher for some of my social media layouts. There are other apps and subscription services that can streamline some social media posts, but with a bit of usage I've come to like using Publisher, as well.
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Pros
  • The fact is that you may quickly pick things up on your own by spending time without using any other resources.
  • It is the program that brings the phrase "to make PhotoShop" to almost all languages. It's not just a photo editing program.
  • Practical and beautiful results are filtered by filtering the desired work without drowning in details.
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  • Supports just about any format you'll need for your project.
  • The variety of templates makes startign projects simple.
  • The program is just really powerful and fairly priced.
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Cons
  • Expensive - It is too expensive to buy Photoshop alone, and hence leading the user to purchase the entire Creative Cloud Package though he/she is not even aware of half of those apps.
  • High System Spec - Requires high system specifications to run the application smoothly, and to use it at its best.
  • Process lag - When it comes to large-sized files, the application becomes laggy taking much time even to render a single layer.
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  • Menu differences can be an impediment to new users from other softwares
  • Some functions are not in places I would expect
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Likelihood to Renew
Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud 2014 is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud family of software products. Therefore, when you get a license to use Adobe Photoshop for a monthly fee, you are constantly up-to-date on any upgrades or new releases of the software. So, if you are using the product, you never have to renew and you are always using the latest version of the software, for perpetuity.
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No answers on this topic
Usability
I've used it for a long time and would consider myself a Pro user at this point. I know where everything I need is, have custom actions set up to make common actions faster, and have my workflows automated so much that everything is easy. Occasionally, a new version of Photoshop will change a common usability feature which will slow things down for a short time before I'm able to adjust, but generally I really like my setup. However, if you're new to Photoshop, it is likely going to take you a while to figure out how you can best use the features.
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It offers a user-friendly interface and powerful design tools that make creating high-quality graphics and layouts straightforward. However, some features can feel complex, especially for new users, which may require a bit of a learning curve. The integration between desktop and iPad is excellent, but improving compatibility with other popular software could enhance collaboration and efficiency even further. Overall, it’s a robust tool that balances functionality and ease of use quite well.
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Reliability and Availability
Adobe Photoshop is very reliable, but is never 100%. There have been times when Adobe Photoshop has had trouble opening, but nothing a little computer restart couldn't fix. I use Adobe Photoshop on a Mac for both work and at home on a daily basis, and I would be lost without it.
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No answers on this topic
Performance
Speed can be an issue when you are dealing with large files for large format printing or billboards. When working on web images, speed is not an issue.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
While I never contacted Adobe directly, there is so much content out there in the form of YouTube videos, Lynda/LinkedIn learning that almost any issue, including bugs, can be worked around (and this method is generally faster as there's no turnaround time involved).
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So far, when we've needed support, it has been top tier. However, I rate it an 8 because sometimes searching for things within the application hasn't yielded answers I've hoped for, so I've had to turn to YouTube or other outside sources. Thankfully there's a fantastic community that surrounds Affinity and their various apps that's been quite beneficial
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In-Person Training
So, I received the training at the HQ and it was train the trainer training. A good time, I spent a week at their campus
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
I took a course so it really helped. I didn’t take the course until much later after beginning to use it, so I wish work would have sent me right off the bat. It would have alleviated a lot of frustratinon
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
I used all of these for different reasons. For a quick job that is a duplicate of previous efforts, Canva can get the job done. For actual illustration, Clip Studio Paint is a better choice for drawing. Adobe PhotoShop is the all-arounder, though, that can accomplish any of the tasks you need for image editing.
Read full review
The features in Affinity Publisher easily stack up against the much more expensive Adobe suite of products. With the ability to open all file types it is a bit of a workhorse for all things. We have been using it for social media template designs as well as client booklets and case studies. It's a very versatile program.
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Scalability
It seems expensive compared to the free/cheap programs now available
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • I think Photoshop does help make a lot of things faster, as one can quickly try things in Photoshop before actually executing a layout.
  • It has actively shared tutorials on the new features that it has been adding with each update.
  • Apart from graphic design, it helps other design departments like motion, 3D, and space design too.
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  • The one-time purchase model has saved us approximately 50% compared to subscription software, freeing up budget for other critical business needs.
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ScreenShots