Affinity Publisher vs. Inkscape

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Affinity Publisher
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Affinity Publisher replaces the former PagePlus desktop publishing application, from Serif Europe headquartered in Nottingham.
$24.99
Inkscape
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Inkscape is a free and open source vector drawing app for Windows, MacOS & Linux, available for download free under the GPLv3+ license. The tools aims to support illustrators, designers, web designers or anyone wanting to create vector graphics.N/A
Pricing
Affinity PublisherInkscape
Editions & Modules
Affinity Publisher
$24.99
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Affinity PublisherInkscape
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Affinity PublisherInkscape
Best Alternatives
Affinity PublisherInkscape
Small Businesses
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.1 out of 10
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Canva
Canva
Score 9.1 out of 10
GIMP
GIMP
Score 8.0 out of 10
Enterprises
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.1 out of 10
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Affinity PublisherInkscape
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(8 ratings)
7.4
(5 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(1 ratings)
8.4
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
8.6
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Affinity PublisherInkscape
Likelihood to Recommend
Serif Europe
If you are looking to get started using a publishing / creation application, Affinity Publisher is the one to go for. With a quick learning curve on all the basic functions, you'll be flying in no time. And then there is a whole heap of great features to get into as you become more comfortable with the software. The only down side is if clients are using Adobe programs, there are sometimes problems working with imported layers, but this is minor compared to the ease of use and features.
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Open Source
I would 100% recommend Inkscape to anyone starting out with graphic design or illustration, as it isn't that difficult to get the hang of on the first day of using it. I am not recommending Inkscape for beginners alone, even experts in the field can use Inkscape professionally as it cuts of the expense of needing to buy a paid graphic design software which provides almost the same features. Inkscape is also great for beginners because it can be treated like a stepping stone to move onto a paid graphic designing software like Adobe Illustrator, so Inkscape can be used to test the waters before making the leap. Inkscape and Illustrator are almost the same so there wont be any difficulty in switching later on.
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Pros
Serif Europe
  • 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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Open Source
  • Creating mockups using all kinds of graphic elements together.
  • Creating Video thumbnails and thumbnail templates.
  • Online 'how to' resources help a great deal.
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Cons
Serif Europe
  • 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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Open Source
  • Can be tricky to get the hang of at first
  • UI is not always naturally intuitive but generally it is good
  • May require reading documentation and watching tutorials to skill up before using it efficiently
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Usability
Serif Europe
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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Open Source
It is very good in general, but there are steps that I wish could be eliminated as they seem to be "duplicative".
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Support Rating
Serif Europe
Our team typically uses other online resources instead of contacting developers/manufacturers for support. That being said, there is a forum and a growing, vibrant community of users available to answer questions and "make the switch." A simple "whatever function we used to use in Adobe InDesign," followed by "Affinity," usually gets us on the right track to an answer. YouTube and their forums are our team's go-to sources for help.
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Open Source
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Serif Europe
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 desktop publishing for our organization without issue.
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Open Source
It is free. Easy to install Easy and simple to use and master. I find it as the best solution to do simple things without spending much time loading the API and trying to find the menu necessary to do the job. It produces vector graphics which is very well suited to illustrate research papers.
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Return on Investment
Serif Europe
  • I wish we could push it out to all staff but we can't quite afford the cost.
  • Amount of features can be overwhelming for first time users and take more time.
  • This program will save time once employees figure it out.
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Open Source
  • fast, efficient illustrations
  • inexpensive (donation based) enough for a tiny business
  • now can make custom labels for test products using our in-house printer
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ScreenShots