Canva acquires Affinity for an undisclosed amount. The Affinity folks have joined Canva but will remain as a separate company (for now).

Why does this matter?

Canva has a reputation for being for amateurs. They target mostly non-designers who have to knock out simple designs for Instagram, Zoom Meetings, internal work stuff, whiteboards, presentations, even videos.

In 2023 Canva had a revenue of $2 billion and an average of 100 million monthly active users. Canva is big.

Serif, the company that make the Affinity design software on the other hand is much smaller. They target creative professionals with tools that rival Adobe's creative suite especially Photoshop and Illustrator. With their pay once model, their product is very attractive to customers who want an alternative to the subscription model Adobe favours. They have apps for Windows, Mac, and ios, and a loyal and enthusiastic fan base. I even bought the Affinity Designer when it was on sale on the Microsoft store, it's good software.

Canva's acquisition allows them to grow their business offering and enter the creative professional space, competing more directly with Adobe. However, that loyal fan base became anxious and questions about whether there will be a change in the pricing model, or if Affinity would continue to be actively developed among other unknowns.

Affinity addressed some of these questions. In a statement the CEO clarified some of these issues and allayed fears. But we have heard these stories before and it's right to be worried as an Affinity customer.

Canva now has the tools to compete with Adobe. It's not going to topple them any time soon, Adobe is a behemoth but it sure will give them a run for their money. I feel this is a good thing because Adobe is kind of a monopoly. Art and Design schools demand you use their creative suite, it's a de facto industry standard. Some healthy competition in this space is good for everyone, and that's what I expect will happen from this acquisition. I don't expect it to be over night but it would be disappointing if Adobe continues to reign supreme.