Canva Acquires Serif's Affinity Apps

Canva has acquired Serif's Affinity suite of creative apps, marking a significant stride in its competition against Adobe with a deal valued at several hundred million dollars (via Bloomberg).

affinity designer running on macos big sur
Canva is an Australian online design company valued at $26 billion. Its platform offers user-friendly design tools aimed at non-professionals and has a user base of over 175 million people worldwide. The acquisition of the Affinity apps marks a change of strategy for Canva, targeting professional designers and creatives who have traditionally relied on Adobe's suite of products.

Affinity's software, encompassing photo editing, vector illustration, and desktop publishing tools, has been been lauded for its performance, affordability, and one-time purchase model – a stark contrast to Adobe's subscription services. The apps have garnered a strong following among Mac users in particular.

The acquisition includes the transition of Serif's 90-person team to Canva, ensuring continuity in the development and support of Affinity apps. Cliff Obrecht, Canva's co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, emphasized that Affinity's portfolio is the "final piece in our jigsaw," indicating how the apps are expected to complement Canva's existing array of AI-powered design solutions and collaborative online workspaces.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18

Apple Announces iOS 18.2 Launching Today With These New Features

Wednesday December 11, 2024 5:23 am PST by
Apple has announced that iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 will be released today following more than six weeks of beta testing. For the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, the update introduces additional Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji for creating custom emoji, Image Playground and Image Wand for generating images, and ChatGPT integration for Siri. There is also ...
iphone 17 pro concept render cameras

Major iPhone 17 Pro Redesign Backed by Supply Chain Info, Claims Leaker

Thursday December 12, 2024 4:36 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 17 Pro models will reportedly feature a major redesign, specifically centering around changes to the rear camera module, and now new supply chain information appears to confirm the striking change, according to a Chinese leaker. iPhone 17 Pro concept render Late last month, The Information's Wayne Ma claimed that the rear of the ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro...
m4 mac mini hands on

Cloud-Based M4 and M4 Pro Mac Mini Models Now Available

Wednesday December 11, 2024 7:34 am PST by
Developers now have access to cloud-based M4 and M4 Pro Mac mini units via MacWeb, a Silicon Valley-based provider of cloud services. The company has launched three configurations of the new Mac mini, powered by Apple's M4 and M4 Pro chips. Developers and IT teams can rent these machines for tasks ranging from basic development to advanced artificial intelligence modeling, providing an...
macOS Sequoia Night Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.2 With New Apple Intelligence Features

Wednesday December 11, 2024 10:02 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.2, the second update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that was released in September. macOS Sequoia 15.2 comes over a month after the release of macOS Sequoia 15.1. Mac users can download the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Sequoia 15.2 adds Image Playground, an app that lets you create...
apple tv purple

New Apple TV and HomePod Mini Launching in 2025

Thursday December 12, 2024 10:39 am PST by
Apple plans to refresh both the Apple TV and the HomePod mini in 2025 as part of a major push into refreshing its smart home product offerings, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report on an upcoming Apple-designed Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chip, Gurman says that the chip will be introduced in a new Apple TV and HomePod mini that are "scheduled" for 2025. While there is no exact timeline...
macbook air m2 13 inch

macOS Sequoia 15.2 Confirms New M4 MacBook Air Models Are Coming

Wednesday December 11, 2024 10:54 am PST by
Apple today made a mistake with its macOS Sequoia 15.2 update, releasing the software for two Macs that have yet to be launched. There is a software file for "Mac16,12" and "Mac16,13," which are upcoming MacBook Air models. The leaked software references the "MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025)" and the "MacBook Air (15-inch, M4, 2025)," confirming that new M4 MacBook Air models are in...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 With Genmoji, Image Playground, Siri ChatGPT and More

Wednesday December 11, 2024 10:03 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, the second major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 updates that came out in September. The new updates come over a month after Apple released iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General >...

Top Rated Comments

appleguy123 Avatar
10 months ago
Probably goodbye to one time purchase then.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
10 months ago
Oh please don't degrade the quality of these apps - they are so good, I use them every day.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple$ Avatar
10 months ago
Better than being bought by Adobe.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
boswald Avatar
10 months ago
I really hope there’s no subscriptions. I’m sick to death of them.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stiligFox Avatar
10 months ago
Noooooo


EDIT: I reckon it could be worse. Canva is an Australian, private company that’s been around since 2013 - at least it’s not some Wallstreet bound flash-in-the-pan AI company that’s public and it’s only role is to make more money for it’s investors.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TechZeke Avatar
10 months ago

Probably goodbye to one time purchase then.
Hope not. As a casual user, it's nice to have a genuine Photoshop competitor that doesn't require a subscription.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)