# Affinity Designer

14 Hacker News commenters recommended Affinity Designer and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 9 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend it as a capable Illustrator alternative that is well priced. The most common caveat is that the newer version after Canva's acquisition requires email sign-in.

## Why people recommend it

- Strong Illustrator alternative (4 comments): "I have been very happy with Affinity Designer (equivalent to Adobe Illustrator) which I purchased some time ago before the acquisition." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47697739)) "Affinity Designer being a great Illustrator alternative" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48997511)) "just as good and in some cases better than Adobe's apps" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49961305))
- Go-to vector design tool (2 comments): "the one that I had done by hand in Affinity Designer" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48694102)) "If I need Designer, I reach for Affinity Designer V2" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49961804))

## What people warn about

- Rough on Linux via Wine (2 comments): "Now, I won't say it is a smooth experience, one of the workarounds that I needed to do is use Wine's virtual desktop" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46576485)) "I tried the wine setup for it and it just doesn't work to a usable extent." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46577829))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Adobe Illustrator](https://hackerapproved.com/p/adobe-illustrator.md): 17 recommend
- [VectorNest](https://hackerapproved.com/p/vectornest.md): 8 recommend
- [VectorCraft](https://hackerapproved.com/p/vectorcraft.md): 5 recommend

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://www.affinity.studio/graphic-design-software)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Affinity Designer", https://hackerapproved.com/p/affinity-designer/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).