A top seller on the Mac goes after Adobe Illustrator in a wider marketplace, offering speed, a rich feature set and a perpetual use license.
A fast-rising challenger to Adobe Illustrator on the Mac is now shipping a Windows version. British software developer Serif says its Affinity Designer has been the best-selling professional design and graphics app for Mac since its launch in 2014. Serif says Affinity Designer on Windows matches the Mac version feature for feature.
Created as a professional tool for graphic designers, Affinity Designer includes:
- A full-featured vector and pixel editing toolset
- 10 million+ percent zoom
- Non-destructive effects and adjustment layers
- RGB, CMYK, LAB, Pantone, and ICC color management
- Advanced typography, including text styles and text-on-a-path
- Support for PSD, SVG, EPS, PNG and PDF/X formats
- Unlimited artboards with device pre-sets
- Smooth gradients and color control
- Standard and retina resolution pixel preview
- Unlimited and saveable undo history
- Export in multiple formats
- Symbols, including multiple versions and nested symbols
- Constraints for precision editing
- Grids, guides and advanced snapping including pixel alignment
- Fully customizable shortcuts.
“The Windows version shares exactly the same back-end code as our Mac version,” says Ashley Hewson, Serif’s Managing Director. “Not only does this mean perfect cross-platform file compatibility, it means the same memory management and rendering technology which give Affinity Designer its blistering speed.”
The new Windows version requires 64 bit Windows 7 and above. It supports eight languages. It is shipping at a special launch price, purchased directly from the manufacturer ($39.99 / £29.99 / €39.99).
Affinity Designer is part of a trio of professional quality design software tools. Affinity Photo launched for Mac last year and is now in free public beta on Windows (from https://affinity.serif.com/photo/windows/); Affinity Publisher is expected in 2017.
What do we think?
Barely two years old, Affinity Designer has become a serious professional alternative to Adobe Illustrator. Its users have made it a go-to app for everything from creating concept art, print projects, logos and icons to UI design, web graphics and mock-ups. There was a time when a product like Affinity Designer only had to be on the Mac to be a success but those days are over. Serif had to introduce Affinity Designer on the Mac first to establish professional cred, but now the real battle for market share begins.
Adobe says customers love its new subscription model, but nonetheless Serif is pushing its perpetual license as a key feature. At its current price point, it needs volume to succeed; coming to Windows provides the right marketplace.
