Side-by-side comparison · Image, Logo & Design
Affinity vs Canva vs ChatGPT Images
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Designers, photographers and confident DIYers who want professional design software without an Adobe subscription.
Pick it if: Anyone who needs good-looking marketing material regularly and doesn't have a designer on call.
Pick it if: Anyone who already uses ChatGPT and wants quick, accurate images without learning another tool.
Canva scores highest overall, but Affinity gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Affinity | Canva | ChatGPT Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Free pro design app for photo editing, illustration and layout, with optional Canva AI. | Make social posts, decks and flyers from templates, with AI that writes and edits for you. | Make and edit images inside ChatGPT by describing what you want, words included. |
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | Your Canva subscription | $144/yr for one person | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Affinity | Canva | ChatGPT Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.4 | 4.5Winner | 4.2 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Affinity | Canva | ChatGPT Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | No | Yes |
| API access | No | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | No | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | – | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes video | No | Yes | Yes |
| Writes code | No | No | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | No | Yes | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 8/ 17 | 13/ 17 | 16/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Affinity | Canva | ChatGPT Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | FreeOur pick Free Individuals, for personal or business use. | Free Free Occasional posts and trying it out. | Free Free A few images a day. |
With Canva Pro Your Canva subscription People who already pay for Canva. | ProOur pick $144/yr for one person Anyone making marketing material every week. | Go See website Light users who hit the free limits. | |
Canva Enterprise Custom Organisations rolling it out to a team. | Business $250/yr per person Teams who need shared brands and approvals. | PlusOur pick See website Most marketers and business owners. | |
Enterprise Custom Large organisations with security requirements. | Pro See website Heavy daily users. | ||
Business See website Teams who need shared workspaces and admin. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Download it free. Only connect a paid Canva plan if you want the AI tools inside Affinity, or if you already pay for Canva anyway. | Use Free until you find yourself fighting it, usually over the brand kit or background removal. Pro pays for itself the first time you skip a stock photo subscription. Business only makes sense once two or more people are working in the same brand. | Free is enough to find out if the quality suits you. Plus is the one to buy if you make images most days, because the limits stop getting in the way and you get the whole assistant too. Pro is only for people living in ChatGPT all day. |
Key features
| Attribute | Affinity | Canva | ChatGPT Images |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Affinity | Canva | ChatGPT Images |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Affinity | Canva | ChatGPT Images |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Affinity, Canva or ChatGPT Images?
Canva scores highest overall in our ratings (Affinity 4.4/5, Canva 4.5/5 and ChatGPT Images 4.2/5). Affinity is best for Replacing Adobe apps without the subscription and logos and vector illustrations. Canva is best for social media posts and stories and quick decks and one-pagers. ChatGPT Images is best for mockups and signage with real text and editing an image by describing changes.
Which is cheaper, Affinity, Canva or ChatGPT Images?
Affinity: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at Your Canva subscription. Canva: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $144/yr for one person. ChatGPT Images: It's free to use.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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