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Side-by-side comparison · Image, Logo & Design

Affinity vs Canva vs Cleanup.pictures

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Affinity

4.4

From Your Canva subscription

Best overall

Canva

4.5

From $144/yr for one person

Cleanup.pictures

4.2

From $5/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best value

Pick it if: Designers, photographers and confident DIYers who want professional design software without an Adobe subscription.

Best overall

Pick it if: Anyone who needs good-looking marketing material regularly and doesn't have a designer on call.

Pick it if: Anyone who needs to erase something from a photo quickly without learning an editor.

Canva scores highest overall, but Affinity gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.

Overview

AttributeAffinityCanvaCleanup.pictures
In one lineFree 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.Brush over people, objects or text in a photo and they disappear, with the gap filled in.
Pricing modelFreeFreemiumFreemium
Starting priceYour Canva subscription$144/yr for one person$5/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code No Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeAffinityCanvaCleanup.pictures
Overall rating4.44.5Winner4.2
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
3.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.5
4.0
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
5.0
4.5
4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
4.5
4.5

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeAffinityCanvaCleanup.pictures
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes–
Desktop app Yes Yes–
Browser extension No No–
API access No Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace No Yes–
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes–
Connects to other apps 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 No
Makes video No Yes No
Writes code No No No
Runs agents or automations No No–
Learns your brand or style No Yes–
Works in many languages Yes Yes–
Capabilities score8/ 1713/ 174/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeAffinityCanvaCleanup.pictures
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Individuals, for personal or business use.

Free

Free

Occasional posts and trying it out.

Free

Free

Quick fixes for web or social.

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.

ProOur pick

$5/mo, or $36/yr

Anyone who needs full-resolution results.

Canva Enterprise

Custom

Organisations rolling it out to a team.

Business

$250/yr per person

Teams who need shared brands and approvals.

Clipdrop Pro

See website

People who also need background removal and other edits.

Enterprise

Custom

Large organisations with security requirements.

Which plan to pickDownload 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.Use Free for social posts and quick checks. If you need the cleaned photo for print, a listing or a website hero, Pro is cheap enough to pay for a month when you need it.

Key features

AttributeAffinityCanvaCleanup.pictures
Standout features
  • Photo editing
  • Vector design
  • Page layout
  • One app for all three
  • Canva AI
  • Mac, Windows and iPad
  • Templates for everything
  • Brand Kit
  • Canva AI
  • Magic Resize
  • Docs, sheets and video
  • Claude connection
  • Brush to remove
  • Text and watermark removal
  • High-quality refiner
  • Inpainting API

Pros and cons

AttributeAffinityCanvaCleanup.pictures
Pros
  • Professional design software for free
  • Photo, vector and layout in one app
  • Runs on Mac, Windows and iPad
  • Opens and exports Adobe and PDF files
  • No subscription for the core app
  • Nobody needs training to use it
  • The free plan is big enough to run a small business on
  • Brand Kit and Magic Resize save hours every week
  • Covers decks, documents and simple video as well as graphics
  • Works with Claude, so designs can start from a chat
  • No sign-up and almost no learning curve
  • Unlimited free use at web size
  • Pro is one of the cheapest full-resolution options
  • Handles small objects and text cleanly
Cons
  • Steep learning curve compared with Canva
  • AI tools need a paid Canva plan
  • Complex Adobe files don't always open perfectly
  • Template designs can look generic unless you customise them
  • Fine control over type and layout is limited next to Figma or Adobe
  • Built-in image generation is a step behind the dedicated generators
  • AI features burn through credits faster than you expect on Free
  • Free exports are only 720 pixels
  • Large objects and busy backgrounds leave smudges
  • One job only; you'll need another tool for anything else
  • Product looks unchanged for years, and Clipdrop users report slow support

Who each one is for

AttributeAffinityCanvaCleanup.pictures
Best for
  • Replacing Adobe apps without the subscription
  • Logos and vector illustrations
  • Print layouts like brochures and menus
  • Detailed photo editing
  • Social media posts and stories
  • Quick decks and one-pagers
  • Resizing one design for every channel
  • Simple logos and brand kits
  • Removing people or objects from photos
  • Erasing text and logos
  • Quick fixes on listing photos
  • Removing blemishes from portraits
You'll find it used by
  • Designers
  • Photographers
  • Illustrators
  • Small businesses
  • Students
  • Small business owners
  • Marketers
  • Social media managers
  • Teachers
  • Agencies
  • Small business owners
  • Real estate agents
  • E-commerce sellers
  • Photographers

Questions people ask

Which is better, Affinity, Canva or Cleanup.pictures?

Canva scores highest overall in our ratings (Affinity 4.4/5, Canva 4.5/5 and Cleanup.pictures 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. Cleanup.pictures is best for removing people or objects from photos and erasing text and logos.

Which is cheaper, Affinity, Canva or Cleanup.pictures?

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. Cleanup.pictures: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $5/mo.

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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