Affinity vs GIMP Comparison 2026
Affinity and GIMP are both free image editors, which is where the similarity ends. Affinity bundles pixel, vector and layout work into one window and only installs on macOS and Windows. GIMP is a pixel editor alone, decades old, scriptable, and it runs on Linux as well as the other two. Vector work and page layout need separate free tools alongside GIMP, Inkscape and Scribus by the project's own recommendation, while Affinity already has both built in.
Photo, vector and layout, free for individuals
A free image editor for retouching and paint
At a glance
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Affinity | GIMP | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Pricing model | Free | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | One-time purchase | Not stated |
| Free trial | None | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
Affinity
Photo, vector and layout, free for individuals
Affinity is three professional applications in one window: a pixel editor, a vector editor and a page layout tool, with no round trip between them. Canva bought it and made it free, which is the largest thing to happen to paid creative software in years. Files from the Adobe applications open with their layers intact.
Our note
This is the most significant thing to happen to paid creative software in years, and there is no catch that we can find. If you edit photos or lay out documents and have been renting the ability to do it, install this before renewing anything.
GIMP
A free image editor for retouching and paint
GIMP has been the free answer to a paid image editor since the nineties, covering retouching, compositing, painting and format conversion, with scripting for the jobs you do a hundred times. Its colour management is strong enough for print work. The interface is its own rather than a copy of anyone else's, which is the real cost of switching to it.
Our note
Why people weigh these two
- GIMP instead of Affinity
- GIMP is free retouching and paint software on its own, without the vector and layout apps that come bundled into Affinity.
- Affinity instead of GIMP
- Affinity is also free for individuals and adds vector drawing and page layout to the photo editor, three tools in one download rather than GIMP's photo-only focus.
Which one should you pick
Choose GIMP if Linux is the platform, or if scripting repeated jobs matters more than an integrated vector and layout studio. It is free software under the GPL with every feature in one download, and its colour management is strong enough for print work. The real cost is its own interface, built on its own conventions rather than copied from a commercial editor, so muscle memory from Photoshop does not transfer.
Choose Affinity if the work needs vector drawing or page layout alongside photo editing, without exporting between separate applications. It is also free for individuals, opens PSD, AI and IDML files with their layers intact, and runs on macOS and Windows. Anybody on Linux has no Affinity option at all, which settles the choice immediately for that platform.
Common questions
- Does GIMP include vector drawing or page layout like Affinity?
- No. GIMP is a pixel editor only; the project recommends pairing it with Inkscape for vector work and Scribus for layout, as the free equivalent of a design suite. Affinity includes all three in one application.
- Which one runs on Linux?
- GIMP does, alongside macOS and Windows. Affinity has no Linux build; its supported platforms are macOS and Windows only.
- Is GIMP's interface similar to Photoshop?
- No. GIMP's interface is its own rather than a copy of anyone else's, and relearning it is the real price of switching. Affinity's studios will feel more familiar to somebody coming from Adobe applications.
- Can GIMP automate repeated edits?
- Yes, through scripting, aimed at jobs done a hundred times rather than once. This is part of GIMP's own feature list; an equivalent scripting layer is not listed among Affinity's features.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.