Affinity vs Topaz Labs Comparison 2026
Both cover photo editing. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
Photo, vector and layout, free for individuals
Rescue footage and stills that fell short
At a glance
- Only Affinity has a free tier.
Side by side
Affinity | Topaz Labs | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | From $12 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free | Paid subscription |
| Free tier (they differ) | Yes | No |
| Billing | One-time purchase | Not stated |
| Free trial | None | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | None | None |
| Runs on (they differ) | macOS, Windows |
Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.
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.
Only on this side
- Covers design & graphics
Topaz Labs
Rescue footage and stills that fell short
Topaz Labs makes the upscaling and cleanup models people reach for when the source is the problem: a soft photo, an old clip, footage shot at the wrong resolution for the delivery. The apps run locally rather than in a queue, which matters when the file is large and the deadline is not. They are sold separately or as one subscription covering all of them, so a photographer who only needs the image side is not paying for the video models.
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.