Sketch vs Affinity

Sketch and Affinity are both design options. Here's how they compare on official platforms, features, and positioning — sourced from each vendor's own site, not from ratings or reviews.

Side-by-side summary

ComparingSketchAffinity

CategoryDesignDesign

Alternatives tracked23

PlatformsmacOSmacOS, Windows

Best for Sketch

Positioned for professional UI/UX designers, from independent freelancers to enterprise design teams.

Best for Affinity

Professional and hobbyist designers who want a full desktop-grade design suite without a subscription, following Canva's acquisition of Affinity-maker Serif.

Feature comparison

Every feature listed here comes directly from each vendor's own official site.

Sketch

Nestable frames and flexible stack layouts for responsive design
Vector editing tools
Smart Animate for prototype transitions
Real-time co-editing
Free developer handoff and inspection tools
Component libraries and frame presets

Affinity

Vector design tools with pen tools and non-destructive editing
Raster photo editing in the same unified app
Page layout and publishing tools for multi-page documents
Typography with text-on-path and OpenType features
GPU-accelerated 60 FPS real-time rendering
AI vector generation from text prompts
No subscription required — full professional feature set free, forever

Pros and cons

Sketch

Pros

Nestable frames and flexible stack layouts for responsive design
Vector editing tools
Smart Animate for prototype transitions
Real-time co-editing
Free developer handoff and inspection tools
Component libraries and frame presets

Cons

We don't publish a "cons" list for either product. No vendor's official site documents its own product's weaknesses, so there's no sourced basis for one — and we'd rather say that plainly than invent one.

Affinity

Pros

Vector design tools with pen tools and non-destructive editing
Raster photo editing in the same unified app
Page layout and publishing tools for multi-page documents
Typography with text-on-path and OpenType features
GPU-accelerated 60 FPS real-time rendering
AI vector generation from text prompts
No subscription required — full professional feature set free, forever

Cons

Key differences

Sketch lists Nestable frames and flexible stack layouts for responsive design, Vector editing tools, Smart Animate for prototype transitions, Real-time co-editing, Free developer handoff and inspection tools, Component libraries and frame presets that Affinity doesn't list.
Affinity lists Vector design tools with pen tools and non-destructive editing, Raster photo editing in the same unified app, Page layout and publishing tools for multi-page documents, Typography with text-on-path and OpenType features, GPU-accelerated 60 FPS real-time rendering, AI vector generation from text prompts, No subscription required — full professional feature set free, forever that Sketch doesn't list.
Affinity supports Windows, which Sketch doesn't list.

Choose Sketch if…

Choose Sketch if this fits: Positioned for professional UI/UX designers, from independent freelancers to enterprise design teams.

Choose Affinity if…

Choose Affinity if this fits: Professional and hobbyist designers who want a full desktop-grade design suite without a subscription, following Canva's acquisition of Affinity-maker Serif.

Facts on this page are sourced from each vendor's official site (linked below), not from ratings or reviews. Products change — verify anything that matters to your decision directly on the vendor's own site before switching. See our Disclaimer and Sources Policy.