Canva has launched Affinity for iPad, bringing its unified professional creative suite to Apple’s tablet as a free app for individuals. The release follows the 2025 desktop relaunch that consolidated the former Affinity Designer, Photo, and Publisher apps into a single platform.
Affinity for iPad delivers the same core Vector, Pixel (photo), and Layout studios as the Mac and Windows versions, now optimized for touch and Apple Pencil. A new Sketch Studio supports freehand drawing, sketch-to-vector workflows, masking, and tools that convert rough sketches into cleaner geometric shapes. The app fully supports Apple Pencil Pro features, including pressure sensitivity, tilt, barrel roll, squeeze, hover, and natural gestures.
Projects across sketch, vector, photo editing, and layout live in a single .af file, reducing the need to export or switch apps. The software also opens major formats including PSD, AI, INDD, IDML, PDF, and SVG, and works offline with non-destructive editing. Canva describes it as a fully fledged creative experience rather than a stripped-down companion app, though some desktop-specific features (such as certain batch tools, macros, and the Astrophotography Studio) are not present at launch and are planned for later updates.
Core tools remain free for individuals after creating a free Canva account, with ongoing free updates. Canva AI Studio features — such as Generative Expand, background removal, noise reduction, and resolution scaling — require a Canva premium subscription. This freemium approach matches the desktop version released last year and fulfills earlier pledges that core Affinity functionality would not be forced into a subscription.
The iPad app is available on the App Store. Users can download it, sign in with a Canva account, and immediately switch between Sketch, Vector, Pixel, and Layout studios while customizing their workspace. Files are compatible across desktop and iPad.
The launch positions Affinity as a strong, no-cost alternative for creatives seeking pro-grade tools on iPad without an Adobe subscription for everyday work, while still offering optional AI enhancements for those who want them.
MacDailyNews Note: More info and download link via Affinity here.
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