Serif Affinity Designer arrives on Windows

Professional-grade design and graphics software Serif Affinity Designer is now available for Windows.

The vector drawing app – formerly restricted to Mac owners – is a budget-friendly alternative to Adobe Illustrator. It’s available for a special launch price of £29.99/US$39.99 (about AU$55) until 24 November.

That’s compared to £17.25/US$19.99/AU$22.99 per month for an Illustrator license through Adobe Creative Cloud.

Design for life

The PC edition of Affinity Designer has all the same features as its Mac counterpart, including unlimited artboards with device presets; non-destructive effects and adjustment layers; RGB, CYMK, LAB, Pantone and ICC color management; and 10 million+ per cent zoom.

Its launch comes hot on the heels of the release of Serif Affinity Photo for Windows as a public beta. The Photoshop-alike is available to download free – though bear in mind that there may still be a few rough edges. You can report any issues you discover on Serif’s beta forum.

The third part of Serif’s creative trinity – Affinity Publisher – is due for release on Windows next year.

The best free photo editor 2016

Whatever your level of expertise, there's a free photo editor that will give you all the tools you need to make your pictures look amazing. These are our three favorite free tools for optimizing your images.

For more details, see our complete guide to the best free photo editors

1. GIMP

The most fully-featured free photo editor around, GIMP is powerful enough for just about any task.

2. Paint.NET

Not quite as feature-packed as GIMP, but Paint.NET's streamlined interface makes everyday photo editing a breeze.

3. PhotoScape

PhotoScape appears simple, but delve a little deeper and you'll find RAW conversion, photo splitting and merging, and animated GIF creation.

Cat Ellis
Homes Editor

Cat is TechRadar's Homes Editor specializing in kitchen appliances and smart home technology. She's been a tech journalist for 15 years and is an SCA-certified barista, so whether you want to invest in some smart lights or pick up a new espresso machine, she's the right person to help.

Read more
Close-up of an artist using Photoshop and stylus on a tablet
Best free Adobe Illustrator alternative of 2025
Screenshot of graphic design software Affinity Designer 2
Best graphic design software of 2025: Top picks tested for beginners and professionals
CorelDraw Go homepage showing design examples
Adobe arch-rival unveils online graphic design tool for beginners - and yes, it has a subscription
Serif Affinity Publisher 2 page layout and desktop publishing software in use
Best Adobe InDesign alternative of 2025: Top picks for page layout designers
A person using a tablet with the best digital art and drawing software
Best digital art and drawing software of 2025
A digital artist working on a computer
Best Adobe Photoshop alternative of 2025: Top picks for designers, artists, and photographers
Latest in Creative Software
Photoshop CC logo on a screen
How to make an image background transparent in Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe's Photoshop and Lightroom photo plans get a huge price hike, but there's a way to avoid it
Screenshot showing the adjustment brush in Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop CC (2024) review: the best photo editor gets even better
Adobe Creative Cloud apps on orange background and price cut sign
Adobe Creative Cloud is 65% off for students - just in time for back to school
Adobe Lightroom Generative Remove tool
Adobe Lightroom's new Generative Remove AI tool makes Content-aware Fill feel basic – and gives you one less reason to use Photoshop
Final Cut Pro update on iPad and Mac
Apple's new Final Cut Pro apps turn the iPad into an impressive live multicam studio
Latest in News
Apple iPhone 16 Review
The latest iPhone 18 leak hints at a major chipset upgrade for all four models
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #1155)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #386)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #652)
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, March 23 (game #1154)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, March 23 (game #385)