Affinity lands on iPad as one free app with a new Sketch Studio, and the AI tools need a Canva plan

The all-in-one Affinity app that Canva launched on desktop now has an iPad edition. It combines what the separate Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher iPad apps did into one app (CG Channel says those older apps stay available for free as their final editions), it’s free, and the only part that costs money is the Canva AI toolset.

What changed

One app, four Studios. Pixel, Vector and Layout work the same way they do on desktop. The new one is Sketch Studio, a freehand drawing space with over 350 editable brushes that respond to Apple Pencil pressure, tilt and barrel roll. The idea is that a rough sketch and the finished vector or layout can live in the same file.

Same files as desktop. The iPad app uses the new .af format, so you can move a project between iPad and Mac or Windows. The flip side, per CG Channel: the old standalone iPad apps can’t open files saved from the unified desktop app.

It opens other people’s files. PSD, AI, INDD, IDML, PDF and SVG import, with layers and structure kept. Affinity is upfront about the limits: InDesign GREP styles, anchored objects and tables may need fixing by hand, Illustrator files need PDF compatibility switched on and can lose appearance stacks and some effects, and Photoshop smart objects and advanced filters may flatten.

AI is the paid layer. Canva AI Studio unlocks with a Canva premium plan. Affinity’s own examples are clearing grain, rescuing a blurry shot and cutting out a background, and CG Channel describes generative fill and expand style tools too. Everything else, including export, is free.

Some desktop features aren’t there yet. Affinity lists Books, Batch, Data Merge, Quick Adjustments, the Info and Scope panels, macro recording and the Astrophotography Studio as missing from the iPad at launch.

Why it matters for designers

A free, full layout and vector app on iPad that opens InDesign and Illustrator files is a real option for anyone who wants to sketch, rough out a layout or make client fixes away from the desk without paying for another subscription.

The AI split is also worth noticing. You can use the whole app without ever touching the AI features, and Affinity says your Affinity content isn’t used to train them. If you’d rather keep AI out of your process, or out of a particular client’s files, that’s easy here.

What to watch out for

If you still use the old Affinity Photo 2, Designer 2 or Publisher 2 iPad apps, they won’t open files from the new desktop app. Move your iPad work to the new app before you start sharing files with a desktop machine.

Test imports on your own files first. Affinity’s own notes list several things that can flatten or need manual cleanup, and complex InDesign documents are where that tends to show up.

It needs iPadOS 18 or later, per CG Channel, and Affinity’s site links a list of supported iPad models. We’re reporting what Affinity and the coverage describe. We haven’t used the iPad app ourselves, so treat the sidebar as unverified where it says so.