Affinity products on sale at half price

[Daniel]

For anyone who has considered the Affinity software packages from Serif - there's never been a cheaper time to give it a go.

They are running a 50% discount "flash sale" at the moment. It was only 40% off when they launched the v2 suite back in November 2022, but they've just released v2.5 and dropped the price further - now 50% off. As Xara used to do, they often run promotional price campaigns - so I guess this one is timed to capitalise on the uproar over the unpopularity of Adobe's "we reserve the right to feed our bots using your stuff" terms and conditions.

In the UK, each of Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, and Affinity Publisher would normally be £69.99 or all together for £159.99, but now the programs are £33.99 each, or £79.99 for the lot. (If you have the v1 programs, it's discounted further, to £59.99)

They have PC, Mac and iPad versions of each program: if you buy the bundle of all three programs they are on a "Universal Licence" so that you can use the programs on any/all platforms.

[handrawn]

on the subject of adobe:

https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/20...s-terms-of-use

AS I recall, the affinity sale is pitched at the level I bought it for when ver 2 came out, it's a good deal

[Daniel]

Yes, it was 40% off when v2 launched, so at 50% off it's even cheaper now (not to mention the unusually high recent inflation that means a stack of coins today typically buys much less than the same stack did a couple of years ago!)

[MB365]

Or before they launch a subscription version

[handrawn]

... or version 3

[Daniel]

Neither of those two things look particularly likely in the immediate future, it's just another one of Affinity's discount promotions - like Xara used to have most bank holidays when they used to sell only perpetual licences and actively developed the software that they sold themselves.

If either do happen though, good luck to them, I'd upgrade or take out a subscription. Affinity have specifically said that even if they do introduce a subscription model in the future, that they'd do so beside the existing perpetual licences (Pledge 1 in their announcement "If we do offer a subscription, it will only ever be as an option alongside the perpetual model, for those who prefer it. ")

I use accounting software, office software, design software that all used to be perpetual licences and are now on subscription - the accounting software and office software certainly improve more quickly now than they did twenty years ago and are worth the extra cost of the subscription.

[handrawn]

xara always actively developed the software themselves, and still do

all magix ever did was put together the installers for those version it marketed; they may well have had some say in what was included, but they never developed any xara software

affinity version 3 probably is a while away yet; subscription model just depends on how they read their market...

[Daniel]

xara always actively developed the software themselves, and still do

I realise that, but without the energy and excitement of 20 years ago.

A keyboard shortcut to the colour dropper, new rounded corner rectangle tool, and another bunch of web templates isn't quite the same as the PDF export, import, vector brush, countour/bevel and extrude tools, drop shadow, repelling text etc.

[handrawn]

A keyboard shortcut to the colour dropper, new rounded corner rectangle tool, and another bunch of web templates isn't quite the same as the PDF export, import, vector brush, countour/bevel and extrude tools, drop shadow, repelling text etc.

Xara switched target users; they now target those 'who want to design something without actually being a designer with a capital D'

hence all the templates and stuff; they may well think the current tool set adequate, who knows

can't see that changing any time soon...

[Spamiky]

I don't think XARA has non-professionals in mind :-(
I am a hobbyist who creates a few images and a few websites for the non-profit sector. The subscription is not worth it to me. She and now version 20 for 180 euros is too much for me. I ended up with version 19 and will stay with it.