Affinity on the BookBird Author Score
Affinity does more than one job, so it is scored in each of its categories: book formatting and book cover design. Each score compares it only with the other products in that category.
As book formatting
Author Score · book formatting · #7 of 10
Best for: Authors laying out print books by hand at no cost
64.9 of 100 points = 6.5 out of 10. How this score is calculated
Author jobs, from Affinity’s own pages
- Yes: EPUB for ebook stores
- Yes: Print-ready PDF in KDP trim sizes
- Not stated: Ready-made book designs (not stated)
- Not stated: Device and print preview (not stated)
- Not stated: Imports a Word file (not stated)
- Not stated: Front and back matter (not stated)
- Yes: Full-bleed images
- Not stated: Several editions from one file (not stated)
As book cover design
Author Score · book cover design · #6 of 8
Best for: Authors laying out print books by hand at no cost
55.7 of 100 points = 5.6 out of 10. How this score is calculated
Author jobs, from Affinity’s own pages
- Not stated: Print covers sized for KDP (not stated)
- Not stated: Ebook cover sizes (not stated)
- Not stated: Book cover templates (not stated)
- Not stated: Images and fonts cleared for commercial use (not stated)
- Yes: Print-ready export
- Not stated: 3D mockups for promotion (not stated)
Affinity pricing
Free. There is a free plan. The plans as Affinity’s own site listed them on October 7, 2026, in US dollars:
- Affinity: Free (needs a free Canva account)
- Canva AI tools in Affinity: price in USD not confirmed
Vendor FAQ: every tool in the Pixel, Vector and Layout studios is free with no restrictions; only Canva AI features need a paid Canva plan.
What Affinity offers
From Affinity’s own pages, checked on October 7, 2026:
- One app combining vector, pixel and page-layout studios
- Smart master pages and shared text styles
- Flows long text and images across pages
- Advanced typography: kerning, ligatures, OpenType, variable fonts
- Exports PDF with bleed and crop marks, and EPUB
- Opens InDesign IDML files
- Data Merge for generated layouts
- Optional Canva AI tools with a Canva premium plan
Runs on: Windows and Mac. Exports: PDF (with bleed/crop marks), EPUB, SVG, JPEG, PNG and TIFF.
Who Affinity suits, and what its pages do not say
Best for: Authors laying out print books by hand at no cost.
Not confirmed on Affinity’s pages when we checked: ready-made book designs, device and print preview, imports a Word file, front and back matter, several editions from one file, print covers sized for KDP, ebook cover sizes, book cover templates, images and fonts cleared for commercial use and 3D mockups for promotion. That is what the vendor states, not a test; a feature can exist without being described, and the score only credits what is.
About 12,100 people a month search Google in the US for “affinity publisher”, down 3% over the past year (Google Ads data via DataForSEO).
Affinity alternatives
Other book formatting
| Software | Score | Price from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft2Digital | 9.0 | Free plan | Authors wanting free EPUB and paperback PDF, publishing wide or not |
| Kindle Create | 8.6 | Free | KDP authors wanting free, simple formatting for text-heavy books |
| Atticus | 7.8 | $147 one-time | Self-publishers who write and format in one app, any OS |
| Vellum | 7.1 | $199.99 one-time | Mac-based authors formatting many books for a one-time price |
| Reedsy Studio | 6.9 | Free plan; paid from $52.99 a year (add-on) | Authors wanting free typesetting and real-time editor collaboration |
Other book cover design
| Software | Score | Price from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canva | 8.5 | Free plan; paid from $20 a month | Authors on a budget making ebook covers and promo graphics |
| BookCoverZone | 8.3 | $99 one-time | Authors who want a designer-made premade cover without commissioning one |
| DIY Book Covers | 8.2 | Free plan; paid from $19 one-time | Budget authors wanting AI-made ebook covers with one-time credit packs |
| Book Brush | 7.2 | $149 a year | Authors who want covers plus ad graphics in one yearly web subscription |
| KDP Cover Creator | 6.6 | Free | KDP-only authors needing a quick free cover inside KDP |
Compare: All book formatting · All book cover design · All software for authors
Affinity questions
How much does Affinity cost?
Free. Affinity lists 2 plans; the full list is under Pricing above.
What does Affinity run on?
Windows and Mac, according to its own site.
What file formats can Affinity export?
PDF (with bleed/crop marks), EPUB, SVG, JPEG, PNG and TIFF, according to its own site.
How the score is computed: the formula, step by step. Prices and features were read from Affinity’s own site on October 7, 2026; nobody pays to be listed.