Software · head to head
Affinity Designer vs AI21 Labs

Affinity Designer
Software
Professional graphic design software for everyone
- From
- $69.99/one-time
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only AI21 Labs has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Affinity Designer sold as a one-time purchase rather than a subscription: the Windows or macOS edition was priced at CA$94.99, the cross-platform Universal License at CA$224.99, and the standalone iPad edition at CA$24.99 (Internet Archive capture, 1 January 2024); AI21 Labs the free allowance is $10 of credit lasting 7 days rather than an ongoing free tier
- They diverge on capability: Affinity Designer covers Vector drawing, AI21 Labs covers Jamba models.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Affinity Designer and AI21 Labs actually diverge.
| Attribute | Affinity Designer | AI21 Labs |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $69.99/one-time | Free |
| Pricing model | one-time | usage-based |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Windows, Macos, Ios | Api, Cloud |
| Founded | 1994 | 2017 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Affinity Designer
- Vector drawing
- Bezier tools
- Gradient tools
- Typography
- Pixel-perfect editing
- Artboards
- Symbols
- Non-destructive effects
Only in AI21 Labs
- Jamba models
- Long context
- RAG engine
- Writing tools
- REST API
- Amazon Bedrock
- Cloud platforms
- Api support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Affinity Designer
- Logo designnot AI21 Labs
- Vector illustrationnot AI21 Labs
- Icon designnot AI21 Labs
- Brandingnot AI21 Labs
AI21 Labs
- Running long-context tasks on the Jamba model familynot Affinity Designer
- Building and optimising production AI agents with Maestronot Affinity Designer
- Routing between models to control cost and accuracynot Affinity Designer
- Long-horizon agentic tasks needing stateful workspacesnot Affinity Designer
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Affinity Designer
- Sold as a one-time purchase rather than a subscription: the Windows or macOS edition was priced at CA$94.99, the cross-platform Universal License at CA$224.99, and the standalone iPad edition at CA$24.99 (Internet Archive capture, 1 January 2024)
AI21 Labs
- The free allowance is $10 of credit lasting 7 days rather than an ongoing free tier
- Jamba Large is $2 per million input tokens and $8 per million output, so output-heavy work costs four times as much as input
- Volume discounts, private cloud hosting and higher rate limits require a custom plan
- Standard rate limits are not published
Pricing, plan by plan
Affinity Designer
$69.99/one-time- Standard$69.99/one-time
- Full version
- All features
- Lifetime updates
AI21 Labs
Free- Free TrialFree
- Limited usage
- API access
- Jamba$0.2/per-million-input-tokens
- 256K context
- Hybrid architecture
Which should you pick?
Choose Affinity Designer if
- You need vector drawing.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Ios.
- You also want bezier tools.
Choose AI21 Labs if
- You need jamba models.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Api, Cloud.
- You also want long context.
Questions people ask
- Is Affinity Designer or AI21 Labs better?
- Neither clearly leads. Affinity Designer starts at $69.99/one-time and AI21 Labs at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Affinity Designer or AI21 Labs?
- AI21 Labs has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $69.99/one-time for Affinity Designer and Free for AI21 Labs.
- Does Affinity Designer or AI21 Labs run on more platforms?
- Affinity Designer runs on Windows, Macos, Ios. AI21 Labs runs on Api, Cloud.
- Can I use AI21 Labs for free?
- Yes. AI21 Labs has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Affinity Designer starts at $69.99/one-time.
- What is Affinity Designer best used for?
- Affinity Designer is most often used for logo design, vector illustration, icon design, branding. Of those, logo design and vector illustration are not what AI21 Labs is typically brought in for.
- What can Affinity Designer do that AI21 Labs cannot?
- Affinity Designer covers Vector drawing, Bezier tools, Gradient tools, Typography. AI21 Labs covers Jamba models, Long context, RAG engine, Writing tools.
Related pages
More on Affinity Designer
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