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Design · head to head

Affinity Designer vs Blacksmith

Affinity Designer logo

Affinity Designer

Design

Professional graphic design software for everyone

From
$69.99/one-time
Free plan
No
Visit Affinity DesignerFull review
Blacksmith logo

Blacksmith

Developer Tools

2x faster GitHub Actions with 60% cost savings

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit BlacksmithFull review

The short version

  • Affinity Designer is a professional vector graphics editor; Blacksmith is a GitHub Actions runner service.
  • Blacksmith has a free plan, then $0.004/mo; Affinity Designer starts at $69.99 one-off.
  • Only Affinity Designer lists vector drawing; only Blacksmith lists bare metal runners.
  • Where Affinity Designer falls short: premium AI features require separate Canva subscription; pricing for those plans not disclosed.
  • Where Blacksmith falls short: per-minute pricing model requires estimating usage to predict costs.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Affinity Designer and Blacksmith actually diverge.

Attributes where Affinity Designer and Blacksmith differ
AttributeAffinity DesignerBlacksmith
Starting price$69.99/one-timeFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, macOS, iOSGitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS
CategoryDesignDeveloper Tools

Not yet recorded: pricing model for Blacksmith, founded for Blacksmith.

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 Blacksmith

  • Bare metal runners
  • Multiple OS support
  • ARM support
  • Docker layer caching
  • Sticky disks
  • GitHub Actions observability
  • Free tier
  • Static IPs

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Affinity Designer

  • Logo designnot Blacksmith
  • Vector illustrationnot Blacksmith
  • Icon designnot Blacksmith
  • Brandingnot Blacksmith

Blacksmith

  • Replacing GitHub Actions runners with faster, cheaper infrastructurenot Affinity Designer
  • Accelerating CI build times for organizations with heavy CI loadnot Affinity Designer
  • Reducing cloud spend on GitHub Actions by 60% or morenot Affinity Designer
  • Supporting ARM architecture builds without GitHub runnersnot Affinity Designer

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Affinity Designer

  • Premium AI features require separate Canva subscription; pricing for those plans not disclosed
  • Core Affinity tools are free but Canva premium add-on costs are not detailed

Blacksmith

  • Per-minute pricing model requires estimating usage to predict costs
  • macOS M4 pricing ($0.08/min) is significantly higher than GitHub Actions
  • Docker layer caching and sticky disks are paid add-ons at $0.50/GB/mo
  • Static IP add-on costs $100/IP/mo

Pricing, plan by plan

Affinity Designer

$69.99/one-time
  • Standard$69.99 one-off
    • Full version
    • All features
    • Lifetime updates

Blacksmith

Free
  • Ubuntu x64$0.004/minute
    • 3,000 free minutes per month
    • 2x faster hardware
    • 4x faster cache downloads
  • Ubuntu ARM$0.0025/minute
    • 3,000 free minutes per month
    • 2x faster hardware
    • 4x faster cache downloads
  • Windows x64$0.008/minute
    • 3,000 free minutes per month
    • 2x faster hardware
    • 4x faster cache downloads
  • macOS M4$0.08/minute
    • 3,000 free minutes per month
    • 2x faster hardware
    • 4x faster cache downloads

Which should you pick?

Choose Affinity Designer if

  • You need vector drawing.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, iOS.
  • You also want bezier tools.
Affinity Designer review

Choose Blacksmith if

  • You need bare metal runners.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want multiple os support.
Blacksmith review

Questions people ask

Is Affinity Designer or Blacksmith better?
Neither clearly leads. Affinity Designer starts at $69.99/one-time and Blacksmith at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Affinity Designer or Blacksmith?
Blacksmith has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $69.99/one-time for Affinity Designer and Free for Blacksmith.
Does Affinity Designer or Blacksmith run on more platforms?
Affinity Designer runs on Windows, macOS, iOS. Blacksmith runs on GitHub Actions, Linux, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Blacksmith for free?
Yes. Blacksmith 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 Blacksmith is typically brought in for.
What can Affinity Designer do that Blacksmith cannot?
Affinity Designer covers Vector drawing, Bezier tools, Gradient tools, Typography. Blacksmith covers Bare metal runners, Multiple OS support, ARM support, Docker layer caching.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Affinity Designer: Is Affinity Designer free?

Yes, Affinity Designer is completely free. Every tool in the Pixel, Vector, and Layout studios, plus all customization and export features, are available at no cost with no seat count restrictions or payment requirements.

Source
Blacksmith: How much do Blacksmith runners cost compared to GitHub Actions?

Blacksmith offers 60-75% cost savings depending on OS. Ubuntu x64 costs $0.004/min vs GitHub at $0.012/min. All plans include 3,000 free minutes monthly.

Source
Affinity Designer: Are there premium features available in Affinity by Canva?

Affinity by Canva includes optional AI features available through separate Canva premium subscriptions (Pro, Business, Enterprise, Education tiers). Core design tools remain free; premium AI functionality requires a Canva subscription.

Source
Blacksmith: Can I use Docker layer caching with Blacksmith?

Yes, Docker layer caching is available as an add-on at $0.50/GB/mo. Managed Docker layer persistence is included with the base service.

Source
Affinity Designer: Do I need to pay for Affinity Designer updates?

No. Affinity by Canva receives free updates and new features over time. The core application and all design, editing, and layout tools are updated at no additional cost.

Source
Blacksmith: What is the SLA for Enterprise plans?

Enterprise Blacksmith plans include a 99.9% SLA guarantee along with 24/7 priority support, dedicated Slack channels, white-glove onboarding, and CI optimization support.

Source
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