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Affinity Designer vs Outlook Calendar

Affinity Designer logo

Affinity Designer

Software

Professional graphic design software for everyone

From
$69.99/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Outlook Calendar logo

Outlook Calendar

Software

Professional calendar management for Microsoft 365

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Outlook Calendar 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); Outlook Calendar offline support limited to only past 30 days of events, older events unavailable
  • They diverge on capability: Affinity Designer covers Vector drawing, Outlook Calendar covers Meeting scheduling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Affinity Designer and Outlook Calendar actually diverge.

Attributes where Affinity Designer and Outlook Calendar differ
AttributeAffinity DesignerOutlook Calendar
Starting price$69.99/one-timeFree
Pricing modelone-timeUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Macos, IosWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Founded19941975

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 Outlook Calendar

  • Meeting scheduling
  • Shared calendars
  • Room booking
  • Availability sharing
  • Recurring events
  • Microsoft Teams
  • SharePoint
  • Slack

Both cover

  • OneDrive
  • Windows support
  • Macos support
  • Ios support

What people use each for

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

Affinity Designer

  • Logo designnot Outlook Calendar
  • Vector illustrationnot Outlook Calendar
  • Icon designnot Outlook Calendar
  • Brandingnot Outlook Calendar

Outlook Calendar

  • Schedulingnot Affinity Designer
  • Appointment bookingnot Affinity Designer
  • Time trackingnot Affinity Designer
  • Resource managementnot Affinity Designer
  • Team coordinationnot 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)

Outlook Calendar

  • Offline support limited to only past 30 days of events, older events unavailable
  • Shared calendars and group calendars not available offline
  • Cached Exchange Mode issues can limit available offline data
  • Occasional sync conflicts when coming back online

Pricing, plan by plan

Affinity Designer

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

Outlook Calendar

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Outlook.com email and calendar
    • 50MB attachment limit
    • 1GB cloud storage
  • Microsoft 365 Basic$19.99/year
    • Outlook with limited features
    • Cloud storage
  • Microsoft 365 Personal$99.99/year
    • Premium Outlook
    • Ad-free email
    • 100GB mailbox storage
  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic$6/month
    • Business-class email
    • 1TB cloud storage
    • Microsoft Teams

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 Outlook Calendar if

  • You need meeting scheduling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want shared calendars.
Outlook Calendar review

Questions people ask

Is Affinity Designer or Outlook Calendar better?
Neither clearly leads. Affinity Designer starts at $69.99/one-time and Outlook Calendar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Affinity Designer or Outlook Calendar?
Outlook Calendar has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $69.99/one-time for Affinity Designer and Free for Outlook Calendar.
Does Affinity Designer or Outlook Calendar run on more platforms?
Affinity Designer runs on Windows, Macos, Ios. Outlook Calendar runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
Can I use Outlook Calendar for free?
Yes. Outlook Calendar 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 Outlook Calendar is typically brought in for.
What can Affinity Designer do that Outlook Calendar cannot?
Affinity Designer covers Vector drawing, Bezier tools, Gradient tools, Typography. Outlook Calendar covers Meeting scheduling, Shared calendars, Room booking, Availability sharing. Both handle OneDrive, Windows support, Macos support, Ios support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Outlook Calendar: Is Outlook Calendar free?

Outlook.com with calendar is free via a Microsoft account. Outlook Calendar also comes with Microsoft 365 Personal ($99.99/year), Family ($129.99/year), or Business plans starting at $6/user/month.

Source
Outlook Calendar: Does Outlook Calendar work offline?

Outlook Calendar has limited offline support. New Outlook caches only the past 30 days of calendar items. Shared calendars and group calendars are not supported offline. Changes sync when you reconnect.

Source
Outlook Calendar: What platforms does Outlook Calendar support?

Outlook Calendar is available on Windows (desktop and web), macOS (desktop and web), iOS, and Android. Real-time synchronization works across all devices.

Source
Outlook Calendar: Does Outlook Calendar integrate with Slack?

Yes. Outlook Calendar integrates with Slack to sync your status and receive meeting notifications. You can RSVP to invites directly in Slack and join Microsoft Teams meetings from Slack reminders.

Source
Outlook Calendar: Can you share calendars and set delegate permissions?

Yes. Outlook Calendar supports calendar sharing with delegate permissions, color categories for organization, and the Scheduling Assistant to view attendee availability for meeting times.

Source
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Related pages

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