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Design · head to head

Affinity Designer vs Xlinesoft

Affinity Designer logo

Affinity Designer

Design

Professional graphic design software for everyone

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

Xlinesoft

Developer Tools

PHPRunner and ASPRunner.NET: low-code builders that turn databases into web apps

From
$599/one-time
Free plan
No
Visit XlinesoftFull review

The short version

  • Affinity Designer is a professional vector graphics editor.
  • Affinity Designer starts at $69.99 one-off, Xlinesoft at $599 one-off.
  • Only Affinity Designer lists vector drawing; only Xlinesoft lists database to web application.
  • Where Affinity Designer falls short: premium AI features require separate Canva subscription; pricing for those plans not disclosed.
  • Where Xlinesoft falls short: the purchase includes one year of support and upgrades only; after that, newer versions require a paid upgrade.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Affinity Designer and Xlinesoft differ
AttributeAffinity DesignerXlinesoft
Starting price$69.99/one-time$599/one-time
PlatformsWindows, macOS, iOSWindows, macOS, Linux, Web
CategoryDesignDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: pricing model (One-time), free tier (No).

Not yet recorded: founded for Xlinesoft.

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 Xlinesoft

  • Database to web application
  • Page Designer and themes
  • Events, custom code and AI assistance
  • Security and dynamic permissions
  • Reports, charts and dashboards
  • Wide database support
  • Enterprise authentication
  • Application templates and plugins

What people use each for

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

Affinity Designer

  • Logo designnot Xlinesoft
  • Vector illustrationnot Xlinesoft
  • Icon designnot Xlinesoft
  • Brandingnot Xlinesoft

Xlinesoft

  • Building an internal web application on top of an existing SQL databasenot Affinity Designer
  • Replacing a Microsoft Access application with a browser-based onenot Affinity Designer
  • Creating admin interfaces and customer or partner portals with role-based accessnot Affinity Designer
  • Agencies and freelancers delivering self-hosted database applications to clientsnot Affinity Designer
  • Teams that need low-code tooling but must keep applications on their own serversnot 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

Xlinesoft

  • The purchase includes one year of support and upgrades only; after that, newer versions require a paid upgrade
  • Multiple database connections, REST API connections and single sign-on through Active Directory, Okta or SAML are Enterprise-only, which raises the price from $599 to $999 per developer
  • Self-hosted only. Hosting, database administration, backups, runtime updates and access-control configuration remain the customer's job, as Xlinesoft's own product facts page states
  • Applications built on Microsoft Access require a Windows web server
  • PHPRunner and ASPRunner.NET are separate products with separate licences, so moving a project between PHP and .NET is not covered by one purchase

Pricing, plan by plan

Affinity Designer

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

Xlinesoft

$599/one-time
  • PHPRunner Professional$599 one-off
    • Single developer licence
    • Core application-building product
    • One year of email support and upgrades
  • PHPRunner Enterprise Edition$999 one-off
    • Single developer licence
    • Multiple database and REST API connections
    • Data encryption
  • PHPRunner MultiDev Edition$3,599 one-off
    • Three Enterprise Edition licences
    • Multiple developers working on the same project at the same time
    • One year of email support and upgrades
  • ASPRunner.NET Professional$599 one-off
    • Generates ASP.NET web applications
    • Same database coverage and security model as PHPRunner
    • Enterprise Edition available

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 Xlinesoft if

  • You need database to web application.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, Web.
  • You also want page designer and themes.
Xlinesoft review

Questions people ask

Is Affinity Designer or Xlinesoft better?
Neither clearly leads. Affinity Designer starts at $69.99/one-time and Xlinesoft at $599/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Affinity Designer or Xlinesoft?
Affinity Designer starts at $69.99/one-time and Xlinesoft at $599/one-time.
Does Affinity Designer or Xlinesoft run on more platforms?
Affinity Designer runs on Windows, macOS, iOS. Xlinesoft runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Web.
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 Xlinesoft is typically brought in for.
What can Affinity Designer do that Xlinesoft cannot?
Affinity Designer covers Vector drawing, Bezier tools, Gradient tools, Typography. Xlinesoft covers Database to web application, Page Designer and themes, Events, custom code and AI assistance, Security and dynamic permissions.

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
Xlinesoft: How much does PHPRunner cost?

PHPRunner Professional is $599, Enterprise Edition is $999 and MultiDev Edition, which includes three Enterprise licences, is $3,599. Professional and Enterprise prices are per developer, and each purchase includes one year of email support and free upgrades.

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
Xlinesoft: Which databases does PHPRunner support?

MySQL, MariaDB, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Microsoft Access, IBM DB2, Informix, SQLite and ODBC-compatible databases. Using multiple database connections in one project is an Enterprise Edition feature.

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
Xlinesoft: Is there a free trial?

Yes. PHPRunner can be downloaded and evaluated for 21 days, and public live demos show the generated applications, with add, edit and delete disabled.

Source
Xlinesoft: Where do PHPRunner applications run?

On your own web server. The documented options are Apache and Microsoft IIS with a compatible PHP runtime and database extensions, and a built-in web server is available for local testing. The development application itself runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Source
Xlinesoft: What does the Enterprise Edition add?

Multiple database and REST API connections, data encryption, and enterprise authentication including Active Directory, Okta, Azure AD, OpenID and SAML, on top of all Professional features.

Source
Xlinesoft: What is ASPRunner.NET?

Xlinesoft's equivalent builder for ASP.NET. It generates database-driven ASP.NET web applications with the same kind of forms, reports, charts, permissions and Page Designer, and is sold separately from $599.

Source
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