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Photography · head to head

Affinity Photo vs Nik Collection

Affinity Photo logo

Affinity Photo

Photography

Professional photo editing software

From
$69.99/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Nik Collection logo

Nik Collection

Photography

Plugin suite of specialised editing tools, black and white, HDR, colour effects, sold as a one-time purchase by DxO

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Affinity Photo version 2.0 required a full repurchase after seven years, breaking the perpetual license promise made to earlier users; Nik Collection it is a finishing plugin suite, not a RAW editor, so it needs Photoshop, Lightroom Classic or DxO PhotoLab installed to use its full feature set.
  • They diverge on capability: Affinity Photo covers Photo editing, Nik Collection covers Silver Efex Pro.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Affinity Photo and Nik Collection actually diverge.

Attributes where Affinity Photo and Nik Collection differ
AttributeAffinity PhotoNik Collection
Starting price$69.99/one-timeOn request
Pricing modelone-timeOne-time purchase
PlatformsmacOS, Windows, iPadWindows, macOS
Founded1987Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Photography).

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 Photo

  • Photo editing
  • RAW processing
  • Non-destructive editing
  • AI enhancement
  • Retouching tools
  • Batch processing
  • Vector support
  • HDR tools

Only in Nik Collection

  • Silver Efex Pro
  • Color Efex Pro
  • HDR Efex Pro
  • Analog Efex Pro
  • Viveza
  • Host and standalone modes

What people use each for

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

Affinity Photo

  • Photo editingnot Nik Collection
  • RAW processingnot Nik Collection
  • Retouchingnot Nik Collection
  • Digital photographynot Nik Collection

Nik Collection

  • A Lightroom Classic user who wants Silver Efex specifically for black and white conversionnot Affinity Photo
  • A DxO PhotoLab user finishing landscape work with HDR Efex tone mappingnot Affinity Photo
  • A photographer building a vintage film look with Analog Efex on top of a standard RAW editnot Affinity Photo
  • Someone who wants a one-time purchase finishing toolkit rather than adding another subscription to an existing editing stacknot Affinity Photo

Where each one falls short

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

Affinity Photo

  • Version 2.0 required a full repurchase after seven years, breaking the perpetual license promise made to earlier users
  • Affinity Photo was discontinued in October 2025 and replaced by freemium Affinity application
  • No subscription model means no cloud storage or automatic backups like Photoshop Creative Cloud

Nik Collection

  • It is a finishing plugin suite, not a RAW editor, so it needs Photoshop, Lightroom Classic or DxO PhotoLab installed to use its full feature set.
  • Standalone mode has fewer capabilities than running it through a host application, which is not always obvious to a first-time buyer.
  • New major versions are paid upgrades, so the true multi-year cost is higher than the one-time headline price suggests for users who upgrade every release.
  • It does not integrate with Lightroom cloud-based (non-Classic) or with Capture One, narrowing which existing workflows can use it as a plugin.
  • Since DxO acquisition from Google, some of the individual Efex tools have seen slower feature development than dedicated competitors like Topaz for specific tasks such as noise reduction.

Pricing, plan by plan

Affinity Photo

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

Nik Collection

On request
  • Nik Collection$159/one-time
    • Lifetime licence, no subscription
    • Runs as a plugin or standalone application
    • Upgrade pricing offered to existing owners for future versions

Which should you pick?

Choose Affinity Photo if

  • You need photo editing.
  • You work on macOS, Windows, iPad.
  • You also want raw processing.
Affinity Photo review

Choose Nik Collection if

  • You need silver efex pro.
  • You work on Windows, macOS.
  • You also want color efex pro.
Nik Collection review

Questions people ask

Is Affinity Photo or Nik Collection better?
Neither clearly leads. Affinity Photo starts at $69.99/one-time and Nik Collection at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Affinity Photo or Nik Collection?
Affinity Photo starts at $69.99/one-time and Nik Collection at On request.
Does Affinity Photo or Nik Collection run on more platforms?
Affinity Photo runs on macOS, Windows, iPad. Nik Collection runs on Windows, macOS.
What is Affinity Photo best used for?
Affinity Photo is most often used for photo editing, raw processing, retouching, digital photography. Of those, photo editing and raw processing are not what Nik Collection is typically brought in for.
What can Affinity Photo do that Nik Collection cannot?
Affinity Photo covers Photo editing, RAW processing, Non-destructive editing, AI enhancement. Nik Collection covers Silver Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, HDR Efex Pro, Analog Efex Pro.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Affinity Photo: Does Affinity Photo include RAW editing?

Yes, Affinity Photo includes non-destructive RAW photo editing and development capabilities for photographers working with RAW image formats.

Source
Nik Collection: Is Nik Collection a subscription?

No, DxO sells it as a lifetime licence with optional paid upgrades for future versions.

Nik Collection: Do I need Photoshop or Lightroom to use it?

It works best as a plugin inside Photoshop, Lightroom Classic or DxO PhotoLab, but it also has a smaller-featured standalone mode.

Nik Collection: What is Nik Collection best for specifically?

Black and white conversion through Silver Efex and HDR tone mapping through HDR Efex are its most distinctive tools.

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