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Publishing · head to head

Affinity Publisher vs Samsung Food

Affinity Publisher logo

Affinity Publisher

Publishing

Desktop page layout application, free since the Affinity range was relaunched by Canva

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Samsung Food logo

Samsung Food

Productivity

Recipe and grocery list app, formerly Whisk, rebranded after Samsung acquisition and integrated with Samsung appliances

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Affinity Publisher it cannot open native InDesign documents, only IDML exports, so inherited client archives either come across imperfectly or have to be rebuilt from scratch.; Samsung Food the appliance integration, its most distinctive feature, is only useful to someone who owns compatible Samsung kitchen hardware.
  • They diverge on capability: Affinity Publisher covers Master pages and text flow, Samsung Food covers Recipe import.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Affinity Publisher and Samsung Food actually diverge.

Attributes where Affinity Publisher and Samsung Food differ
AttributeAffinity PublisherSamsung Food
Pricing modelFree, no licence feeFree, no subscription
PlatformsmacOS, Windows, iPadOSiOS, Android, Web
CategoryPublishingProductivity

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Publisher

  • Master pages and text flow
  • Prepress output
  • Unified application
  • IDML import
  • Data merge
  • Cross platform files

Only in Samsung Food

  • Recipe import
  • Automatic grocery list generation
  • AI meal suggestions
  • Samsung appliance integration
  • Nutrition information
  • Shared lists

What people use each for

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

Affinity Publisher

  • Freelance designers and small studios that cannot justify a monthly page layout subscriptionnot Samsung Food
  • In-house marketing teams producing brochures, reports and price lists for commercial printnot Samsung Food
  • Print buyers who need to check and correct supplied artwork without a design suite licencenot Samsung Food
  • Schools, charities and community publishers where a zero licence cost decides the toolnot Samsung Food

Samsung Food

  • Someone who owns Samsung kitchen appliances and wants recipes to send settings directly to the ovennot Affinity Publisher
  • A household wanting a shared grocery list that builds itself from saved recipesnot Affinity Publisher
  • A home cook who saves recipes from social media and wants ingredients turned into a shopping list automaticallynot Affinity Publisher
  • Someone who previously used Whisk and needs to know it is the same product under a new namenot Affinity Publisher

Where each one falls short

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

Affinity Publisher

  • It cannot open native InDesign documents, only IDML exports, so inherited client archives either come across imperfectly or have to be rebuilt from scratch.
  • There is no scripting or plugin interface, so studios that automate catalogue or variable data production still need InDesign alongside it.
  • Signing in through a Canva account is now part of using the free application, which is a problem for regulated or offline environments that forbid cloud accounts.
  • The roadmap belongs to Canva, and the 2025 relaunch already reset the licence model that earlier perpetual buyers paid for, so long-term direction is outside your control.
  • Commercial printers and freelance collaborators still expect InDesign packages, so handoff usually means delivering flattened PDFs rather than editable files.

Samsung Food

  • The appliance integration, its most distinctive feature, is only useful to someone who owns compatible Samsung kitchen hardware.
  • The rebrand from Whisk to Samsung Food in 2023 means older references, saved links or bookmarks under the Whisk name can confuse returning users.
  • As a Samsung ecosystem product, its long-term roadmap is tied to Samsung hardware strategy rather than to the grocery list feature on its own.
  • Recipe import from arbitrary websites and social media can be inconsistent depending on how a source page is structured.
  • It lacks some of the granular list customisation, such as manual sorting by store aisle, that dedicated list apps like AnyList and Bring focus on.

Pricing, plan by plan

Affinity Publisher

Free
  • AffinityFree
    • Free for everyone since the 2025 relaunch
    • Layout, vector and photo tools in one application
    • Requires a Canva account to sign in

Samsung Food

Free
  • Samsung FoodFree
    • Recipe import and saving
    • Automatic grocery lists
    • Samsung appliance integration

Which should you pick?

Choose Affinity Publisher if

  • You need master pages and text flow.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on macOS, Windows, iPadOS.
  • You also want prepress output.
Affinity Publisher review

Choose Samsung Food if

  • You need recipe import.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want automatic grocery list generation.
Samsung Food review

Questions people ask

Is Affinity Publisher or Samsung Food better?
Neither clearly leads. Affinity Publisher starts at Free and Samsung Food at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Affinity Publisher or Samsung Food?
Affinity Publisher starts at Free and Samsung Food at Free.
Does Affinity Publisher or Samsung Food run on more platforms?
Affinity Publisher runs on macOS, Windows, iPadOS. Samsung Food runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Affinity Publisher for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Affinity Publisher best used for?
Affinity Publisher is most often used for freelance designers and small studios that cannot justify a monthly page layout subscription, in-house marketing teams producing brochures, reports and price lists for commercial print, print buyers who need to check and correct supplied artwork without a design suite licence, schools, charities and community publishers where a zero licence cost decides the tool. Of those, freelance designers and small studios that cannot justify a monthly page layout subscription and in-house marketing teams producing brochures, reports and price lists for commercial print are not what Samsung Food is typically brought in for.
What can Affinity Publisher do that Samsung Food cannot?
Affinity Publisher covers Master pages and text flow, Prepress output, Unified application, IDML import. Samsung Food covers Recipe import, Automatic grocery list generation, AI meal suggestions, Samsung appliance integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Affinity Publisher: Is Affinity Publisher really free now?

Yes. Since the 2025 relaunch the unified Affinity application is free. Artificial intelligence features need a paid Canva plan.

Samsung Food: Is Samsung Food the same as Whisk?

Yes, Samsung acquired Whisk in 2019 and rebranded it entirely to Samsung Food in August 2023; Whisk no longer exists as a separate app.

Affinity Publisher: Can it open InDesign files?

Only IDML interchange files, and complex layouts lose fidelity. Native INDD files cannot be opened at all.

Samsung Food: Is Samsung Food free?

Yes, it has no subscription or paid tier.

Affinity Publisher: What happened to the perpetual licences people bought?

Canva made the relaunched application free to everyone, which superseded the paid version 2 licence model.

Samsung Food: Do I need Samsung appliances to use it?

No, the core recipe and grocery list features work without them, but appliance integration only works with compatible Samsung hardware.

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