Can Affinity Designer Actually Replace Illustrator?

Is Affinity Designer ready to replace Illustrator for flat sketching?

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I finally took some time after the semester wrapped to put Affinity’s Pen tool to the test, and the results were . . . interesting.

After hearing about Affinity Designer for months (and now that it’s free), I wanted to see whether it could realistically replace the OG tool fashion designers rely on: Adobe Illustrator.

In this week’s YouTube video, I walk through a real flat-sketching workflow step-by-step, from building the tee shirt outline, to stitching, reflecting, and creating closed shapes, and compare how Affinity stacks up.

Here are a few quick takeaways:

🔹 Interface: Familiar and intuitive if you already use Illustrator.
🔹 Editing curves: Honestly more intuitive in some ways, but the Pen tool still isn’t as smooth.
🔹 Stitching workflow: Affinity falls short here; you can’t easily copy parts of a line.
🔹 Shape Builder: Great to see it included, but without gap detection, precision becomes tedious.
🔹 Pantone colors: Surprisingly, Affinity still has them, something Illustrator no longer includes.

My verdict?​
Affinity is a solid option for basic flat sketching, but for professional apparel designers, especially those working in or aiming for industry roles, Illustrator is still the standard, and the efficiency gains matter.

​Watch the full comparison on the 383 Design Studio YouTube channel.

Let me know in the comments: Would YOU switch to Affinity for flat sketching? Why or why not?