backj

I use both affinity and canva. Affinity for pretty much everything design wise and canva for quick social media / animation elements and collaboration.
I have the pro version of canva due to the charity status upgrade they offered (I do a lot of volunteer work), I use it for quick social media templates (99% of elements I've made, 1% of stock, 0% AI), the animation elements of it and the collaboration features because I need to share items with members that dont have any experience in design. But I wouldnt pay for it if I had to.
The best outcome would be they keep Affinity as a paid licence software set and not subscription based and V3 brings animation and collaboration elements and groups.
I dont think they'd go subscription based, it just wouldnt survive with adobe, so the most likely outcome is affinity dissolves and canva inherits all of the affinity elements.

My two cents is that Canva just decided to go all in on competing with Adobe Express; and instead of creating their own creative tools, they bought some. Tools like Express and Canvas are a really big deal in my space, higher ed. Nearly every institution either has one of these two (or a competitor) or is planning to implement one (we certainly are at this Tier 1 research university). I'm hopeful that Canva has more money to throw at feature requests we've been asking for for a long time because of their need to compete directly with Adobe. Time will tell of course.
I'm still with all of you skeptics on whether their pricing model will be retained; I hope if they do add a subscription it'll be part of the Canva subscription many are already paying. And the apps will still be available for purchase individually for non-canvas users. That's my hope at least.

This is the sad truth that they think won’t really happen. They will convince themselves that they’ll keep enough of the user base. Wrong. Affinity built its user base on trust and an ethical pricing model. Canva has neither of those.

We have used PagePlus/Affinity Publisher for many years. Our appreciation for the non-subscription model was beyond measure and a key factor in our faithfulness to the Affinity team.
Since we work on projects with others across the country, each person having their own one-off license and coordination of efforts was perfect. However, within minutes of today's announcement team members began sending messages of discouragement.
It doesn't seem to take much imagination to read the message for what it seems to actually say. We surely hope we are not reading into the recent Affinity announcement any more than what was intended.

😱It is clear that the Affinity suite will eventually migrate to a subscription model, as this is Canvas' business model.
😱In other words, there's nothing planned after version 2.

Hi All,

I am thrilled to announce that Affinity is joining the Canva family.
This is a moment of great excitement, anticipation, and profound gratitude for all of you who have been part of our story so far. 
We know that those of you who’ve put your faith in Affinity, some since we launched our very first Mac app, will have questions about what this means for the future of our products. Since the inception of Affinity, our mission has been to empower creatives with tools that unleash their full potential, fostering a community where innovation and artistry flourish. We've worked tirelessly to challenge the status quo, delivering professional-grade creative software that is both accessible and affordable. 
None of that changes today.
In Canva, we’ve found a kindred spirit who can help us take Affinity to new levels. Their extra resources will mean we can deliver much more, much faster. Beyond that, we can forge new horizons for Affinity products, opening up a world of possibilities which previously would never have been achievable. 
Canva’s revolutionary approach to design democratisation and commitment to empowering everyone to create aligns perfectly with our core values and vision. This union is a testament to what can be achieved when two companies that share a common goal of making design accessible and enjoyable for everyone come together. 
I want to express my deepest gratitude to our incredible Affinity team. Your passion, dedication, and relentless pursuit of excellence have been the driving force behind our success so far, and I can’t wait to continue this journey with you all. 
To our loyal users and the creative community, your support and feedback have been invaluable. You’ve inspired us to push boundaries and continuously improve, and we’re excited to embark on this new chapter together. 
The future is bright, and I am incredibly excited to continue our story together and create a world where design is within everyone's reach.
With heartfelt thanks,
Ash
For more information...
We have made four pledges to the Affinity community which you can read here. We have included some FAQs at the bottom of the announcement article here. A video message from me with some more background is on YouTube here. This announcement post is locked, but I have included a duplicate of it in the questions forum here which you can respond to.