iMatt

On a Mac? Then give Quick and Easy Web Builder a consideration. Only $45. I use WYSIWYG Web Builder (Windows only) from the same developer and Affinity Designer and Photo work very well with it.

Less than 20 seconds here in UK

£90 quid for all three apps on multiple platforms plus all the v2 updates in the future, I'd say that was a damn good deal, you'd spend that having a meal, you spend that and more on a night on the town and not bat an eyelid. Sometimes you need to gain a little perspective and I think you will later regret the refund and the missing out of the 40% offer on the table at the moment, but, it's your choice.

But they are still supporting V1, aren't they? From the announcement linked above: 
Personally, I found the V2 universal licence plus the 40% discount a worthwhile investment since previously I only paid for the Mac V1 licence. It's also important to me to support companies that are steadfastly against subscriptions, especially this company that is taking on the likes of Adobe. But, that's just me. 

Hi All,
Well, it’s been a pretty crazy week since the launch of V2!
This has been a real labour of love for us over the last year or so, and I can’t even begin to describe how hard the development team have worked on it. Not only getting the V2 apps launched, but also of course finally bringing Publisher to iPad. 
With this being our first paid-for upgrade there has understandably been a lot of feedback / questions around future updates and our pricing policies. I thought it was worth addressing / clarifying our position on some of these personally...
Updates to V2 moving forward
Buying V2 not only gets you all the new features you have seen, but we have various updates planned – including many more new features and improvements – which you will get for free. This will continue until such a time that V3 is released. We’re not sure exactly when V3 will be, but I can confirm we are not going to move to anything as regular as an annual upgrade cycle as has been speculated.
It’s worth saying too that V2 does include many under-the-hood changes to our underlying technology, and we have also been investing in several new areas of research recently. Some of these haven’t manifested themselves into new features yet, but overall V2 does give us a better platform to develop on moving forward and I’m sure you will be pleased with the updates V2 will receive.
Updates to V1 moving forward
While we did say on the FAQ that V1 would no longer receive any updates, I want to clarify that was about new feature updates. We will be updating V1 to fix any critical problems caused by operating system updates in the future. So if the next version of macOS breaks V1 we will endeavour to fix it. There will be a point in time when continuing to maintain V1 in this way will not be tenable, but certainly for the foreseeable future we will continue to patch. In fact, we have an update to V1 queued up for release very shortly with some fixes for Ventura and issues caused by a recent Windows security / quality update. 
We will update our FAQ shortly to make that clearer for everyone.
Offer period
In case you didn’t see, I’m pleased to confirm we have decided to run this initial launch offer until 14th December to give everyone the best chance possible to get it if they wish / have a decent amount of time to trial it. 
Upgrade pricing
It’s been really hard to see some of the comments about us not looking after our existing customers – we’re pretty devasted that anyone feels like that to be honest. But the fact is we felt our hands were tied somewhat with being able to offer upgrade pricing in a fair way. The main reason for this was App Store customers (which make up around 35% of our userbase). The problems with that are two-fold: firstly, we didn’t have a way from within V1 to validate an App Store purchase receipt to reliably ensure customers who were entitled to an upgrade could get one; and secondly, we could not find a good way for people to get that discount via the App Store. Us pushing upgrade customers to go exclusively via our own site (including customers who were previously acquired via the app stores) may also have put us in violation of App Store Ts & Cs which we were obviously concerned about.
I’m not saying that these issues were completely insurmountable, but any solutions we came up with would be messy, and most importantly could have resulted in some bona fide V1 customers struggling to get validated and claim their discount. We certainly don’t have the support resource here if we ended up needing to manually validate tens of thousands of receipts for example.
The only option we felt was safe to move forward with was a general launch offer, which would guarantee that every V1 customer could get the discount, whether they purchased directly through us or the App Stores. We knew a side effect of that would mean some new customers would end up receiving that same discount – but we felt that was a better option than V1 customers missing out. It’s also worth saying that while there has been some good press about V2, all our main marketing has been via email and through social media to our followers. In other words, we felt ok about it because we knew the vast majority of people who would find out about it or take advantage of the offer would be existing customers. I would be surprised if over the offer period customers upgrading from V1 didn’t make up more than 90% of our sales.
Overall I do believe us giving a 40% discount, along with the addition of the new Universal Licence of course, is offering fantastic value for money for those who want to upgrade. 
However, taking on board some of the feedback there is something extra we can do – we will offer a new free bundle of content exclusively for V1 customers upgrading to V2 as an extra thank you for your support. I’ve seen this suggested by a number of customers and it’s a great idea as it does remove the App Store conflict entirely. 
We’ll need a little time to put something together, but all customers who previously registered or purchased V1 and have since upgraded to V2 will receive a voucher code for this via email as soon as we can.
A comment on no subscription
I do want to say that some of the points above are exactly the reason why software companies move to subscription. Whatever you do with upgrade pricing, you still have the issue of customers who bought the previous version 3 months ago vs. those who have had it 2+ years. Offering perpetual licences also gives the additional overhead of needing to maintain the previous version longer than you would if everyone was on subscription / generally always on the latest version.
We are a small team so some of these complications are not ideal — all we really want to do is focus on developing our latest codebase, push out regular updates and continue with our mission to make great creative software accessible to everyone. 
But it does need to be funded somehow. We know you love our no-subscription model, but there also needs to be a level of appreciation that the alternative is having paid-for upgrades from time to time. That unfortunately comes with its own problems.
All of that said, I have to say we have been blown away with the response to V2 - around 3 times as many people have upgraded in the last week than we expected - and we really can't thank you enough for the support you have shown. More than anything the success of this upgrade puts us in a great place to continue investing heavily in development which is ultimately what it's all about, and we’re super excited to crack on with some great updates coming next year!
All the best,
Ash

Just my 2 cents. Initially I thought, why no upgrade pricing for existing V1 customers. I bought Photo through the Apple store in 2015 I think and then Designer and Publisher on their website so they could save the Apple charge. I also bought the 3 books accompanying it, in 2020-2021. Good resources.
But I understand their reasoning about pricing, and why should I want a deeper discount or be jealous that a new customer gets a good price? For the suite price of ca. EUR 119 you get good apps on your iPad too, that will last you quite a few years. I will purchase it this week on their website again, to save the Apple charge.
If they want to do something extra for V1 users, a free upgrade to the book with the new features would be appreciated. Like a free PDF or else only charge a shipping fee plus small markup for the updated books.
 

Yes, always buy from the developer when possible. When you buy/subscribe from the app store then apple just gets a big chunk of the money. So any time there is an alternative to buy or subscribe outside the app store(s) avoid the "app store".
The only real exception is sometimes software vendors, especially with games, will sell a bunch of license keys to a reseller who discounts them or something.

THANK YOU SERIF!
Thank you for the helpful new features, for the aesthetically and meaningfully redesigned interface, and for the promising prospect of exciting updates due to the reprogrammed environment.
 
COMMUNICATION
I appreciate Ash's answer! Serif shows the ability to learn and act accordingly. We are listened to, we are informed openly and they try to accommodate us benevolently. There's no reason we shouldn't behave the same way.
Important questions have been answered in the forum and revised in the FAQs. They are working on providing us with an additional installation method if required and in the forum they provided us with interim solutions quite quickly. An additional package for the upgraders will be provided, which is very nice given the already fair price.   
UPGRADE PRICE OVERREACTIONS
I understand the rationale behind the expressed desire for price differentiation between V1 owners and new customers, especially if they bought V1 just a few months before. But the oversized drama of some users, who even carry their frustration so extensively beyond the borders of this forum into the www (as already seen), I find questionable in view of Serif's courteous reactions.
Given the quality of the tools at such a human price point and without the obligation to subscribe, one might also choose to smile happily at the creative opportunities that are available to us over the long term.
Our concerns have been answered and Serif is already working to accommodate us. Plunge wildly into the wonderful creative work, enjoy the new features and stop complaining! We are holding a great piece of software in our hands... 

Also just wanted to say for those v1 users complaining about not getting an upgrade discount - It's great that new and old users are getting a big 40% discount..
More New customers = More Money = More funds for development and hiring = More features and improvements = BETTER FOR EVERYONE!
 

Sadly, there are few places where I have seen more entitlement. Imagine if that energy was spent building a profitable business such that this tiny cost would not even enter your mind. But that thinking is what separates those at the top from the rest.
Anyway, a couple of points:
- Studio Link - It's awesome. Try to live without it....
- It sounds like a lot of people have never dealt with Adode support before. Serif provides white-glove/silver service compared to Adobe. Adobe literally have the most useless, incompetent, clueless support I have encountered in my life. They still charge the earth though.
- Happy to pay for the upgrade. But I do like the 'asset bundle' gift gesture, as a little something for V1 users, whenever. May I suggest a really nice bunch of professional icon sets?

I just want to say, first hi affinity family. I'm a new member! Just gonna give my two cents about this whole drama being outside. It is what it is.
I've been following affinity since inception, but never bought it. Even tho i recommend it i wasnt in a position to buy it. Once I saw the re-edit of the apps even tho there wasnt much new new features i knew this only could meant great things are coming. *I hope*. And im taking you on your word @Ash. I bought it after 2hours trying the trials. And since i knew the software i since can say replacing the one that shall not be named is at 95% with 4 features i'll maybe write here in the future that I find extremely lacking for a professional set as my own. (Im a 2D 3D designer, also code and work with tradicional design agencies).

So given that. I can tell you guys I maybe the odd one out but I legit use the 3 softwares at work (Win, Mac, iOS) so for me this software at 120€ for 3 diff OS's seams a steal and I feel bad paying so little. So ill be sure to be more supportive in the future.
Althought im not an early adopter, and I cant talk about how you *the ones that are complaining the most*, the price of the apps, the license, even if you buy it separate, as no competition whatsoever. So i agree when everyone feels kind of betrayed for the same price for everyone, the lack of communication but this is what serif as to work on: communication. You hear me @Ash !
Tho for me personally seeing many complaining about prices when - however u see it - are super competitive , felt a bit of bad taste. But guess thats the consequence of bad communication and not actions. Cus the software price for function seems fair, even given that minor updates are free.
For me personally i'd pay 40, 30 20% at lunch of major revisions without a blink for it and embrace that new users can use our dedication to enter the family. Making this about you *the ones that are complaining the most*, is just selfish... you want a company to thrive not to cater to a niche.

Thats my lil rant given all i saw. But feel free to put me in my place.

Anyway, hope everyone can at the end of the day, not see it for the money, and see it as new members floading in helping to get more funding to keep this project running.

P.S. i for one convinced my boss to buy the whole pack for himself even tho he only gonna use Photo from day to day on a mac.

As an amateur user I'd prefer to get a special upgrade price rather than special launch offer addressed to everyone and time-limited. As I clarified i my topic about the upgrade I don't consider currently provided new tools or functions essential. I'd prefer to wait what happens in the future and then buy an upgrade for guaranteed lowered price, because I have no incomes from using AP.
BUT I UNDERSTAND Serif motivation, I understand that forcing people to buy upgrade outside the AppStore would be extremely risky and stupid.
I also understand that my personal perspective is specific. Other companies require regular payments each year and it seems that people have much less problem with this.
As for the price - some comments are really ridiculous. I'm from one of the Central European countries. Sure, we are not as poor as many other nations, but still definitely not as wealthy as people in Germany, Switzerland or Netherlands. Still single Affinity app in launch offer costs less than single computer game, less than one pair of well known brand jeans (actually, depending on the brand, 30-70% less!) or less than my recent ophthalmologist visit which lasted ten minutes ;)...
Sure, as a hobbyist I understand that we're less willing to pay for something which isn't necessary, but when professional users, some of them still paying for Adobe, claim that Affinity price is too high for their budget... that must be trolling.
So, let's stay serious and If we do criticize, let it be constructive criticism.

Sorry, but the Affinity apps never had this tradition and in many cases people need to purchase updates in much shorter times and sometimes have to change to subscriptions or higher prices …

I can't get my head around the enormous fuss being made in some quarters about V2 pricing. Let's say there are two issues, money and principle.

1. Money. A discounted universal licence gets you 9 apps for €120, or €13 each. Pro users will almost certainly be able to claim the vat back, reducing the cost to around €10. Individual upgrades cost €49 (€39 ex-vat). Amazing value.

Even if Serif were able offer an additional  discount to V1 upgraders, it would not amount to much more than a tenner or so. In absolute terms, the sum involved with additional discounts would be very small.

Not enough to justify the fuss.

2. The principle. This seems to be that V1 upgraders should get preferential treatment. Right or wrong, app store policies prevent Serif from doing that. So they have two options: everybody gets a discount or nobody gets a discount. As a V1 upgrader who got a discount, I'm glad they chose first option. It's sign of generosity, not disloyalty to customers.

I wish this forum could get back on track to being a more reasonable space.

Ich habe Affinity V1 am 16.12.2016 für 1cent weniger als 40Euro gekauft, was habe ich einen Spass gehabt mit der V1, jetzt mit der V2 habe ich auch schon viel versucht und sage gut geworden!
Weiter so und sich nicht irre machen lassen von Kritik, viele wollen ein zweites PS aber das ist falsch gedacht. Arbeitet euch ein auf Affinity V2 und vergesst Eure Arbeitsweise mit PS. 
Affinity kann mehr wenn man sich eingearbeitet hat!
I bought Affinity V1 on December 16th, 2016 for 1 cent less than 40 euros, what fun I had with the V1, now with the V2 I have already tried a lot and say it turned out well!
Keep it up and don't be fooled by criticism, many want a second PS but that's wrong. Familiarize yourself with Affinity V2 and forget working with PS.
Affinity can do more once you've got the hang of it!
Wer sich beschweren will bitte direkt an Affinity und nicht ins Forum!
If you want to complain, please contact Affinity directly and not in the forum! 

V2 will install and work alongside V1  so your argument fails.
Buy V2 now, install it but continue to use V1 untill you feel V2 is stable.

I am using V2 and it does not feel like a beta.
What makes you say it is a beta? Have you downloaded it and installed it?

Not "every software company" does what you suggest.  Many don't
You are not being attacked by "rich people"
You haven't wasted any money on V1 because V1 still works and does what you paid for. You haven't lost anything.
You got a good deal on V1, it still works and will continue to work.
It is better value than any other system out there.

The time before V1 and V2 is about 8 years.
Even if V3 comes out in 5 months V2 (like V1) will continue to work and NOT be obsolete. None of its functionality will cease.
Though V3 is liky to be at least 5 years out.  I bought V1 (without a discount) 11 months before V2 came out.
NOTE I was still using Adobe CS6 from 11 years ago (untill I bought Afinity V1 a year ago)  because I can't afford the Adobe subscription  service.
Serif periodically do discounts of 25% and 30% at least twice a year so you can get V2 later..  There is no rush as you are not using affinity in business.

Life is what it is and it isn't fair. However Affinity do a very good job of producing very good software at a very low price. They get in 99% right.

When Serif first released APhoto I was offered a discounted price to buy it. I was certainly not an existing or loyal user at the time.
I took up their offer and have used the software ever since to do my work and make loads of money over the years.
Now they are offering me and new users 40% off for the next Version of their software.
That seems to me that Serif are rewarding their existing customers and allowing the next generation of users to get the same opportunities and earnings potential that I got many years ago

Why should new users not also be given the same opportunity I had, many years ago, to get the software at a discounted price?
If your sole argument is that you should have got a better discount than new users you are shooting yourself in the foot.
The bigger discount Serif offers to new users the more will purchase it and Serif can grow quicker and thus implement all the fixes and new features we all want

"Be careful what you wish for" and "Don't cut off your nose to smite your face" are two phrases that spring to mind

If you claim to be loyal customers then you should be supporting anything that helps Serif grow not whinging on like a 12 year old child that believes he should get better/bigger Christmas presents than his 10 year old brother because he was the first born.
Some people need to grow up and see the bigger picture

This reminds me similar stupidity, when people were outraged at game company because they thought game will be exclusive for their console but later was announced for PC as well. So somehow this was bad and they were outraged, wanted refund pre-orders.... Because others were about to get to play this game too and they wanted it just for themselves...
People are just weird species.

But they do get a reduced price. So what if new users also get the same deal? How is that discriminating against V1 users?

Hi all. Thanks for your patience over the weekend when our offices were closed.
We've had a meeting this morning and decided to ALSO offer MSI installers to those people who would like them. I can't tell you when this will happen, as there is engineering work that will be required to allow this to happen, but we hope it won't be long.
Thanks for your feedback!

Just purchased for the all in price of £89.99 for all progs on all current platforms!

There are lots and lots of basic questions being posted here. @Alex_M, @saikat, @Wuuu (Welcome to the forums), @dude123
 and to all other new posters today
If you have questions about the software please make new threads in the Questions Forum.
 
This thread was created to discuss the possibility of 2.0 being launched. We now know it has been, so this thread has served it's purpose. This thread is now locked 

Just purchased for the all in price of £89.99 for all progs on all current platforms!

Usually, companies that have no new ideas to offer, accept the subscription model.