Alternatives · Last reviewed October 12, 2026
Affinity alternatives
Affinity, formerly Affinity Photo and now "by Canva", is a free desktop app for photo editing, design and layout that includes HDR merge, RAW development and batch processing with recordable macros. Real estate photographers look for alternatives when they want presets made for interiors, when the AI features they want sit behind a paid Canva plan, or when they would rather hand off the finish. The closest options are Photomatix Pro, Luminar Neo, darktable and NovaHDR.
We make NovaHDR, one of the alternatives below. We compared Affinity and each alternative on what you get, what you send and price, using each vendor's public pages, checked October 12, 2026.
The alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Price from | How it differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| NovaHDR | Real estate photographers who want a finished, consistent property set without doing every correction | $29 one-time for one property (as of 2026-10) | NovaHDR does the exposure and color pass for you: send a property and get the set back balanced and consistent, $29 one-time for one property. |
| Photomatix Pro | Bracket shooters who want a one-time HDR merge tool | $99 one-time (as of 2026-10) | Photomatix Pro is made for brackets, with interior presets, $99 one-time as of October 2026. |
| Luminar Neo | Photographers who want an HDR merge inside a general photo editor | $129 one-time (as of 2026-10) | Luminar Neo merges up to 10 brackets inside a general editor, from $129 one-time. |
| darktable | Raw shooters who want free, open source software | Free (as of 2026-10) | darktable is free and open source and creates HDR DNGs from raw files. |
What is Affinity?
Affinity is a free Windows and macOS app from Canva covering design, photo editing and page layout. It includes HDR merge, focus merge, RAW develop and batch processing with recordable macros, and needs a Canva account.
Not Canva's web editor: Affinity is a desktop app.
Affinity pricing
Prices as of October 2026, from affinity.studio. Check the vendor for current pricing.
| Product | Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affinity | Affinity | $0 | Free with a Canva account; AI features need Canva premium |
Prices as of 2026-10
What Affinity does well
Free
Affinity says it "really is free", with no restrictions on its tools.
HDR merge and batch macros
HDR merge sits alongside batch processing with recordable macros.
RAW develop
Non-destructive RAW edits with lens profiles and noise reduction.
Where Affinity falls short for finishing property sets
AI features cost extra
Its AI features, including SDR to HDR from a single image, need a Canva premium account.
Needs a Canva account
You sign in with a Canva account.
General purpose
It is a design and photo suite, not a tool made for property sets.
Why real estate photographers look for a Affinity alternative
- Its AI features, such as single image SDR to HDR, are only for Canva premium accounts.
- It requires a Canva account.
- It is a general design and photo app rather than a real estate tool.
The best Affinity alternatives
Ordered from handing off the finish to other tools you would run yourself.
1. NovaHDR
Best for: Real estate photographers who want a finished, consistent property set without doing every correction
How it differs from Affinity: NovaHDR does the exposure and color pass for you: send a property and get the set back balanced and consistent, $29 one-time for one property.
Price: $29 one-time for one property (as of 2026-10)
Limitation: Exposure and color only; JPEG, PNG or WebP in, no RAW or bracket sets
2. Photomatix Pro
Best for: Bracket shooters who want a one-time HDR merge tool
How it differs from Affinity: Photomatix Pro is made for brackets, with interior presets, $99 one-time as of October 2026.
Price: $99 one-time (as of 2026-10)
Limitation: You run the merge and tone mapping yourself
3. Luminar Neo
Best for: Photographers who want an HDR merge inside a general photo editor
How it differs from Affinity: Luminar Neo merges up to 10 brackets inside a general editor, from $129 one-time.
Price: $129 one-time (as of 2026-10)
Limitation: HDR Merge does not batch multiple bracket sets
4. darktable
Best for: Raw shooters who want free, open source software
How it differs from Affinity: darktable is free and open source and creates HDR DNGs from raw files.
Price: Free (as of 2026-10)
Limitation: HDR merge works from raw files on a tripod only
Who should stay with Affinity
- You want a free editor
- You also design flyers or layouts
- You already use Canva
- You are happy to build your own macros
How to try NovaHDR alongside Affinity
Last reviewed October 12, 2026.
- Merge one property in Affinity.
- Export the images as JPEG or PNG.
- Upload them to a NovaHDR property and send it.
- Review the set 24 to 72 hours later.
Does not carry over: Affinity macros; Canva assets
Questions about Affinity alternatives
Is Affinity Photo free now?
Yes. Affinity by Canva says it "really is free", with a Canva account.
Does Affinity have HDR merge?
Affinity's feature list includes HDR merge, focus merge and panorama stitching.
Does Affinity do single-image HDR?
Its September 2026 update lists SDR to HDR from a single image as an AI feature, available with a Canva premium account.
Why pay for NovaHDR if Affinity is free?
Affinity is free software you operate. NovaHDR is for time back: you hand off the last exposure and color pass instead of making every correction yourself.
Sources
Recheck public pages before making a buying decision. Spotted an error? Email support@novahdr.com and we will correct it.
Checked 2026-10-12
Your next client handoff
Free software still takes your time
Hand off the exposure and color pass and move on to the next property.
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