Plot twist! Canva just made another premium tool completely free for creators
I didn't expect this one, but I'll take it

Date:
Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Description:
Canva strips out from its newly acquired professional motion platform, and gives Affinity some big love, too.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Pro Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Cavalry's pro-motion tools are free for all Affinity now lets you send designs direct to your Canva Brand Kit Plus new Affinity integrations with Capture One and DaVinci Resolve I didn't expect this, but Canva has just announced a major piece of creative software is to
be free for everyone.

Following the decision to make Affinity, the popular photo editor and layout designer, free for everyone forever ( I covered the news here ), the parent company has pulled the same trick twice. This time, it's pro-motion software Cavalry that's stripping out subscriptions. All users will now have access to the full range of features for free. Article continues below You may like Affinity by Canva (2026) review: Three design tools in one, all for free -
but is the software an Adobe-killer? CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2026 review Adobe Express and Acrobat are coming for business users in Microsoft 365 Copilot, 'making creativity more accessible to everyone' Free creative tools and new Affinity updates If you haven't heard of Cavalry before, it's 2D animation software loaded with a host of professional tools covering everything from advertising to game design.

Canva acquired the company in February 2026. So, unlike Affinity, which remained in stasis for years after being bought by Canva, the 'buy-out to
free model pipeline' has been rapid with this one.

The service previously offered a free Starter version and a Professional paid-for subscription, which has been scrapped.

On the new launch, Canva's CEO Pro Design, Duncan Clark, said: Motion isn't a nice-to-have anymore, it's a core element of effective design. We're excited to offer every creative access to Cavalry's powerful procedural tools, not just those with a dedicated studio behind them. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

And it's not all, with Affinity getting more love.

The headline feature for the free software is a new Claude connection, delivering new AI and automation tools.

Clark promises these AI-powered extras will "free creatives from incredibly tedious work, the kind of thing that used to eat up an afternoon, so they can spend more time on the creative decisions that actually matter. What to read next Anthropic is giving a bunch of Claude's pro-level AI tools to free
users Apple Creator Studio does a lot right and leans back into creativity Ever thought 'I like my PDF editor but it needs more AI'? Adobe has you covered with a string of new updates launching for Acrobat

Affinity will now support Brand System. This workflow upgrade lets users create designs using the software, before sending them direct to the Brand
Kit in Canva.

Support for Affinity's .af files are also expanding, with Capture One and DaVinci Resolve integrations.

The moves represent a major shift towards offering a full-stack creative service alongside what's being dubbed 'Canva AI 2.0'. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. The best photo editors for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best photo editors 1. Best overall: Adobe Photoshop 2. Best free photo editor: Affinity 3. Best Photoshop & Lightroom alternative: CyberLink PhotoDirector 365



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/plot-twist-canva-just-made-another-premium-tool- completely-free-for-creators-i-didnt-expect-this-one-but-ill-take-it


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