Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad
Page layout design, publishing
How much does Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad cost?
Prices are current as of 1 Oct 2026.
1 one-time purchase from $0.00
In the United States, Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad has 1 one-time purchase with no price on record yet.
| Product | Price |
|---|---|
| Publisher 2 for iPad License | $0.00 |
10+ alternatives to Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad
| Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad |   Concepts |  Adobe Illustrator: Graphic Art |   Linearity Curve Graphic Design |   Nomad Sculpt |   Vector & SVG Maker - Assembly |   Artstudio Pro: Draw, Paint |  Mental Canvas Draw |   Pixquare - Pixel Art Studio |   Resprite: pixel art studio |   AmberDraw: Animated Drawing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating / 5 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.4 |
| Reviews | 4.3K | 182K | 128K | 77K | 63K | 44K | 23K | 11K | 9.5K | 5.4K | 1.1K |
| Released | 2022 | 2012 | 2020 | 2017 | 2020 | 2015 | 2017 | 2021 | 2023 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Monthly price | — | $4.99 | $9.99 | $14.99 | — | $4.99 | — | $9.99 | — | $1.99 | $1.99 |
| Annual price | — | $29.99 | $79.99 | $74.99 | — | $29.99 | $3.49 | $89.99 | — | $14.99 | $9.99 |
| One-time price | — | $3.99 | — | — | $15.99 | $9.99 | $14.99 | — | $12.99 | $19.99 | — |
The going rate for each plan in United States, in its own currency, shaded from the cheapest price on the row to the dearest. Plans fewer than four in ten of the priced apps sell are left out.
Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad reviews
4.6 out of 5, based on 4,316 reviews.
What people like
- One-time purchase is much better than subscriptions.
- Works beautifully on iPad without a computer.
- Professional layout tools at a fair price.
What they complain about
- It crashes and lags constantly.
- Printing settings are broken and wrong.
- Keyboard shortcuts do not work well.
- No support for Arabic or Persian text.
Ugh!
You guys are taking foreeeever to release the new iPad update! I’m melting here guys!!
4 hours lost to trying to find how to insert page numbers
mostly fine; mostly functional; I have a high aptitude for new software adoption. However in all my years of using software…. 20 plus years I have never encountered something as difficult as inserting a page number … this should be one of the most straightforward simple and essential things in publishing software and instead it left me mind boggled; bouncing between help forums and youtube videos. Everyone referenced buttons I do not see at all nor can find. I lost many many hours trying to find a way to insert page numbers and honestly after this experience I will no longer be using any software made by Affinity.
I can still access my paid version
Update: I found a notice in my account button saying “your license is active and will never expire”, so despite the ‘get’ button for in-app purchases being active, the app DOES recognize my previous purchases, yay. I bought the entire suite of apps when they were on sale. I am not happy that these apps appear to have since moved to a subscription model, but I am happy that as of now they are recognizing I bought an earlier version with no need to buy in-app purchases. Thank you for that.
Frustratingly hard work.
I have considerable experience with various publishing software but recently bought this for personal home use. I am finding it hit and miss as to whether I can place pictures, and having spent time setting the font speciations, I start typing and it just seems to do want it wants. And where is the undo?
Good but buggy
Can be frustrating as its not stable. Quite often i have to re start the app. On Two occasions ive had to delete and re install. Even scrolling through the font list on an M4 ipad Pro is laggy and quite often the names get corrupted. Still probably the best for iOS but i also get issue’s desktop.
Diseño editorial profesional en iPad, sin limites
Affinity Publisher 2 en iPad es increíble. Tiene todo lo necesario para trabajar diagramación profesional sin depender de una computadora. El control de tipografía, grids y estilos es muy completo, y el rendimiento es excelente. Perfecta para diseñadores, creadores de contenido y cualquier persona que quiera llevar sus ideas a un nivel más profesional desde el iPad.
Struggling with this app
The app is very slow and laggy, crashes a lot. Some images don't show up which sucks after I've calibrated it onto the page. It's nice that it is free but hard to work on the ipad if files are even remotely big.
Pretty good, but buggy.
Definitely better than InDesign in terms of value, but the UI is buggy. It’s not as smooth or intuitive as it should be. I work on my iPad, so there are some touch gestures and stuff but I’d much rather work it like a laptop.
iPad OS 26 is here… time for real software now
Over the years I have purchased the entire Affinity suite for my Mac, Windows PC, and my iPad Pros. For some reason, with the exception of ArtPro, art software developers like Serif feel that the iPad Pro is some lesser or unworthy tool unable to support a full set of functionality and abilities, such as pull down menus and the full feature set of the Mac and Windows versions. I don’t know why that is… the first iPad Pro I bought was more powerful than the Mac G5 dualie I was using in the 2000’s to make a living with Adobe Creative Suite and QuarkXPress, and it was its own Wacom tablet. The idea that you need to dumb down your software for iPad Pros is erroneous. If I could do something in Indesign in 2005 on my Mac G5 but not on my iPad Pro, its because of poor programming and lack of vision of the developer, not the device. (See ArtPro above.) The current one I have now is an iPad Pro M5 with iPadOS 26. Full multitasking support, pull down menus at the OS level, and it has a third-party keyboard/trackpad case I bought for $60 along with its Apple Pencil Pro and that wonderful touch screen. It has 16 gigs of RAM and 1 TB of internal space. And, Publisher 2 for iPad Pro has no easily discoverable way to create column guides on a master page, something I was doing in Aldus PageMaker on a Mac Plus in the late ‘80’s. In fact it was a struggle to dig deep and find where the Master Pages panel was. Why? Why such litttle belief in the iPad Pro? The hardware is better than a comparable MacBook Pro… where is the touch screen and stylus on one of those? This thing is great! Quit treating the iPad like a toy. I now own a high end MacMini and an iPad Pro instead of a laptop trying to do both insufficiently. Those two work together better than a single laptop, and it only costs a little more for big gains. All we need now is the software. Please fix. Lead the change. I’ll buy it.
im so sad for not supporting arabic
i purchased the 1st version and i did purchase this ver hoping to support arabic
I was loving it until this month…
Last year I purchased the bundle with the 3 apps (Designer, Publisher and Photo) and started to learn to use them. My main is Designer. And I loved it until this month when they announced they are launching a free version with the three apps in one. And it’s with a Canva account, which I stopped using because if you don’t pay the subscription, you can’t use the designs you need. As of right now, I’m having problems with my files. So, why did I pay for the one-time payment bundle if it was gonna launch for free this year?? And the iPad version of the new app isn’t out yet. Which meand my projects are being delayed. So, be careful and research the apps beforehand.
Sold out to canva
This is a fantastic piece of software, but be careful, it may not be around for much longer. Obviously Shareholder ROI is more important than fostering creativity. I hope the founders are enjoying their paychecks because clearly a respectable vocation wasn’t working for them. Version 3 is a joke.
Esencial para mi iPad
Sin este software me sería imposible sacar el máximo potencial a mi iPad. Gracias.
Grundlegende Tastaturfunktionen fehlen leider
Ich nutze die App regelmäßig mit einer externen Tastatur. Leider fehlen zwei grundlegende Funktionen, die den Arbeitsfluss erheblich beeinträchtigen! 1. Command + Z funktioniert nicht: Die Rückgängig-Funktion reagiert nicht auf die Standard-Tastenkombination, obwohl das auf externen Tastaturen mit iPad eigentlich erwartet wird. Das zwingt einen dazu, ständig zur Touch-Eingabe zu wechseln, was besonders bei längeren Texten sehr unpraktisch ist. 2. Reinen Text einfügen nicht möglich: Es gibt keine Möglichkeit, formatierten Text ohne Formatierung (also als „Plain Text“) einzufügen. Das führt dazu, dass ungewollte Schriftarten, Größen oder Farben übernommen werden. Das manuelle Nachbearbeiten kostet viel Zeit. Für eine ansonsten gut gestaltete App ist es schade, dass gerade diese elementaren Funktionen nicht unterstützt werden. Ich hoffe, das wird mit einem Update behoben!
Battling
Having been an Adobe suit user and teacher for many years, I find myself ‘battling’ to work with Affinity…. No doubt it is a great ‘suit of apps’, and apps I will have to ‘overcome’, but I’m not finding them ‘intuitive’… [and very ‘buggy’, I’m experiencing…]
Link up get all three apps cause this one is the last one you’ll need to complete the suite
Wow, this app is amazing First of all. All three apps are free now which is absolutely outstanding at least for the rest of this month so hurry up you don’t want to miss this completely free trial forever and ever I would like to mention so go go go right now before have to pay again please don’t miss this opportunity. This app is great as well as all three other apps that affinity has published get it so go go go it while you’re at it. You should probably download a 50 follower Designer 2 cause all three of them are $0.00 tax included and for the apps interface epic it’s pretty good. I like it if you have all three apps, unless you use all through the apps features without even having to go to the other app, so download it please it’s awesome.
Way too hard to use
Menu isn't the same on an iPad
Useful but
The app is good, but adding Arabic support would make it better.
Not usable…
It’s a great tool if everything worked as intended. Too many bugs to make it a reliable tool for professional work streams. Copy and paste text from external sources has white box behind text you can’t get rid of… printing is off via the iPad. It keeps scaling the artwork and it’s app specific. I can export and print from other apps but printing directly does not work. I’m on ipad 11. Will check back later.
Needs a 'content lock'
The massive issue with all 3 of these apps is there's no way to lock the content while you pan and zoom, and it's very easy to accidentally move something slightly using the touch UI. It desperately needs a lock mode. Even the undo feature uses a gesture: double tap. Anyone could easily move something while doing that. It needs a content lock. Until then this app and the others are a liability.
Arabic and Persian typing
awsome desktop class app, the only thing I need is the ability to type arabic, persian, middle eastern languages thank you
When will the Arabic language problem be fixed?!!
It is shameful that even though it has been more than three years since I bought this application and it is not cheap, they still do not care about correcting the problem of the Arabic language (where the letters appear separate and reversed and contrary to the correct writing), and thus this deprives me of designing and writing in my native language, which is spoken by more than 450 million people around the world...
Text leading not working on iPad
Great app, but the text leading on the iPad app doesn’t work.
Struggles with large files
Seems great at first with all the features you could want, but once you start working with large files some features will crash the program without explanation. It’s also unable to export those large files and will crash every time you attempt it. This is a publishing app: sometimes books made for print are large, it should be able to handle large files. Looking on forums, I’m not the only person with this problem. Should be fine for small personal projects.
Useful, mostly capable, and buggy.
I’ve only been using the Publisher 2 for a day and already I’ve run into many little bugs. I understand programming such a powerful document creator, especially for iPad, is complicated, but I can’t overlook the impact the bugs are having on my workflow.
After two years use
For 99% of us, 98% of the time, the iPad version of Affinity Publisher will be adequate. It does almost everything the desktop version does. Both do almost everything InDesign does, and usually better—faster and with fewer steps. I'd say the biggest drawback is the learning curve. The UI is initially confusing—everything's hidden behind a mystery icon, and there are more menus hidden within. The Affinity apps are monstrously powerful and it takes some time to learn all they can do. Where the iPad version will disappoint most users, I think, is it lacks data merge. So you can't automate, say, mailing labels or name badges. This means nothing to me but it might ruin it for you. Neither version, to my knowledge, can properly handle long tables. InDesign treats a table like a text frame and you just link your overflowing frame to another to continue the table flow. Publisher requires cumbrous workarounds. Nor does the iPad version work well for large or complex publications. There is no Book Panel. More importantly, say for publishing an indexed paper, there are only limited indexing functions. Any one of these flaws might make Publisher unusable for you. For most of us most of the time it's no big deal. To me it's a life changer. I can do layout on my iPad.
Does not have full functionality of the desktop version but no where on the website does it say that
I like the app and the price of it but I expected to be able to do the data merge in Publisher documents. I am not able to do that. I only bought the ipad version as that is what makes sense for me and what I am doing however when I discovered that I cannot data merge like the website indicates (no where does it say except ipad version) I contacted them to inquire if I could just buy a computer version only because I already own the iPad version so I dont want to purchase it again they said no. I have to buy the whole universal license for almost $165 even though I already purchased the IPad version for $42. It would be nice if either they gave the ipad version full functionality or let you buy only the desktop version like they allow you to buy only the ipad version. DO NOT BUY the ipad version if you need full functionality as it DOES NOT have it. I almost feel scammed.
Feature rich, promising, glitches, crashing
I have the full suite and Publisher is a nice place to get access to all features in one place. However, all the apps have the same glitches. Crashing, corrupted layers that crash it (rasterizing helps), seems like maybe cache fills with growing history(?) so I delete history when that happens to prevent crashes. Merging down causes crash (I use group and then rasterize as work around). The main issue is crashing. It’s too frustrating to make Affinity my main program when a number of alternatives do more or less what it can but don’t ever crash. Affinity crashes a handful of times per drawing session so much so that I factor that into my expectations while using it. If I was a pro I’d count it out just for that. Then theres issues with the interface: it’s clunky in terms of utility. I can’t customize or rearrange the workspace to my needs like in pc versions or like other art apps on ipad allow (clip studio, art studio pro) or even just hide panel buttons I don’t use at all or very often. The command controller is large and in the way but useful to have around, it would be cleaner to have the command buttons integrated into the side bar like the tools. Theres no basic file menu like there is on other softwares, (the menus are not set up in a universal or familiar way) and the save button isn’t quick and easy (it’s two menus deep or you have to back out to save.) The autosave doesn’t always work and lost work is a regular part of the process. I still gave 4 stars because I feel like with continued development and UX tweaks the whole Affinity suite could be a major contender and it’s nice to have programs that you can BUY, especially on mobile where thats even more rare than desktop. And the price of each is really good, especially on sale. I have hopes they’re working to iron it out 😌
Clunky
For some reason the option to save a jpg to photos instead of files isn’t working and it’s flipping infuriating. I’ve looked it up and it seems like some weird, clunky “feature” and very confusing to fix/work around… why? Why are such simple things so complicated? This is a basic function.
Frustrated
Crashes way too much and lagging a lot since the latest IOS update
Just awesome!
This is such a great app! I am so glad I found it. I was given a 6 month trial for the desktop and mobile device that I JUST had to make the investment.
They Want Me to Move to Canva. Screw That
Welp. I guess I have to delete my old update to write this new one. That’s fine. In an attempt to lighten my carry load at work each day, I’m trying to use the iPad versions of my daily-driver Mac Apps. With Publisher, this is a MISTAKE. If you’re looking for the robust tools the Macintosh app provides, just schlep your laptop to work. This app can’t be bothered to provide keyboard shortcuts, for the most basic functions, and is so glitchy I’m having to restart it any time I select a new object. If I click out of a text box, the app will just completely not recognize the keyboard I’m using, and I have to restart the app in order to type again. This REEKS of trying to get users to move to a different app, like, say, Canva! A subscription-based monstrosity which recently acquired this company. Well I’m not having it.
Released too early but now becoming great!
Promised to update my review if and when basic missing features were added (ie. import PDFs without breaking paragraphs of text into hundreds of individual text boxes,etc). Happily, Affinity is now adding the basic features users expect of a top publishing app and it’s starting to deserve a seat alongside Affinity Photo and Designer. In all the apps there remain a list of unintuitive oddities that logic alone will not solve, requiring you to keep having to hit the astonishingly poor range of practical help and support videos. Support documentation is so terrible that you’re forced to search for third party solutions, ALL of which seem to be horrible! It’s also the ONLY app I know which places your work at risk (1990s style) by NOT SAVING what you’ve created (‘live’ seems to mean ‘unsaved’), forcing you to manually keep saving, and it keeps asking if you want to overwrite previous versions or ‘save as…’, leaving you confused and unsure if your work is safe. It’s another illogical, confusing workflow, but I know the team trying to simplifying things. Affinity publisher 2 gets 4 stars from me because it’s obvious that the developers are working hard to create - what will undoubtedly become - the No.1 publishing/design/photo apps in the world, and that effort absolutely deserves our patience and support!
Leider ungeeignet für Fotobücher
Für das effiziente entwerfen von Fotobüchern ist die eigentlich recht beeindruckende App leider überhaupt nicht geeignet. Das Auswählen und Platzieren von Fotos aus der Bibliothek ist extrem ineffizient. Die Fotos landen regelmäßig nicht in den Fotorahmen. Masterseiten können leider nicht wirklich die Funktion von Templates übernehmen. Leider gibt es aktuell keine App für das effiziente und halbwegs freie Gestalten von Fotobüchern auf dem iPad, die nicht komplett verstümmelt ist.
Phenomenal effort, still some maturity issues
The Affinity suite is incredibly ambitious. It’s amazing being able to design booklets on an iPad! The interface has a lot of quirks. Primarily it is extremely low contrast shades of grey. It is often hard to tell if a button or toggle is on or off. That coupled with the fact that often the highlighted buttons are actually off. There’s a lack of consistency (different icons meaning the same thing and highlight states are opposite) and some menus and preference panes contain far too many settings in one place, and preference panes are not aligned. It’s a designer’s/dyslexic’s nightmare! There is no use of colour in the UI, which would instantly solve the low contrast accessibility issues (it entirely fails WCAG contrast checks). The only colour is used in the tools. Slightly naff looking icons that don’t require colour (Superpaint, Photoshop etc. etc.) I’d hoped for a bit of refinement in V2, but the focus has been on features. With a more usable and consistent UI, this app could achieve the quality of the Adobe products it is punching against, and earn a rightly deserved 4-5 stars. My current 3 stars may seem harsh for the work and love that’s clearly been put in so far, but if you’re making a product to design with, you need a designer to design the interface.
If you’re a digital creator making planners, printables, or eBooks—Affinity Publisher is your secret
As someone who designs and sells digital planners, journals, and printable templates, I can honestly say no other app compares. Affinity Publisher gives you full control over layout, typography, and structure—without the subscription drama. Whether I’m creating interactive PDFs, printable inserts, or full-on eBooks, Publisher handles it all smoothly. And it works beautifully on both iPad and Mac—there’s no learning curve jump between devices. The interface is clean, and the built-in “Learn” section helps you get comfortable with the tools fast. What I love most? It’s professional-grade but still accessible to everyday creatives. No Adobe subscription. No hidden fees. Just a powerful design tool that lets you create, export, and sell your digital products like a pro. If you’re a digital planner seller, Etsy shop owner, or eBook creator looking to level up your designs and save money long-term—Affinity Publisher is the one.
They didn’t support Arabic Language
They didn’t support Arabic Language
External display support on iPad not fullscreen
External display support working with tools now but the app does not take advantage of the full screen
Spielerei
Mir ist schleierhaft, was das sein soll. Ernsthaft arbeiten kann man damit nicht. Die Bedienung ist ein einziger Krampf (allein um eine Seite vorzublättern, ist ein großer Aufwand nötig), und ein großer Teil der Features funktioniert nicht. Wie zum Beispiel die Rechtschreibprüfung,die einfach unbrauchbar ist,weil es keine Korrekturmöglichkeit gibt. Ich bin nicht sicher der,ob aus dieser app mal was werden kann, aber wenn, ist es noch ein sehr langer Weg. Vorläufig sollte man lieber die Finger davon lassen. Man wirft sein Geld zum Fenster raus.
There is a Bug
I love the app but, after some days the app started to get close after each movement or change I do….
Smooth and easy to use
I love the speed and ease of use of the Affinity programs. I much prefer them to the “other” professional software I have to use for some agency work, and I wish these would become industry standard tools. Thy do everything I need them to. I of course love the-time payment model and hope that sticks around!
RTL text
Has the problem of Arabic and Persian typing (RTL) been solved in this update? If this problem is solved, I will be happy to be able to buy and use these applications…
Not yet there, Mouse support!
As much as i love the idea of this on the ipad, it has got its flaws in regards to mouse support, i own a third party mouse that works fine on most apps but seems not be able to scroll and move on the pages, the only thing it works for is general cursor movement and clicking but lacks the full connectivity to make it feel like a desktop app. hope this gets added or fixed
Wanted to like it
Can't import photos anymore. Handling text and layouts feels just clunky. Usability with Apple Pencil 2 annoying. Expensive over all for a second class product. Marketing is far better than the product itself. Bought 7 versions. For MacBook, iPad, Windows. Looking back I would have rather spent the money for the Adobe cloud.
Lacking full keyboard support on M4 iPad Pro (bug?)
I’m creating a magazine with Affinity Publisher 2 and love how comprehensive the features are! I don’t know if this started happening before or after the latest update, but when I’m trying to scroll through text in a text box using the Magic Keyboard, only the up/down arrows work. The left/right arrows do not, making it super inconvenient to type / edit characters. Hopefully this is an easy fix.
Phenomenal software par none
Every time I use this software I am forever thankful there are still fair and good people in this world who isn’t about stealing your very life if they could. This program does all that I need to do with all the bells ad whistles but without the high cost and draconian control over where and how you used it.
Unable to Print!
Update: The app is still completely useless. Every attempt to print defaults to a 4x6 print size. And switching back to letter in the print pop-up ruins document formatting. Winter 2023: The well-documented printing bug remains unfixed since Affinity Publisher 2 launched in November 2022. Directly printing from the menu resizes the document uncontrollably every time. The only way to print remains: Export - Share - PDF - Print.
Very close
This is an overall excellent and comprehensive publishing package, with an excellent array of tools and customisations. It also translates well to the iPad display and makes it easy to produce lovely looking documents. Main problems are around using the app with the Magic Keyboard — many common keyboard shortcuts that work everywhere else (such as Cmd-Left/Cmd-Right to select to the beginning/end of the line, or Cmd-Z to undo) either behave erratically or don’t work at all. Pressing and holding the Cmd button also does not reveal keyboard shortcuts either. With the right attention paid to these issues, this really does have the potential to be a killer app.
Leider viele Abstürze
Ich nutze ein iPad Pro und habe bei einem Projekt Vektor-Dateien in ein Layout eingefügt, seit dem bekomme ich bei, öffnen dauernd die Meldung, dass Ressourcen fehlen und ob ich diese neu verknüpfen möchte. Leider kann ich hier nichts auswählen weil sofort die App abstürzt und sich schließt.. Ich hoffe auf einen Fix, ebenso wie die Option ein Dokument ohne es zu öffnen per AirDrop an einen mac zu senden um es bei solchen Fällen dort zu bearbeiten bzw. öffnen zu können.. so muss ich nun leider von vorne anfangen, obwohl das Projekt bis auf den Feinschliff fertig war..
Bruhhhhhh
I was absolutely loving EVERYTHING about this app…the functionality, the mobility to create a book on the go, and the simplicity of the UI until this afternoon when all of a sudden, about 60 of my linked images all changed to ONE duplicated image that couldn’t be undone even by cycling through the history. On top of that, when manually replacing one linked image to its original pic, the app clearly bugged out and a lot of the backgrounds changed to that newly replaced image as well. But before you ask, no, it wasn’t an image placed on a master page by accident. Please, please, please get this fixed because I abandoned Adobe for Serif products because I fell in love with this company but the levels of stress I’ve endured by trying to find a way to get my book back have been unfathomable. And the endless crashing is insane.
Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad FAQ
- Is Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad free?
- Yes. The app is free, in all 168 countries it sells in, and it sells nothing inside it.
- Does Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad have a free trial?
- No. None of its offers (US) come with a free trial.
- What are the best alternatives to Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad?
- Concepts (4.7 from 181,890 reviews, premium from $1.99), Adobe Illustrator: Graphic Art (4.5 from 127,888 reviews, premium from $9.99) and Linearity Curve Graphic Design (4.6 from 76,856 reviews, premium from $7.99).
Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad download
Last updated 1 year ago.
Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad sells in 168 countries. It was released 3 years and 11 months ago, on 1 Nov 2022. It holds a 4.6 rating from 4,316 reviews.
Supports 8 languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish.
How much does Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad make?
Third-party estimates for the last 30 days, worldwide — not the store's own figures, which Apple publishes for nobody.
Revenue by plan
- One-time 100%
Revenue by country
- United States 28%
- Germany 16%
- United Kingdom 7%
- France 4%