Why I switched from Procreate to Affinity Designer for illustration work

Procreate was great, but Affinity Designer changed everything

I’ve been using Procreate for years, and while it’s an incredible app, I made the switch to Affinity Designer for my illustration work. I just genuinely love how Affinity Designer has transformed my workflow, and today, I’m sharing why.

Here is my newest YT video if you would rather listen:

1. Vector vs. pixelation - the best of both worlds

One of the biggest reasons I switched is vector graphics. Unlike Procreate, which is a raster-based app, Affinity Designer allows me to create scalable vector art that never pixelates, no matter how much I zoom in or resize. But what makes Affinity even better is that it can seamlessly combine vector and raster in the same project! That’s a game-changer for illustrators who like the flexibility of both styles - all for a one-time price with no subscription. You can also watch this video about vector anatomy:

Also, let us know - are you coming form procreate? Considering switching to Affinity? Intimidated by learning a new tool?

2. Limitless layers

Procreate’s layer limit has always frustrated me, especially when working on large, detailed pieces. With Affinity Designer, I can add as many layers as I want without worrying about the iPad running out of memory. This makes it perfect for complex illustrations and client work.

3. Handy iPad gestures (that beat Procreate’s!)

Affinity Designer’s gesture controls are seriously underrated. A few of my favorites that make my workflow way faster:

• two-finger tap on the canvas → instantly duplicate objects (no extra menus!)

• select multiple layers at once → two-finger taps and zack, all layers selected at once

• rotate by exactly 15 degrees → hold with one finger while rotating

• power duplicate → repeat transformations effortlessly (great for patterns!)

4. Time-saving vector tools

I used to spend so much time manually sketching and refining shapes in Procreate. But in Affinity Designer, I can create perfect shapes in seconds with the rectangle tool, ellipse tool, star tool, and boolean operations. Need a quick flower shape? Done. A perfectly symmetrical circle? Instant. This has sped up my workflow immensely. You can see some of my process in this video for example:

5. Asset library for instant reuse

Affinity Designer lets me save reusable assets—whether it’s vector elements, icons, or pattern motifs—so I can drag and drop them into my projects instantly. Procreate doesn’t have a true asset system like this, which means I was constantly copy-pasting from other files. Here are my assets-based Affinity courses:

Assets 1: for pattern designers and beyond

Assets 2: practising with botanical art

Please leave a comment if you would like to request an extra YouTube video about assets:

6. CMYK for print

If you work with publishing clients, you know that Procreate’s CMYK color mode isn’t reliable. Even if you select CMYK, you still need to post-edit in Photoshop to get accurate colors. Affinity Designer, on the other hand, has true CMYK support, making it much easier to create print-ready illustrations.

So, should you switch too?

If you’re happy in Procreate and mainly do raster-based illustrations, it’s still a fantastic tool. But if you’re looking for scalability, pattern-building, limitless layers, CMYK accuracy, and time-saving vector tools, Affinity Designer might just be your new best friend :) Not sponsored by the way :D

Have you tried Affinity Designer before? What do you use it for? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear about your experience!

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Hi! I’m Weronika Salach, a freelance illustrator specializing in children’s books, toy design and surface pattern design. Over 40,000 happy students have taken my digital illustration courses and watched my YouTube videos. Let’s connect :)

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