Serif Europe
A British software developer and publisher best known for the Affinity suite of creative applications.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Serif Europe is a British software developer and publisher headquartered in Nottingham. The company is best known for the Affinity family of applications for graphic design, image editing, vector illustration, and desktop publishing. Affinity was developed as a professional-oriented alternative to established creative-software suites, particularly Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. Its products became known for supporting professional workflows while being sold primarily through perpetual licenses rather than mandatory recurring subscriptions. The company was established in 1987 by a team of software engineers seeking to produce lower-cost desktop-publishing tools for Microsoft Windows. Its earliest product was PageStar, a relatively simple advertising-layout application for Windows 2.0. Serif expanded this publishing focus with PagePlus in 1990 and subsequently created a broader collection of Windows software under the Plus name. The range eventually included DrawPlus for illustration and design, PhotoPlus for image editing, WebPlus for website creation, and MoviePlus for video editing, as well as specialist utilities for photography, scrapbooking, font management, and image organization. Serif underwent a change of ownership in the 1990s when it was acquired by the American company Vizacom, formerly known as Allegro New Media. The business was later sold back to Serif senior management in 2001. A major strategic transition began with the creation of Affinity Designer, which launched for macOS in 2014. It was written specifically for Apple’s platform and represented Serif’s move from primarily Windows-focused, lower-cost software toward a modern, cross-platform creative-product strategy. Affinity Photo followed in 2015, initially providing a successor to PhotoPlus and targeting professional photo-editing and design work. After Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo became available for Windows in 2016, Serif stopped developing the older Plus range and concentrated on Affinity. Support for the legacy products ended in July 2022. Affinity Publisher, a successor to PagePlus, completed the core Affinity lineup when it was released in 2019. Together, Designer, Photo, and Publisher addressed vector and raster design, digital imaging, and print or digital publishing workflows. The applications supported platforms including macOS, Windows, and iPadOS and were distributed directly through Serif’s website and contact center as well as through retailers. In March 2024, Canva announced and Serif confirmed an acquisition valued at approximately US$380 million. The transaction brought Serif and Affinity into Canva’s wider design-software group. At the time of the acquisition, the companies said there would be no immediate change to Affinity’s pricing approach and expressed an intention to preserve perpetual licensing while providing free licenses for schools and nonprofit organizations. In October 2025, Canva announced a substantial product and business-model change: the separate Affinity applications were deprecated in favor of a unified application called Affinity, using a freemium model with optional Canva AI features associated with Canva Pro. Serif’s legacy, therefore, spans low-cost Windows publishing software, a broad utility-oriented product catalog, and the development of a professional creative suite subsequently integrated into Canva’s ecosystem.
History
Serif Europe was founded in 1987 by a small group of software engineers who wanted to create affordable desktop-publishing tools for Microsoft Windows. The company was previously known as Roleage Ltd before 1988. Its first identified product, PageStar, was a basic advertising-layout program for Windows 2.0. Serif expanded the concept with PagePlus in 1990, initially designed for Windows 3.0. PagePlus became the foundation of a larger Windows software portfolio and later received recognition at the 2014 Computer Shopper Awards. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Serif built a family of products under the Plus name. DrawPlus, introduced in 1994, addressed illustration and graphic design. PhotoPlus followed in 1999 for image editing, WebPlus arrived in 2000 for website creation, and MoviePlus was introduced in 2003 for video editing. The company also offered products and utilities for digital scrapbooking, panorama stitching, document mosaicing, font management, image cataloging, and related creative tasks. This portfolio reflected Serif’s original strategy of providing relatively inexpensive Windows alternatives across several consumer and prosumer software categories. Serif was acquired by the American company Vizacom in 1996. Vizacom had previously operated under the name Allegro New Media. Ownership returned to Serif’s senior management in 2001, allowing the company to pursue its own product strategy. The most important change in that strategy was the creation of Affinity Designer. Released for macOS in 2014, Designer was Serif’s first macOS product and was developed from scratch for the platform rather than being a direct continuation of the older Windows codebase. It positioned Serif more directly against established professional vector-design applications. Affinity Photo followed in 2015 as a modern image-editing and design application and a successor to PhotoPlus. Both applications subsequently reached Windows, and their availability on macOS, Windows, and iPadOS helped establish Affinity as a cross-platform creative suite. Affinity Designer was marketed and reviewed as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator, while Affinity Photo was commonly compared with Adobe Photoshop. Compatibility with formats such as Adobe’s PSD files helped the products fit into existing creative workflows. Designer received an Apple Design Award in 2015 and was recognized by Creative Bloq in 2022; Affinity Photo received Amateur Photographer’s Photo Editing Software of the Year award in 2023. In 2016, after bringing the first two Affinity products to Windows, Serif ended active development of the Plus range in order to focus on Affinity. Legacy-product support continued for several years and ended in July 2022. Affinity Publisher launched in 2019 as the successor to PagePlus and completed the suite’s coverage of professional publishing. It supported workflows involving master pages, OpenType typography, linked text frames, and CMYK color management for print and digital output. On 26 March 2024, Serif confirmed its acquisition by Canva for approximately US$380 million. The companies stated that the Affinity suite would retain its perpetual-license approach in the immediate period after the transaction, alongside free licensing for schools and nonprofit organizations. Canva later announced a major restructuring of Affinity on 30 October 2025. The separate Designer, Photo, and Publisher products were deprecated in favor of a unified Affinity application using a freemium model, with optional Canva AI features available to Canva Pro subscribers. This marked a significant change from Serif’s earlier standalone, paid-software model while preserving Affinity as the central product identity.
- 2025
Affinity is consolidated into one application
[1]Canva announces the replacement of the separate Affinity applications with a unified Affinity product using a freemium model.
- 2024
Canva acquires Serif
[1]Canva acquires Serif in a transaction valued at approximately US$380 million.
- 2022
Legacy product support ends
[1]Support for Serif’s discontinued Plus-range software ends in July.
- 2019
Affinity Publisher launches
[1]Serif releases its desktop-publishing application as the successor to PagePlus.
- 2016
Serif focuses exclusively on Affinity
[1]Following Windows releases of Designer and Photo, Serif stops developing the legacy Plus product family.
- 2015
Affinity Photo launches
[1]The company releases Affinity Photo as an image-editing and design application and a successor to PhotoPlus.
- 2014
Affinity Designer launches
[1]Serif introduces Affinity Designer for macOS as its first application written specifically for Apple’s platform.
- 2001
Ownership returns to Serif management
[1]Vizacom sells Serif back to the company’s senior management.
- 1996
Vizacom acquires Serif
[1]The American company Vizacom, formerly Allegro New Media, acquires Serif.
- 1990
PagePlus is released
[1]Serif follows PageStar with PagePlus, expanding its desktop-publishing offering for Windows.
Products and positioning
Professional creative software emphasizing capable cross-platform tools, compatibility with established industry workflows, and historically perpetual licensing rather than mandatory subscriptions.
Creative software suite · 2025
Affinity
The unified Affinity application announced by Canva in 2025 as the successor to the separate Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, and Affinity Publisher products. It combines vector and raster creative capabilities in a single application for macOS, Windows, and iPad. The announced model uses free access with optional Canva AI capabilities associated with Canva Pro.
Vector graphic design · 2014
Affinity Designer
A vector illustration and graphic-design application launched for macOS in 2014 and later expanded to Windows and iPadOS. Designer supports vector and raster work in one environment and was positioned as a professional alternative to Adobe Illustrator. It became one of Serif’s best-known products and received an Apple Design Award in 2015.
Photo editing and image design · 2015
Affinity Photo
An image-editing and design application released in 2015 as the successor to PhotoPlus. It supports professional photo manipulation and common industry workflows, including compatibility with Adobe PSD files and Photoshop Smart Objects. Versions were made available for macOS, Windows, and iPadOS. The product was commonly presented as an alternative to Adobe Photoshop.
Desktop publishing · 2019
Affinity Publisher
A desktop-publishing application introduced in 2019 as the successor to PagePlus. Publisher supports print and digital publishing workflows, including master pages, OpenType typography, linked text frames, and CMYK color management. It was designed to compete with established publishing applications such as Adobe InDesign and was available for macOS, Windows, and iPadOS.
Desktop publishing · 1990
PagePlus
Serif’s long-running Windows desktop-publishing product, first released in 1990 as an expansion of PageStar. PagePlus formed the historical basis for Serif’s publishing business and was eventually superseded by Affinity Publisher.
Graphic design · 1994
DrawPlus
A Windows illustration and graphic-design application introduced in 1994. DrawPlus was the predecessor to Affinity Designer and belonged to Serif’s broader Plus product family.
Image editing · 1999
PhotoPlus
A Windows image-editing application launched in 1999. It was later replaced by Affinity Photo as Serif moved from its legacy Plus range to the Affinity product family.
Website design · 2000
WebPlus
A Windows application for creating websites, released as part of the Plus family. It represented Serif’s expansion beyond publishing and graphics into consumer-oriented web design.
Video editing · 2003
MoviePlus
A Windows video-editing product introduced in 2003 within Serif’s Plus range. It was later discontinued when Serif concentrated development on Affinity.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Affinity perpetual-license commitment
Global
Following Canva’s acquisition of Serif, the companies communicated that Affinity would continue to use a perpetual licensing model in the immediate term and that schools and nonprofit organizations would receive free licenses.
Outcome. The commitment provided continuity for existing Affinity customers during the ownership transition, although Canva later announced a unified freemium Affinity model in 2025.
Brand decisions
2025
Consolidation of Affinity into a freemium applicationStrategyBackground
Canva announced a product and business-model restructuring after acquiring Serif and operating Affinity as part of its wider design ecosystem.
Action taken
The separate Affinity applications were deprecated and replaced by one unified Affinity application, with optional Canva AI features available through Canva Pro.
Aftermath
The change moved Affinity away from its earlier standalone perpetual-product structure toward a freemium model integrated with Canva services.
2024
Acquisition by CanvaM&ABackground
Canva sought to expand its global design-software footprint and add professional creative capabilities to its broader platform.
Action taken
Canva acquired Serif for approximately US$380 million.
Aftermath
Serif became part of Canva’s group. The companies initially stated that Affinity’s perpetual licensing approach would remain in place and that educational and nonprofit licensing would be supported.
Acquisition value. Approximately US$380 million (Announced 26 March 2024)
2019
Launch of Affinity PublisherProduct launchBackground
Serif needed a modern successor to PagePlus to complete Affinity’s coverage of professional creative workflows.
Action taken
The company released Affinity Publisher for desktop-publishing work across print and digital media.
Aftermath
Publisher completed the principal Affinity lineup alongside Designer and Photo and strengthened Serif’s position as an alternative to Adobe’s creative applications.
2016
End development of the Plus rangeStrategyBackground
After launching Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo for Windows, Serif had two cross-platform creative products capable of replacing major parts of its older Windows portfolio.
Action taken
Serif stopped developing the Plus product range and concentrated its resources on Affinity.
Aftermath
The shift established Affinity as the company’s central product family; support for the legacy range ended in July 2022.
Recent events
- 2025
Canva announces a unified Affinity application and freemium model[1]
Product launch · Pricing
Canva announced that the separate Affinity applications would be deprecated and replaced by a unified Affinity application. The new model included free access with optional Canva AI capabilities connected to Canva Pro.
- 2024
Canva acquires Serif for approximately US$380 million[1]
M&A
Serif announced that it had been acquired by Australian design-software company Canva. The transaction was presented as a way for Canva to broaden its international presence and strengthen its creative-software offering. The companies said Affinity’s pricing model would not immediately change and that perpetual licensing would be maintained.
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