Comparison

Hockney AR vs Affinity Designer 2 for iPad

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Hockney AR

Experience David Hockney's iPad paintings come alive through augmented reality. Explore selected works from his "The Arrival of Spring" series, featured in the Royal Academy of Art's 2021 exhibition.

Highlights
  • Augmented Reality experience
  • View iPad paintings
  • Explore "The Arrival of Spring" series
  • Features Royal Academy exhibition works
Features
Read full description

Watch David Hockney's iPad paintings spring to life in Augmented Reality. Featuring selected works from his recent series, "The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, 2020", now on view in the Royal Academy of Art's 2021 exhibition and catalogue.

About

Affinity Designer 2 for iPad

Create stunning illustrations, branding, logos, UI/UX designs, and more with a powerful touch-focused vector graphics app. Optimized for iPad and Apple Pencil, it offers real-time performance and precise tools for both vector and raster workflows.

Highlights
  • Vector Warp
  • Shape Builder Tool
  • Knife Tool
  • Drawing scale
  • Vector Flood Fill
  • Switch between vector and raster workspaces
  • Sophisticated typography
Features
Read full description

Affinity Designer 2 for iPad takes the power and precision of the Apple Design Award-winning desktop app and converts it into an incredible touch-focused creative experience. Packed with tons of new features and hundreds of enhancements to optimize your workflow, the graphic design app has everything you need to seamlessly create stunning illustrations, branding, logos, icons, UI/UX designs, print projects, typography, posters, labels, flyers, stickers, concept art, digital art, and much more – all completely free from the confines of your desk. OPTIMIZED FOR IPAD • Fully integrated and optimized iPad gesture controls to speed up your workflow • iOS16 ready, including optimization for virtual memory swap, dramatically increasing performance on large documents. • Sensitive to pressure, tilt, and angle, the app harnesses the full power and precision of Apple Pencil • Command controller hosting on-screen modifiers • Quick Menu for context-sensitive access to commands • Use as your very own digital sketchbook, canvas, logo maker, sticker maker, flyer maker, and more POWERFUL TOOLS & FUNCTIONALITY • Vector Warp • Shape Builder Tool • Knife Tool • DXF/DWF import • Measure & Area tools • Drawing scale – including ability for different scales set per artboard • X-ray, hide effects, and greyscale view modes • Multiple shadow, outline, and overlay layer effects per object • Powerful grids and guides • Transform Tool • Vector Flood Fill • Spiral Tool REAL-TIME PERFORMANCE • Pan and zoom at 120fps • Live gradients, transforms, effects, and adjustments • Optimized for documents of any complexity, zoom to over 1,000,000% for absolute precision • Live pixel, retina, wireframe, and x-ray views of vector artwork in and out of split screen mode • Live Pattern Preview • Seamless switching between tools and editing modes for frustration-free design • Incredibly accurate results with minimal nodes PRECISE VECTOR TOOLS • Rock solid vector tools that work just the way you want them to • The best Pen Tool, Node Tool, curve editing, and smart shape tools available • Powerful Contour Tool to create abstract objects or increase the width of single open curves • Pencil and brush stabilization for drawing super-smooth curves freehand • Non-destructive Boolean operations • Live effects, blend modes, and image adjustments • Incredibly smooth gradient and transparency controls RASTER OR VECTOR, YOU DECIDE • Switch between fully-featured vector and raster workspaces with a single tap – paint, draw, or sketch in raster and then create cool, custom vector art • High quality raster tools for painting, texturing, masking, finishing artwork, or even creating tattoo designs • Use raster brushes, edit single pixels on icons, mask and add grain to your crisp vectors, enclose and clip pixel layers – it’s true creative freedom not found in other software or drawing apps SOPHISTICATED TYPOGRAPHY • Flexible text handling including comprehensive support for OpenType • Artistic text and text frames • Full control over character and paragraph styles • Flow text and type along any drawn path • Extensive library of free fonts BUILT FOR YOUR WORKFLOW • Unlimited artboards • Savable history with alternate futures • Customizable shortcuts with attached keyboard or new quick menu • Adobe Illustrator ® (Ai files), PSD, PDF, EPS, SVG, JPG, JPEG XL, TIFF, EXR, DXF, and DWG file support • Linked symbols and constraints • Save documents as template files to re-use time and time again • Quickly access royalty free images through the Stock Panel or import files from Affinity Photo or other photo editor • Select Same and Select Object functions PERFECT COLOR & OUTPUT • Professional CMYK, LAB, RGB, PANTONE© and Greyscale color models • Full 16-bit per channel editing • End-to-end ICC color management • Slice export for exporting multiple elements in a single tap • Live pixel preview to see exactly how your design will export

Screenshots

Hockney AR3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hockney AR at none against Affinity Designer 2 for iPad's 4. Hockney AR also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Affinity Designer 2 for iPad's advantage is ratings volume (4.8K vs 4). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Affinity Designer 2 for iPad sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Hockney AR asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hockney AR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Affinity Designer 2 for iPad has 4.8K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Hockney AR's written reviews are positive against 52% of Affinity Designer 2 for iPad's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hockney AR ships an update weekly, Affinity Designer 2 for iPad every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Hockney AR versus Affinity Designer 2 for iPad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHockney ARAffinity Designer 2 for iPad
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better4.7 (4.8K ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better51.7% of reviews
Number of ratings44.8K — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size92 MB1.7 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid Hockney, IncSerif (Europe) Ltd.

Customer experience

Hockney AR

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Affinity Designer 2 for iPad

All ratings3,049 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews393 reviews
Positive51.7%
Neutral14.5%
Negative33.8%

Bugs and requests

Hockney AR

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Affinity Designer 2 for iPad

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when switching between vector and pixel layers
  • Exported files not retaining expected quality or format
  • Grid spacing and snapping issues
  • Disappearing or unresponsive UI elements

Requested features

5 requests
  • Vector trace tool
  • Better layer management and organization
  • Improved Apple Pencil support and pressure sensitivity
  • Ability to rename documents on creation
  • Customizable keyboard shortcuts and UI

In-app purchases

None

Hockney AR

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Affinity Designer 2 for iPad

One-time4
  • Free 7-Day TrialFree
  • Designer 2 for iPad LicenseFree
  • Affinity Collection for iPad$36.99
Show 1 more
  • Affinity V2 Universal License$164.99

Questions

Is Hockney AR free?
Hockney AR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Affinity Designer 2 for iPad free?
Affinity Designer 2 for iPad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hockney AR or Affinity Designer 2 for iPad?
Hockney AR is rated higher. Hockney AR averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Affinity Designer 2 for iPad averages 4.7 from 4.8K ratings.
Do Hockney AR or Affinity Designer 2 for iPad have ads?
Neither Hockney AR nor Affinity Designer 2 for iPad shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hockney AR or Affinity Designer 2 for iPad?
Hockney AR ships an update weekly, and Affinity Designer 2 for iPad every 6 weeks. Most recently, Hockney AR was updated on October 21, 2026 and Affinity Designer 2 for iPad on October 27, 2026.

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