# Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad vs Ctrl Player

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ctrl Player at none against Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad's 4. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Ctrl Player asks for nothing beyond the download.

Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad ships an update every 6 weeks, Ctrl Player every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad | Ctrl Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (581 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/affinity-publisher-2-for-ipad/id1606942224/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **581** | — |
| Positive reviews | 47.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 1.7 GB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Serif (Europe) Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/536107177) | [ON LX Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1216537447) |

## What reviewers say

### Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/affinity-publisher-2-for-ipad/id1606942224)

Create professional documents like books, brochures, and magazines on your iPad. This powerful app offers advanced layout, typography, and image editing tools optimized for touch and Apple Pencil. Seamlessly manage files and export in various professional formats.

**Highlights:** Optimized iPad gesture controls, Professional layout tools, Advanced typography controls, Image and graphics editing, Productivity features, Import/export options, Professional output formats

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free 7-Day Trial | Free | one-time |
| Publisher 2 for iPad License | Free | one-time |
| Affinity Collection for iPad | $36.99 | one-time |
| Affinity V2 Universal License | $164.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful, desktop-level design
- 👍 Seamless integration with other Affinity apps
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive on iPad
- 💡 Universal license for all platforms
- 👍 Intuitive and clean user interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Stability and reliability issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with external keyboards
- 🐛 Glitches with linked images and text
- 🐛 Lack of precision and customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Crashing when working with large files
- Corrupted layers and lost work
- Printing issues and scaling problems
- Inconsistent behavior with text formatting and layout
- Laggy performance and freezes when scrolling through font lists

**Requested features**

- Support for right-to-left text (Arabic, Persian, etc.)
- More templates and pre-designed layouts
- Improved file management and renaming capabilities
- Better support for large, complex documents
- Enhanced keyboard shortcuts and power user features


### Ctrl Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ctrl-player/id6747518244)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad free?

Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Ctrl Player free?

Ctrl Player is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad or Ctrl Player have ads?

Neither Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad nor Ctrl Player shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad or Ctrl Player?

Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad ships an update every 6 weeks, and Ctrl Player every 2 months. Most recently, Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad was updated on September 26, 2026 and Ctrl Player on September 14, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*