Affinity Designer 2 for iPad vs Ctrl Player
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Vector Warp
- Shape Builder Tool
- Knife Tool
- Drawing scale
- Vector Flood Fill
- Switch between vector and raster workspaces
- Sophisticated typography
Read full descriptionHide 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
Ctrl Player
Read full descriptionHide full description
For Version 2 of Ctrl Suite. The intuitive app making it easier than ever to control your installation's audio, entertainment, video, lighting, and so much more. Player makes control of multiple pieces of complex equipment on your installation centralised & simple by allowing you to view and interact with your Ctrl Suite interfaces. Player presents the customisable buttons, sliders, steppers, images, device modules & more in a form that makes triggering automation, controlling devices intuitive and straightforward for any level of technical ability. Player setup has been designed to be as simple and user-proofed as possible. Connect and go. Once the App is opened, Player can be discovered and adopted into a Ctrl Engine session over your local network to allow users to start controlling the installation. Why limit yourself to one device? The Ctrl Suite architecture allows you to connect multiple Player devices on the same installation. The system state is synchronised between all of them over the Ctrl Engine. Within Ctrl Designer, your Player interfaces can be authored to trigger devices using the following protocol types: · MIDI / Musical Instrument Digital Interface · OSC / Open Sound Control · UDP / User Datagram Protocol · HTTP(S) / HTTP(S)/1.1 Methods, Headers, Body · TCP / Transmission Control Protocol · MQTT / MQ Telemetry Transport · Serial · KNX over IP · Telnet · Timecode Alternatively, you can map each interface button to be fed into a logic process within Ctrl Engine to manipulate the input in real-time for more advanced projects. We’re always adding custom interface modules to simplify interaction with specific services to help you create the ultimate unified control interface for your installation: · Session timers · Buttons · Sliders · Steppers · Titles · Text · Images · Audio controls · Tab navigation bars · Side navigation bars · Module Specific controls Ctrl Player displays all customisation options defined in Ctrl Designer: · Custom background images & logos · Custom background colours Contact our team through our website if you're looking at Ctrl Suite for a project or installation and want to try the entire system.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ctrl Player at none against Affinity Designer 2 for iPad's 4. On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. Affinity Designer 2 for iPad sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Ctrl Player asks for nothing beyond the download.
Affinity Designer 2 for iPad ships an update every 6 weeks, Ctrl Player every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Affinity Designer 2 for iPad | Ctrl Player |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (3.2K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 51.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3.2K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.7 GB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Serif (Europe) Ltd. | ON LX Limited |
Bugs and 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
Ctrl Player
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Affinity Designer 2 for iPad
- Free 7-Day TrialFree
- Designer 2 for iPad LicenseFree
- Affinity Collection for iPad$36.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Affinity V2 Universal License$164.99
Ctrl Player
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Affinity Designer 2 for iPad free?
Is Ctrl Player free?
Do Affinity Designer 2 for iPad or Ctrl Player have ads?
Which is updated more often, Affinity Designer 2 for iPad or Ctrl Player?
Other comparisons















