Decalker vs Affinity Photo
Which to pick for tattoo stencils.
Try Decalker freeTL;DR
Affinity Photo is premium Photoshop alternative ($69 one-time, no subscription). Same Photoshop comparison logic: manual stencil extraction takes 30-40 min. Decalker does it in 5s. Affinity wins on general editing; Decalker on speed + tattoo features.
Affinity Photo in 30 seconds
Affinity Photo is Serif Software's professional image editor, launched 2015 as Photoshop alternative. Pricing $69 one-time (Mac/Win/iPad), no subscription. Supports layers, masks, RAW, photoshop file format, brushes, filters. Small but active community. Artists use it for same Photoshop workflow: manual stencil extraction (30-40 min) + photo retouching. Months learning curve (similar to Photoshop).
Decalker in 30 seconds
Decalker is AI tattoo specialist. 5-second stencil + 4 features (Create with AI, Mix, Try on skin, Refine) + Studio Brand LoRA. Browser-first, multi-platform PWA, multi-language PT/EN/ES, BR payment. Skin-physics-aware ensures line weight to last 5+ years.
Full head-to-head
| Feature | Decalker | Affinity Photo |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free to $20/mo | $69 one-time |
| Time per stencil | 5 seconds | 30-40 min (manual) |
| Learning curve | Zero | Months |
| Tattoo-specific | Yes (trained AI) | No (general) |
| Text -> design AI | Yes | No |
| Brand LoRA | Yes (Studio) | No |
| Vector SVG output | Yes (auto) | Limited (separate Affinity Designer) |
| Skin-physics-aware | Yes | No |
| Platform | Browser + PWA | Mac, Win, iPad |
| Mobile (Android) | Yes (PWA) | No |
| Advanced photo editing | No | Yes (industry standard) |
| No subscription | Free 10/mo | Yes ($69 one-time) |
When to pick Affinity Photo
Use Affinity Photo when you already have Photoshop workflow and don't want Adobe subscription, need professional photo editing beyond stencil, or work editorial/design projects beyond tattoo. $69 one-time vs $23/mo Photoshop = pays in 3 months.
When to pick Decalker
Use Decalker when focus is tattoo stencil speed, when you don't need generic photo editor, when you want specific features (Brand LoRA, Create with AI, AR preview, Text Refine), when working mobile/multi-platform. Cost-benefit: Decalker Pro $6/mo pays in 1 stencil/week saving 30 min each.