Affinity vs VSCO:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, VSCO had more branded searches than Affinity among photo editing software worldwide. VSCO had about 692,000 branded searches, while Affinity had 115,000. VSCO made up 6.7% of all photo editing software searches we track, and Affinity accounted for 1.1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about photo editing software, Affinity appeared in all five answers and VSCO in none.
Who do people search for more?
VSCO, about 6 searches for every 1 for Affinity
Who does AI mention more?
Affinity, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Affinity, the only one of the two named
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Top photo editing software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Affinity appeared in all five answers. VSCO did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Adobe Lightroom5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Adobe Photoshop5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Capture One5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Affinity5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
GIMP3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Luminar Neo3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
RawTherapee2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
DxO PhotoLab2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
CyberLink PhotoDirector2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
VSCO0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about photo editing software
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which photo editing software should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best photo editing software options?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best photo editing software for advanced photo edits?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“photo editing software”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“photo editor software”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is Affinity or VSCO more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Affinity and VSCO by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 14 photo editing software we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for VSCO, Affinity. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Photopea | Picsart | Adobe Lightroom | Pixlr | GIMP | VSCO | Adobe Photoshop | Snapseed | Capture One | Affinity | Luminar Neo | RawTherapee | DxO PhotoLab | CyberLink PhotoDirector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 31.9% | 16.7% | 9.7% | 12.7% | 8.4% | 6.6% | 6.4% | 3.2% | 0.86% | 1.6% | 0.86% | 0.39% | 0.26% | 0.47% |
| Nov 2025 | 27.2% | 17.9% | 9.7% | 13.6% | 8.9% | 6.8% | 6.7% | 3.2% | 1.1% | 2.7% | 1.1% | 0.4% | 0.27% | 0.4% |
| Dec 2025 | 29.1% | 19.1% | 10.4% | 11.4% | 7.7% | 7.3% | 7.2% | 3.5% | 0.96% | 1.2% | 0.96% | 0.35% | 0.19% | 0.53% |
| Jan 2026 | 29.2% | 18.8% | 10.6% | 11.4% | 9.2% | 7.4% | 5.9% | 3.5% | 0.96% | 1.2% | 0.96% | 0.35% | 0.19% | 0.43% |
| Feb 2026 | 31.3% | 19.5% | 11% | 10.8% | 8.2% | 6.5% | 6.3% | 3.1% | 0.69% | 0.9% | 0.85% | 0.31% | 0.17% | 0.38% |
| Mar 2026 | 29.8% | 19.2% | 11% | 11.4% | 7.9% | 7.5% | 6% | 3.6% | 0.98% | 1% | 0.8% | 0.29% | 0.2% | 0.29% |
| Apr 2026 | 30% | 22.5% | 11% | 9.8% | 7.7% | 6.2% | 6% | 3.6% | 0.66% | 0.72% | 0.99% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.24% |
| May 2026 | 30.9% | 22.4% | 10.8% | 10.3% | 6.5% | 6.5% | 5.1% | 4.6% | 0.68% | 0.74% | 0.83% | 0.31% | 0.2% | 0.25% |
| Jun 2026 | 32.2% | 22.2% | 11.1% | 8.9% | 6.8% | 6.7% | 5.3% | 3.4% | 1.1% | 0.93% | 0.71% | 0.32% | 0.21% | 0.12% |
| Jul 2026 | 32.8% | 22.3% | 9.7% | 9.4% | 7.1% | 6.8% | 5.4% | 3.3% | 0.89% | 0.94% | 0.73% | 0.32% | 0.22% | 0.1% |
| Aug 2026 | 32.7% | 22% | 11.3% | 8.7% | 7% | 6.8% | 5.4% | 3.3% | 0.88% | 0.78% | 0.59% | 0.32% | 0.22% | 0.1% |
| Sep 2026 | 32.6% | 17.5% | 11.3% | 10.2% | 8.3% | 6.7% | 6.5% | 3.2% | 1.3% | 1.1% | 0.48% | 0.32% | 0.26% | 0.1% |
How has the Affinity and VSCO comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- VSCO was ahead of Affinity in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Affinity’s share of searches among photo editing software worldwide moved from 1.6% to 1.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 211K to 115K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, VSCO’s share of searches among photo editing software worldwide moved from 6.6% to 6.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 842K to 692K.
How did search popularity change for photo editing software worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
How are branded searches counted?
11 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Affinity’s and VSCO’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Other head-to-heads among photo editing software

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