Arek Dvornechcuck
Branding Expert
As a branding and design expert, one of the most common questions I receive is:
How much does Adobe Creative Cloud cost?
Adobe CC is the industry standard suite of creative apps for graphic design, photography, video production and more.
However, navigating Adobe's pricing and subscription plans can be confusing for new and existing users alike.
In this comprehensive guide, I'll break down all the key information you need to understand Adobe Creative Cloud pricing for 2023 so you can find the right plan based on your needs and budget.
First, let's start with an overview of the main Adobe CC pricing plans:
Adobe uses a subscription model now for Creative Cloud. This means you pay a recurring monthly or annual fee to access the apps, cloud services, ongoing updates, support, etc.
Here's a quick look at key Adobe Creative Cloud pricing tiers:
Let's explore each of the major Adobe Creative Cloud pricing plans and options in more detail so you can determine the best fit.
The Creative Cloud Individual plan from Adobe is designed for solo creatives who need access to apps like Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects and more. There are two pricing options:
This plan gives you access to one desktop app, either Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro or another CC app of your choice.
It does not include the full Creative Cloud suite.
Pricing:
The Single App plan also includes:
This is a great option if you only need regular access to one or two Creative Cloud apps for your work. For example, a photographer who only uses Lightroom and Photoshop may only need this plan.
This plan gives you access to the full suite of creative desktop and mobile apps from Adobe.
This includes 20+ apps like:
Pricing:
The All Apps plan also provides:
This is the best value for individuals who need regular access to several Adobe creative tools for their work. The full suite offers unlimited creative potential.
Get 40-70% Off Adobe Creative Cloud
One of the best Adobe Creative Cloud discounts is for students and teachers.
The educational pricing makes the full CC suite very affordable for those in school or education professions.
Here are the key details on Adobe Student pricing:
To qualify for the student/teacher rate, you must provide proof such as a valid school-issued ID, transcript, etc. This offer is available for higher education and K-12 students, homeschoolers, and accredited education teachers and faculty.
This makes the full suite of Adobe creative tools accessible for less than $20/month. It's a fantastic deal compared to the regular pricing. If you're a student, it makes sense to take advantage of the discount while you can.
Adobe offers a variety of plans and pricing for creative teams, enterprises, education institutions and government agencies.
Some of the options include:
This plan is designed for small/medium business teams that need access to Adobe's tools. Pricing starts at:
You can purchase licenses based on how many team members need access. Volume discounts available as well.
For large organizations and global enterprises, Adobe offers customized plans and pricing:
Contact Adobe enterprise sales to discuss pricing for your organization's specific needs.
Businesses can purchase individual app licenses and allocate access to specific users as needed. For example:
This "named user" approach provides flexibility versus buying full Creative Cloud suites.
There are additional services like Adobe Sign e-signatures, Acrobat subscription plans, and options for cloud storage beyond the included 100GB.
In summary, Adobe provides a range of creative business solutions scaled to your team size and needs. Contact Adobe or an authorized reseller to discuss what's right for your organization.
In addition to the Individual and Student/Teacher plans above, Adobe offers a specialized Photography Plan focused on photo editing needs.
Here are some of the deals you can get:
This provides an affordable way to get both Lightroom and Photoshop for photo editing and organizing without paying for the whole Creative Cloud.
For example, if you only use Lightroom and Photoshop as a photographer, this plan allows access to just those two apps at a lower price point.
The $9.99 plan includes 20GB of cloud storage, which can be limiting. The $19.99 plan with 1TB of storage is better if you have a larger photo library.
Overall, the Photography Plan provides great value specifically for photographers versus paying for the entire All Apps suite.
Adobe Acrobat is the industry standard software for creating, editing, signing and managing PDF documents and forms.
Here are the Acrobat subscription pricing options for individuals:
The Pro plan includes additional features like:
So Acrobat Pro has more robust PDF editing capabilities and is recommended for power users. But Acrobat Standard provides basic PDF creation and editing for a lower price.
Volume and business discounts are available if you need multiple Acrobat licenses. Contact Adobe sales for enterprise pricing.
Overall, an Acrobat subscription provides affordable access whether you just need to work with PDFs occasionally or extensively. Try the free 7-day trial to test it out.
Here are some tips and tricks to get discounts on Adobe Creative Cloud pricing:
Taking advantage of student pricing, annual subscriptions, and holiday sales can help you save the most on Adobe Creative Cloud pricing each year.
I recommend new users start with the free trials first before purchasing so you can evaluate if you truly need and will use the apps.
If you want to test out Adobe CC apps before you commit to buying, you can sign up for free trials.
Free trials are available for:
These free trials give you full functionality of the apps so you can evaluate if they meet your needs before purchasing. You will need an Adobe ID to sign up.
The only limitation is the 7-day time period. But this gives you enough time to experience the capabilities first-hand.
I recommend new users start with the trials to learn the Adobe apps before deciding on purchasing a Creative Cloud plan.
I'm often asked "are there any alternatives to Adobe Creative Cloud?"
The answer is yes! Here are some of the top alternatives to look at if the pricing for Adobe CC doesn't fit your budget:
Adobe offers their basic Creative Cloud Express app for free. It provides templates and easy design tools for social media, basic photo editing, flyers, and more.
The premium version adds more features and assets for $9.99/month. But the free version can meet basic needs.
Affinity offers alternative apps for Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and more. They are available for a one-time price versus monthly fees.
For example, Affinity Photo is only $49.99 for Mac or Windows. This makes Affinity very affordable if you don't need ongoing updates.
There are also free open source alternatives like:
The learning curve may be higher with open source tools. But they provide free creative capabilities.
For photography, I recommend trying out free Lightroom alternatives like Darktable, RawTherapee, and others.
While perhaps not as robust as Adobe apps, these alternatives give you options at lower price points. I suggest trying free tools first before investing in paid creative software.
With all of the Adobe Creative Cloud pricing and plans available, how do you determine what's right for your needs? Here are my recommendations:
I suggest identifying the Adobe apps you absolutely require for your work. Need one app? Choose the single app plan. Need the full suite? Go for All Apps.
Take advantage of student pricing if eligible. And don't forget to use the free trials so you can test drive Adobe software firsthand.
I hope this guide provides you a detailed overview of Adobe Creative Cloud pricing, plans and discounts for 2023. Let me know if you have any other questions!
