By Angela Palumbo
Apple announced on Tuesday that it's launching a subscription plan for its creative software apps, which brings another layer of competitive pressure to Adobe.
Starting Wednesday, users will be able to subscribe to the offering, dubbed Apple Creator Studio, for $12.99 a month or $129 a year, Apple said. This first-of-its-kind subscription for Apple includes access to video, audio, and photo editing programs such as Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro for a lower monthly payment than what each software previously cost individually.
College students and educators will be able to pay a discounted subscription price of $2.99 a month, or $29.99 a year.
All users will still have access to buy these programs upfront from Apple. Customers can pay a one-time price of $299.99 for Final Cut Pro, $199.99 for Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro for $49.99.
"Apple Creator Studio is a great value that enables creators of all types to pursue their craft and grow their skills by providing easy access to the most powerful and intuitive tools for video editing, music making, creative imaging, and visual productivity," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.
Shares of Apple were little changed on Tuesday, with the stock down 0.2% to $259.79. Adobe shareholders were more responsive to the news, as the stock dropped 2% to $321.
Barron's has reached out to Adobe for comment.
Adobe owns programs such as Photoshop, Premier Pro, and Audition, which are widely used in the professional creative space. Adobe has spent the past several years working on updating its platforms with artificial intelligence features to help improve user work flows.
Adobe's Creative Cloud Pro software package offers customers access to its entire suite of programs, and costs $69.99 a month, or $779.88 a year. Students and educators can pay a discounted price of $24.99 a month.
Adobe's stock has fallen 22% over the past 12 months as investors worry about rising competition against companies such as Canva. Apple Creator Studio introduces another competitive challenge for Adobe.
Write to Angela Palumbo at angela.palumbo@dowjones.com
This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 13, 2026 10:43 ET (15:43 GMT)
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