Adobe increases prices for its Photoshop and Lightroom subscriptions

Wednesday 18th December 2024 10:00 AM

Starting January 15, 2025, Adobe will apply a price increase for certain monthly plans of its subscriptions, while annual plans will remain unchanged. These new prices will mainly affect new subscribers, while current users will be able to keep their current prices if they renew their subscriptions before this date.

New prices in detail

The Creative Cloud Photo plan (20 GB), including Photoshop, Lightroom and Lightroom Classic, will see a 51% increase for new subscribers opting for a monthly payment, going from €11.99 to €18.14. Current subscribers will be able to keep the monthly rate of €11.99, but on condition of committing for one year. On the other hand, the annual payment remains stable at €143, or the equivalent of €11.93 per month.

For the Lightroom (1TB) subscription only, the monthly price will increase from €11.99 to €14.62, an increase of 22% for new customers. Here again, the annual payment, set at €143, will not change. As for the Creative Cloud Photo (1 TB) plan, it remains unchanged at €23.99 per month or €239.88 per year.

These demonstrate Adobe’s goal of encouraging annual commitments, with a significant price difference between monthly and annual plans.

The fault of innovations

Adobe justifies these increases by the numerous features added to its software over the years. According to the company, tools like Photoshop and Lightroom have benefited from hundreds of new features to meet the needs of photographers and creators.

In 2025, Adobe promises to introduce even more improvements, including faster photo sorting options, quick one-click actions, AI-powered editing tools, and easier content sharing.

So of course, it’s very nice to innovate, but that shouldn’t be a justification. When Adobe decided to move to a subscription system, the justification was precisely that the subscription made it possible to finance continuous innovation. Innovating has therefore never been a gift, it was the very purpose of setting up this subscription system.

The type of new features that justify the price increase

What this means for users

Current subscribers will be subject to the new rates when they renew their contract after January 15. Adobe will send them a notification 30 days before their subscription ends. To avoid the increase, it is possible to renew or subscribe before the deadline, while accepting an annual commitment.

New users will no longer have access to the old monthly rates without commitment. Adobe still continues to offer a free trial period to test its software before committing.

Termination policies that still pose a problem

These pricing changes come as Adobe faces criticism over its termination fees. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission accuses Adobe of lack of clarity in its annual contracts paid monthly, which include high cancellation fees of up to several hundred euros. Adobe defends its policy, saying these fees have an impact minimum on his income. We therefore want to suggest that they put an end to it, because many of us have been victims of it.