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Stuff / News / Forget Adobe, this is the subscription Apple-based creators really need

Forget Adobe, this is the subscription Apple-based creators really need

Apple has bundled up its most powerful apps as a single sub - Apple Creator Studio

Apple Creator Studio

Apple has offered some of its Pro apps on subscription for a while now, but it has finally taken a leaf out of Adobe’s book and offered them as a bundle for Mac and iPad.

Available for the competitive price of $12.99 per month or $129 per year, the Apple Creator Studio bundle offers three key apps in Final Cut Pro for video, Logic Pro for music as well as recently acquired image editor Pixelmator Pro.Motion (graphics), MainStage (video encoding) and Compressor (audio) round out the pro-level apps.

There’s a 1 month free trial and you’ll get three months free with a new Mac or iPad. Students or teachers are able to get Apple Creator Studio for $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year.

Handily, up to six family members can share all of the apps and content included in Apple Creator Studio with Apple Family Sharing.

However, there are also premium-level versions of Apple’s standard productivity apps included in the bundle. While those versions of Keynote, Pages and Numbers will remain free, in the Creator Studio premium bundle they have been infused with some new AI features (Freeform will be included in this later).

Because the premium apps have the same name as the free versions, it will doubtless confuse users that some of the apps they already have downloaded are now part of a subscription bundle.

Apple also adds that you are still able to buy one-time versions of all the apps. One-time-purchase versions of Final Cut Pro ($299.99), Logic Pro ($199.99), Pixelmator Pro ($49.99), Motion ($49.99), Compressor ($49.99), and MainStage ($29.99) are available on the Mac App Store.

Still, Apple has already fulfilled one wish we said in our feature “Why 2026 will be Apple’s most crucial year ever” where we asked the company to “Keep Pro apps alive”, especially in the case of Pixelmator Pro. Within the first couple of weeks of the new year, the company has already given us an answer.

Apple Creator Studio apps

AppWhat it’s forPlatforms
Final Cut ProProfessional video editing, colour grading, audio mixing and exportingMac, iPad
Logic ProMusic production, recording, mixing and compositionMac, iPad
Pixelmator ProPhoto editing, graphic design and image compositingMac, iPad
MotionMotion graphics, animated titles, transitions and visual effectsMac
CompressorVideo encoding, compression and format conversion for deliveryMac
MainStageLive performance software for instruments and vocalsMac
Upgraded versions of standard apps
KeynotePresentation creation with advanced creative templatesMac, iPad, iPhone
PagesDocument creation and page layout with premium templatesMac, iPad, iPhone
NumbersSpreadsheets and data visualisationMac, iPad, iPhone
Freeform (coming later)Visual brainstorming and collaborative whiteboardingMac, iPad, iPhone
Profile image of Dan Grabham Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home