Are You Making the Most of Adobe Creative Cloud?
With the latest price hike, I find myself constantly questioning whether I’m truly getting the most value out of my Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. Below, I share some of my thoughts and also provide a breakdown of what I actually receive with my Adobe plan.
Back in 2019, I signed up for Adobe’s Photoshop Plan, which was a great starting point for my creative work. Then, around 2022, Adobe offered me the Creative Cloud All Apps plan at a generous 50% discount for the first year. This more comprehensive account provides me with access to over 20 Adobe applications across Desktop, Web, and Mobile platforms, significantly expanding my creative possibilities. Over the years, there have been a few price increases for the plan, reflecting the added value and updates Adobe continues to provide. Just recently, the plan changed again, with the monthly cost increasing by $30 NZ dollars. Despite this price adjustment, I am still actively using this account as it remains essential to my photography and editing workflow.
As I mentioned earlier, having access to 20+ Adobe apps currently costs me approximately $6.50 per app each month, which still remains by far the most cost-effective Adobe plan available, provided you use the majority of the apps offered.
At present, I regularly use a diverse range of eighteen different Adobe applications in my creative work and projects, spanning across Desktop, Web, and Mobile platforms. This comprehensive suite of tools allows me to efficiently manage and enhance various aspects of my creative process.
Also included in Adobe Creative Cloud Plans are several powerful and versatile tools, and these are the ones I currently utilise on a regular basis: -
100gb Cloud Storage (1TB in the Photography Plan) - Easily sync and access designs on all your devices, plus share files from anywhere.
Adobe Portfolio - 5 excellent free Adobe Portfolio sites that can help showcase your creative work effectively
Behance Profile - an online platform to showcase and view creative work.
Adobe Fonts - Free access to fonts, licensed for personal and commercial use.
Adobe Colour - Discover and create unique, accessible colour palettes to use in all your creative projects.
Step-by-step tutorials - Build your creative skills with tutorials for every app and skill level.
Creative Cloud Libraries - Organise project-specific design elements into libraries to access across Creative Cloud apps.
Adobe Stock - Choose from a library of 1M+ free images, music and videos, including 4K and HD options.
Monthly Ai Credits - 4000 credits available in the comprehensive All Apps Plan package
Benefits - Also includes Adobe Partner Perks, which offer valuable benefits such as discounts on a wide range of products and access to free trials across a variety of different platforms. For example, I recently enjoyed a three-month trial on Upskill and LinkedIn Premium, allowing me to explore new skills and professional resources without any cost.
There are many alternatives to Adobe available, ranging from free versions and subscription-based programs to one-off payment software options. While some of these alternatives can be purchased in New Zealand dollars, others are only available for purchase in US dollars, which can sometimes make them considerably more expensive due to currency conversion rates and additional fees.
A good example is DaVinci Resolve, which is an alternative video editing software gaining popularity among creators. It offers both a free version and a Studio version with more advanced capabilities. The free version lacks several important professional features including AI-powered tools, noise reduction, multi-GPU support, 10-bit codec handling, and collaboration tools—everything that is available in the paid Studio version.
Since I work with 10-bit codec footage in my video projects, I would need to make a one-time purchase of the Studio version priced at $295 USD (approximately $480 NZD). Currently, I pay around $6.50 per app each month, totalling about $78 annually for individual Adobe apps. When comparing DaVinci Resolve to Adobe Premiere Pro, which is part of my existing subscription plan, it would take roughly six years to recoup the one-time cost of $480 NZD if I switched entirely to DaVinci Resolve for video editing. This makes the decision to switch less financially advantageous in the short term.
Personally, I will be staying with my current Adobe subscription, as it continues to meet my needs effectively. However, I do believe it is definitely worthwhile to explore what the alternatives to Adobe are, as there may be options that better suit different workflows or budgets. If you do decide to make a change, be sure to carefully check that you are getting the same tools and features you currently rely on, and double-check that there are no hidden costs or additional fees within the alternative software platforms. This careful consideration will help ensure a smooth transition without unexpected surprises.