Why Pixelmator Photo is switching to subscription pricing (and a sneak peek at Pixelmator Photo for Mac)

[Andrius]

Hi everyone – we’ve got a pretty big announcement to make: Pixelmator Photo is moving to subscription pricing. In this blog post, we’ll explain why this is the best way forward for Pixelmator Photo and will make it into the best photo editor it can be. Also, Pixelmator Photo for Mac is coming and we’ve got an early sneak peek at what it’s going to look like!

TL;DR: Pixelmator Photo will now cost $4.99 per month, $23.99 per year, but existing paid users get unlimited access for free. Also, Pixelmator Photo for Mac is coming! What’s more early subscribers will get access to it for the same monthly price, which will go up when the Mac version is out.



Read the full post on our blog.

[294790756@qq.com]

安装包越来越大了？

[Andrius]

安装包越来越大了？

The app size grew because we've also included some introductory videos and tips for new users.

[294790756@qq.com]

非常希望软件可以得到持续开发，但是很久没有新功能了？是要等到Mac版发布的时候一起发布吗？

[294790756@qq.com]

请问其他软件也会近日转为订阅吗？

[rcrdleitao]

Sadness!

[gooddaysunshine]

Will edits on the iPad version sync with the new Mac version? Like how Lightroom works?

[Akshay Anikhindi]

Will there be a Lifetime option for Photo for Mac? And if so, will existing paid users (pre-subscription) get some sort of discount for that? Would love if the answer to both questions was "yes"!

[Barry Knaggs]

For existing users is this free forever or for x years? Darkroom did something similar and at the time said existing users who had purchased would continue to receive updates forever. Earlier this year they changed this to 2 years since subscriptions were introduced and put the lifetime price up significantly at the same time.

[Andrius]

非常希望软件可以得到持续开发，但是很久没有新功能了？是要等到Mac版发布的时候一起发布吗？请问其他软件也会近日转为订阅吗？

We've got plans for updates to the iOS/iPadOS version of Pixelmator Photo before the Mac version is released. As for Pixelmator Pro – we don't have any immediate plans to move to subscription pricing and there are several (genuinely really cool) major updates in the pipeline that will be free as usual.

[Andrius]

Will edits on the iPad version sync with the new Mac version? Like how Lightroom works?

Yep, that's the plan!

Will there be a Lifetime option for Photo for Mac? And if so, will existing paid users (pre-subscription) get some sort of discount for that? Would love if the answer to both questions was "yes"!

It looks like this is possible and we'll do our best to make it happen.

For existing users is this free forever or for x years? Darkroom did something similar and at the time said existing users who had purchased would continue to receive updates forever. Earlier this year they changed this to 2 years since subscriptions were introduced and put the lifetime price up significantly at the same time.

We haven't made any decisions regarding this, so there's really not much I can say here. We've always strived to be as fair as possible as far as our users go and that's not going to change.

[Sparroworks]

I thought that Pixelmator Pro WAS "for Mac" ... so what is this new tool going to offer that distinguishes it from the current offering (which, by the way, I use daily)?

[Petar]

I am not using Pix. Photo, but if you go to subscription model for Pix. Pro -- I won't buy it any more, whatever the reason will be.

[Noise]

That’s fair enough. I always thought that in the long run it is hard to be super profitable woth one time purchase if you provide constant updates which are made by developers who need to get paid monthly. How Photo will be different to Pro version?

[bradywurtz]

Well it was fun while it lasted! I'll be finding another program that doesn't rip me off by making me rent their program.

[LunaL]

I am not using Pix. Photo, but if you go to subscription model for Pix. Pro -- I won't buy it any more, whatever the reason will be.

I can say the same here, I use Pro daily specifically because it is a one-time purchase. A subscription would just make it the same as photoshop.

[Peng]

What's the differences between Pixelmator Pro and Pixelmator Photo on Mac? I think I really need a reasonable explanation to convince me to subscribe the Pixelmator Photo on Mac.

[Stev Nicholas]

is there a beta for macos available?

[Andrius]

I thought that Pixelmator Pro WAS "for Mac" ... so what is this new tool going to offer that distinguishes it from the current offering (which, by the way, I use daily)?

Pixelmator Photo and Pixelmator Pro are designed for different workflows – the first is exclusively for photo editing (specifically for working with many photos at a time) and the second is a layer-based editor, which also includes a suite of photo editing tools. If you have lots of photos that you edit in your library (and often in batches), then Pixelmator Photo is for you. If you edit photos occasionally and also need design and illustration tools, then Pixelmator Pro is the app for you.

Well it was fun while it lasted! I'll be finding another program that doesn't rip me off by making me rent their program.

Just in case you missed this in the blog, if you've already paid for the app, you'll keep full access to it without having to pay again.

is there a beta for macos available?

Not at this time, but we'll obviously share news about it if and when we do have one.

[Cuckoo]

I departed from Creative cloud because their subscriptions felt too expensive, and with old code base and slow several gigabyte sized apps for no good reason. I loved the Pixelmator Pro pay to own, and I’m surprise you haven’t put out more paid updates. Super snappy too. With Pixelmator Photo I’m one of those users paying early, thinking it a worthy Lightroom competitor, but honestly I think you still have a long way to go, so I ended up not using it that much. But it still felt great having supported a company I dig. Hoping for great new updates, and a that you can move towards a more emotional and breathing photo quality, that I currently kinda miss in the app.

I still wanna support you, but will wait to feel the prices for real.
Pixelmator pro next?

[inpitlane]

Sorry but moving away from a subscription model is why I moved to Pixelmator Pro in the first place.
If that goes down the same route then I'm sorry but you lost me.
Subscriptions are a massive rip off. Constantly paying money for a product you never truly own.

[bobbd2000]

As a rule, I do not like subscription software. It is, as people have already said, renting. It's not like a magazine subscription where you get to keep the issues you've already received. If you stop paying the subscription, the software stops working. Although if you're really paying for updates and development, then why should it stop working. Simply stop providing new updates.

As for the App Store not providing upgrade pricing, that is something you should take up with Apple, or provide a way to purchase/upgrade direct from your site.

I have no problem with paying for a major upgrade. It is then my choice whether I feel that the new features are worth the price. I never understood why subscription pricing is usually significantly more than one would pay for the original purchase plus annual major upgrades.

I use Pixelmator Pro enough so that it resides in my Dock. I'm quite concerned that I might be locked out of future updates if it too goes to a subscription model.

[Noise]

By the way, will there be Apple ProRaw support, i mean, a slider that lets you to adjust intensity like Photoshop? I have bunch of nice RAWs from iPhone 12 PRO and would test it out

[neoliminal]

My main reason for using Pixelmator Pro is that you are not locking me into a subscription service like some other programs use. Please consider that some of us use your apps specifically because you aren't using that model.

Keep up the great work. I won't subscribe to use your app.

[PelicanBill]

Well done.

Not having to pay for a subscription was THE reason that I began using Pixelmator products (Primarily, Pro). Simply the risk of you switching to a subscription for Pixelmator Pro is enough that I've decided to stop using it after reading this announcement. It'll be annoying as hell, but as I found a solution for not paying for a subscription for Adobe, I'll find a solution for replacing Pixelmator Pro.

Some of the reasons are quite silly too, especially #4.

That’s what we’ve been doing until now and it hasn’t served us badly, but the landscape is changing ...

No, it's not—at least not as far as customers like. Instagram blindly said the landscape is changing and are on their way to being a poor TikTok clone.

Subscriptions for car features, for printer features, for many apps, etc. It's wrong.

It’s more expensive.

A big one? You're pricing out a lot of people. Again, a key reason that people use Pixelmator products is because they're affordable and not a subscription. You've lost that now.

There's other pricing models. For example, buy once + get updates for a duration of time, after which you don't get updates.