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

[Jos]

So there’s a good chance that Pixelmator pro will go on subscription too.
That’s a pity but that’s life. It was pleasure to use but it’s soon coming to an end now.
But please don’t blame it on Apple, I simply don’t buy that. It’s your choice, maybe it’s
the best choice for you but a goodbye for me.

[Harris]

Charge more for Pixelmator Pro 3 and make it a separate app to download if you must, but please, please save it from being subscridized.

In my view, the fact that Pixelmator Pro doesn't have a subscription is one of the two main things (the other being Apple's design language) that differentiate it from Photoshop. Nobody wants two Adobes to choose from – everyone wants choice and Pixelmator Pro has long offered that choice.

It makes sense that subscridizing apps is cost-effective, and as the developer of two apps for two different audiences, Pixelmator can get away with having a low-cost subscription app for the masses and a high-cost one-time payment app for professionals. All I ask is that you please save Pixelmator Pro from a similar fate. Be courageous and continue to be the platform that offers an alternative choice to consumers.

[Harris]

Edit: I read on MacRumors that you'll be offering a "lifetime purchase option." As long as that option remains available, to me this is an acceptable compromise.

[Jan T]

The only reason that made my thinking to switch from Lightroom to Pixelmator was the price… Now I‘d probably stay with Lightroom because of a better integration with the cloud ecosystem

[Jack776]

I get the reasons for subscriptions, and it is indeed a hard decision to make. But it's your business decision in the end. As an Apple user, I still appreciate your years of effort in providing the app that is an exemplary app of a "native" Mac app while updating with new features month after month, which to me differentiates Pixelmator from other apps in the same category. Therefore it is a fair trade for users to pay more to support the ongoing development costs that eventually benefits us, but it's a tricky balance.

However, just as a reminder, one major feature that has not been done well on both the Pixelmator Photo and Pixelmator Pro is RAW photo editing. It is just not on par with Adobe Lightroom, particularly the highlight and shadow recovery is still so bad that almost defeats the purpose of editing RAW photos itself. Honestly, it's not even as good as Apple's own system photo apps (both on Mac and iOS) when it comes to RAW editing. This is a huge deal for serious photo editing. Competitive offerings have historically done much better in this regard.

Other than that, if you are contemplating switching the Pixelmator pro to subscription also, I do think a yearly release model like standalone new Pixelmator Pro 2, 3, 4 (or Pixelmator Pro 2023, 2024, etc) suits better than plain subscription in that people can decide whether they want to pay for the new version, and still letting those who are fine with the old version have access to it (which is what they paid for). And when the time comes, with those new features and as you dropped support for bug fixes for older version later on, people will upgrade if they want the improvements.

That said, looking back recently, I'd say an accumulation of like five 0.1 updates of features and fixes already make me wanna pay extra for an upgrade, but that's just me. What's more critical to many users is that, I would not want to lose access to the old version when I do not want to upgrade, even when there is one available. This is in the end about keeping what I paid for, and I could pay more down the line for improvements and new features in a lump sum as long as it's priced fairly, but I need to be able to keep those as well. Subscription takes the whole app away so users get to keep nothing, which is a totally different thing.

[Christian Poulton]

I may be in the minority here but I don't mind a subscription model especially although there's always the issue in the back of my mind over what happens if I can't ever pay for the subscription. Will the app suddenly stop working?

What really interests me is Pixelmator Photo being available on the Mac. I use Pixelmator Pro exclusively on the Mac as an extension to Apple Photo solely for photo editing - nothing else. This is my replacement effectively for Apple Aperture which works just fine however there are a load of features that I never use and probably will never use in Pixelmator Pro.

If Pixelmator Photo fulfils the role of an Aperture replacement (in tandem with using the Apple Photo library for DAM) then this would be a deal breaker for me. I'm not too concerned over using the same app on iPad or iPhone since I really use the iPhone camera - I import images taken with my cameras directly into a separate Apple photo library and organise and edit from there.

So basically I'm very interested in what's happening on the Mac side and await further news.

[Peter C]

What a crying shame. This seems to be a short sighted cash grab. In the current financial climate, with forecasts for disposable income seemingly catastrophic, why do you think it will benefit the company in the longer term? Surely you know that many users moved to you to avoid the very subscription service you are now turning to. Surely you know that given the choice of paying subscriptions to yourself or more established platforms, your company will not be the first choice. Why not then, continue to buck the trend; stand by your decisions to offer an excellent quality alternative that appeals to more users than the now ubiquitous, rapacious global players. Surely there were other options put forward by your team. Doesn’t this decision mean you play second fiddle to others, competing for a small slice of their profits, rather than becoming an even bigger fish in your own pond. (Excuse the torturous analogies!). I fear your hope that there are enough regulars who acquiesce to subscription is beyond forlorn. I’m afraid that your justifications ring a little hollow - justifications for a profit decision already made rather than a more genuine motive.

[alta1r]

Pixelmator Photo for Mac was the only thing I wanted from the software world this year. So great to know it's coming. Will you have any beta programs for it? I can't wait for an opportunity to move away from Lightroom. Would be glad to be among early testers.

[Floyd Summerhayes]

I think you’ve lost me, like many I leftAdobe because of the subscription, I’d rather pay for updates if needed.

[Blake Gower]

Also, Pixelmator Photo for Mac is coming and we’ve got an early sneak peek at what it’s going to look like!our blog.

Hey Andrius!

First, let me be an optimistic voice. I first bought Pixelmator Pro for Mac (And Photo for iOS/iPadOS) for two reasons: Design/UI and no monthly fee. I don't edit photos often enough (or professionally as a paying job) to justify Adobe's fees. And while there are some features that I would love to see on Pixelmator apps for photo editing (lens correction! I know that a lot of people would love to see it), it's an excellent app! In fact, I purchased Affinity Photo for features that PP doesn't offer, but the UI is so challenging that I still only use PP!

I'm excited to hear that PP is not moving to subscription at this time and glad that you are helping the existing base ease into a subscription model for Photo on Mac. It really seems that the company is trying to balance creating a great product and paying for salaries and development. Y'all have won me over on the product and if I have to switch to a subscription in the future, then I will pick y'all over other offerings.

Now, for my question and the reason I quoted your initial comment. Can you comment on whether or not there will be a difference between the Mac version of Photo and iOS/iPadOS versions? Based on the sneak peak, it looks identical. Will we get new features? Also, because of my workflow, I edit RAW photos from an external drive before I import them to my Photos app. Will Photo for Mac be able to edit from an external drive? Or will it only work as an extension from the Photos app? Thanks for taking the time to read my comments!

[LaurentP]

Hi,
So existing users will get access to futures updates for free, but if we want the Mac version, we will need to buy a subscription plan ?
Have a nice day.

[bobbd2000]

I've been following this discussion since I posted and it's very similar to the discussion at Cocoatech when they went to a subscription model for Path Finder. Same concerns, same questions, some of which were never answered.

One big one is whether the software stops working if I choose to end my subscription. So is it a rental, where it stops working if I stop paying? Or is it a true subscription where I keep what I've already paid for, but get no new updates or features.

[Dijon360]

The graph is misleading. What it doesn't show is the initial investment in software. Creating it from scratch was a mammoth that used to be rewarded by a bolus of sales which tapered over time. In other words a cost bolus was matched by a sales bolus.

I don't have the answer to this, but when I use Pixelmator products, it is typically after taking a vacation or trip, where I have a ton of photos and want to select a few to enhance and share. I am not a Pro and I don't edit photos everyday so paying the subscription fee in months where I do not use the product feels like I have wasted my money. Starting and stopping subscriptions is also a bit of a pain.

Like I said, I don't have the answer for this, but when I buy something outright, I feel like it's there when I need it. It's sort of like when I buy a drill or some other tool. I could rent one when I needed it (a couple of times a year) but I bought it and expect it to be there. If I was renting one and kept it in my garage the whole time without using it, it would feel wasteful.

As a final though on this, while I don't blame you for moving in this direction (it is, after all, the new norm), please remember that you have this market because Adobe switched to subscriptions and you moved in with an alternative option.

[Christopher Dobey]

Three reasons why I preferred Pixelmator Pro over PS: 1) No Subscription. 2) App Store 3) efficient/optimized software engineering.

[Christos S]

So, I start paying for $4.99 per month and using them, you build 2 features.
Later, I stop paying and I am loosing these features. But I have payed for them.
It doesn't seem fair.

[Iris]

Same as so many others here. I was an Adobe power user for years. I did go with their rental program for a while -- too long -- but finally dumped them for that reason alone. I like their products, but not into an eternal rental. I bought Pixelmator Pro to leave the software landlord behind. Incidentally, I also bought Affinity Photo at the same time, also because it wasn't a rental. I'll probably just try to go all in on Affinity since it is still an ethical model, even though I prefer Adobe and Pixelmator.

[Aaron Johnson]

Just wanted to drop my two cents. It’s clear that a lot of these commenters aren’t running a business, or if they are they’re selling a product that has enough profit built into it to sustain them. Unfortunately you can’t sell something that costs more to develop than you make in profits, otherwise all of us can say bye to Pixelmator altogether. Do I like subscription models, no, but it’s either that or the apps are going to cost so much that no one will buy them and once again, it’s bye bye Pixelmator. $24 a year is not bad by any stretch of the means. That’s easily what a lot of developers charge per month. Meanwhile I’m sure a lot of us easily blow far more on trivial things like coffee and eating out.

I’ll gladly pay this subscription fee for a top notch app with a fantastic team of customer oriented developers. Here’s to the next 15 years!

[Teelar]

Pixelmator’s whole existence is that people want to avoid Adobe’s subscription model. Nobody needs Pixelmator, they can just simply get Adobe now. Bye bye to this company.

How is it that Procreate continues to exist through all these years?

[Teelar]

Just wanted to drop my two cents. It’s clear that a lot of these commenters aren’t running a business, or if they are they’re selling a product that has enough profit built into it to sustain them. Unfortunately you can’t sell something that costs more to develop than you make in profits, otherwise all of us can say bye to Pixelmator altogether. Do I like subscription models, no, but it’s either that or the apps are going to cost so much that no one will buy them and once again, it’s bye bye Pixelmator. $24 a year is not bad by any stretch of the means. That’s easily what a lot of developers charge per month. Meanwhile I’m sure a lot of us easily blow far more on trivial things like coffee and eating out.

I’ll gladly pay this subscription fee for a top notch app with a fantastic team of customer oriented developers. Here’s to the next 15 years!

What business are you running?

[Lysander]

I know there are lots of strong opinions about subscriptions so I will not go over that.
Just saying this thread is an exact duplicate of the Adobe threads on another site when they were moving to subscription pricing.

Everyone declared "NEVER!" Yet Adobe's revenue soared over the years and the number of subs increased substantially.

I quit Adobe over the subscription issue yet do subscribe to some software I find useful or even necessary.
Time will tell if Pixelmator can survive the change or if enough people refuse to play and pay.

[PelicanBill]

Apparently there is a lifetime purchase option for Pixelmator Photo (iOS). Why haven't they publicised that in the blog post?

[JWSnavely]

Thanks for the heads up. Pixelmator was the app I purchased back in the day to escape from Adobe's subscription plans and I've recommended your software over the years to MANY people. However, I'm going to delete Pixelmator and Pixelmator Pro from my macs and purchase Affinity Photo and Affinity Design after today's announcement.

I spent many thousands over the years on adobe products prior to their going to subscription. They used to work so hard for our money and release huge new versions every couple years. But once they said "we'd no longer like to work for your money, we'd like you to just pay us forever and see if we keep rolling out good updates out of the kindness of our hearts"... I predicted that things would stagnate and sure enough they did. And far more rapidly than even I anticipated. I haven't regretted dropping them even once and have enjoyed saving money ever since thanks to companies like yours.

I want to thank you for the years of productivity that I got from your apps, but you're just as replaceable as Adobe and these days there's even more competition in this space so dropping you just as fast is something I'll do with no regrets. Good luck as a company but as of today you've lost me as a customer.

[bradywurtz]

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.

Let me guess, I get to keep my program the way it is right now, but I'm not able to get any new features that you come out with later on. And there won't be a way for me to buy or upgrade it later down the road. I'll be forever stuck in this version until I break down and subscribe to the software. I'm guess that's how it'll be, right?

[Tod]

Some random thoughts on the subscription model (from an old guy who has bought software beginning in 1978 for my original Apple II):

1. I've seen many excellent software apps disappear because the market was saturated.
2. We've become jaded by decades of app purchases that were one-time sales, and we still expect that to continue.
3. Some early devs found that while users deserved periodic updates for bug fixes or minor enhancements, a major release that added new features, upward hardware compatibility, and stronger foundation could indeed be sold to replace the older version. Unless rendered inoperable by newer hardware or OS, the earlier versions continued to work.
4. Now a variety of subscription plans have become the only way devs can survive.
5. One subscription plan favored by some dev houses is the "rental" plan, where the app simply stops working if you forget to pay your rent. This is the software equivalent of devs being slumlords.
6. A better plan is for devs to offer only yearly subs and to allow the app to continue to work but is not updated with either minor or major releases after the sub expires.
7. Some folks love the app but don't use it often enough to justify a subscription. If the app doesn't freeze once the subscription expires, just use it until you find that you need the features that a major release offers, then buy a new yearly sub.
8. All subs for premium software like any of the Pixelmator offerings should be for a year, with the possibility of a month-long trial.

[OJB]

Maybe the biggest reason I switched to Pixelmator from Photoshop was to avoid the subscription model. You might have underestimated the amount of negativity there is towards that model. Please reconsider.