Not Ready for Full Creative Cloud? Subscribe to CS6 for $19 a Month
February 27th, 2013 Leave a comment
[UPDATE (May 6th) – Special! Adobe is now offering any single tool for just $9.99 a month for upgraders, for a limited time...]
With the increasing popularity of Adobe’s new Creative Cloud, some readers are telling us they’re not sure if they need all the tools that are included in the Cloud offering, or aren’t quite ready to join for US$49 a month…
Typically in these cases customers believe their only two choices are between purchasing CS6 in the traditional way vs. the Creative Cloud.
Fortunately there is a third option now – although this still remains underpublicized to most people. There is a new choice between paying US$700 for Photoshop CS6, and signing on for the full Creative Cloud…
The third route is called Single-App Membership – also known as the CS subscription editions. And it means you can now get full access to the very latest version of any single Creative Suite application for just US$14-19 a month – including Photoshop CS6, InDesign CS6, Illustrator CS6, Acrobat XI Pro, and more.
Importantly, these CS6 programs do not run online or “in the cloud” – your single-app membership lets you download and install the applications directly on your own computer desktop, providing you all the same features and functionality of regular Creative Suite products. Included with the plan you also get a free sign-up with the Creative Cloud, as well as 20GB of online storage and the ability to sync and share your work on virtually any device. You can also run the software on up to two of your computers, including both a PC and a Mac.
This option is available worldwide, making these tools more affordable to everyone without the large upfront cost… The best news is all major new releases (like Creative Suite 7) plus exclusive interim updates are immediately available for you to download and use as a member at no additional cost – there’s no more waiting or wondering or paying extra to upgrade! You can always be running the best and most current CS version, and be your most productive.
[ Note if you're a student or teacher you can get the full Creative Cloud for the same price for a limited time! ]
There are both annual and month-to-month plans for increased flexibility. The month-by-month option costs more, but you can stop and start access as needed. So if there’s a period of time where you won’t need to use the software, you can simply turn it off and pay nothing – then reactivate when you want to run it again, without needing to reinstall.
Generally, the math works out pretty attractively – for example, instead of needing to come up with $1000 for a static version of After Effects CS6, you can get over four years of the latest and most powerful releases of After Effects (CS6, CS7, CS8, etc) with the annual plan.
A dozen different Adobe applications are now offered this way – see the complete list of products you can get. And if you want to upgrade from a single app to the full Creative Cloud down the line, that’s no problem as Adobe will credit your account for your unused amount.
All of the standard CS6 free trials can also be converted to single-app memberships without reinstalling the software. And if for some reason you should decide within 30 days of joining that it’s not for you, you can easily cancel for a full refund.
Do you have any questions about Adobe’s Creative Suite single-app subscription editions? Just ask them below and we’ll get you answers fast!
See also:
- The 10 most common myths about Creative Cloud
- What are the differences between CS6 vs. CS5, 4, 3?
- Download free CS6 e-books (over 1,000 pages)
- How to save 75% with the CS6 education editions
- Free Adobe CS6 tutorials – 30 hours of video training
- Adobe CS6 vs. Creative Cloud: Which is best for you?
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My personal opinion is that plans do not have sense. A single tool like Photoshop should be $10-12, and $20 they should charge for Design Standard for example.
Hey there Bojan, thanks for your thoughts and good to see you again. At this time Adobe decided not to offer price points that are in between a single tool and the full Cloud (e.g., like a suite edition), but it might be something they could consider in the future.
No guarantees of course, but we think it’s more likely they’ll continue to reduce prices generally on all memberships over time, and that is what’s happened so far in recent years… So it’s possible you may eventually get your wish.
Question about the cloud… An Adobe guy on campus said that you just load it to your computer and you didn’t need to have the internet up when you use it, but a friend of mine who has subscribed to the cloud said that she can’t use hers when her internet is out. So what’s the truth? Is there something wrong with my friend’s cloud/computer, or did the Adobe guy tell me wrong? I’m concerned that if I go with the cloud when I upgrade that I’m going to be messed up. I don’t always connect to the web when I’m working on Photoshop.
Hi Debi, thanks for your question. The Adobe guy on your campus is right, it’s no problem… This article should help clear it up – see Myth #2:
The 10 Most Common Myths About Adobe’s Creative Cloud
Hope that answers it and if you have any further questions, feel free to just post back.
PS – Note that if you’re a student or teacher then you can do even better than the Single-App Subscription that’s described here for $19.99 a month – you can get the entire Creative Cloud for the same price!
I have always purchased new versions of Photoshop and Lightroom as they became available. I don’t see pricing for joining Adobe Cloud for just those two specific programs. Is there an option for that?
I know Adobe wants to move everything to the cloud, but freezing out customers who have always purchased the boxed versions (as far as new features are concerned) seems unfair… makes good business sense, but is rather ruthless. Obviously their strategy is working, since I am considering going cloud.
Welcome Isabelle, with Adobe’s Single-App Membership option, the latest version of Photoshop (CS6 or upcoming CS7) is available by itself (standalone) for $19.99 a month – and this will include all updates and upgrades.
Lightroom (either LR4 or upcoming LR5) is part of the Creative Cloud – but is not included in any individual tool offer, probably because it is lower cost and can more easily be purchased separately.
So in your case, you could just buy Lightroom outright and then get a Photoshop subscription – and then you’d be set, if those were the only two applications you need or would ever like to use.
Thanks, PD. One last question before I take the plunge. I would like to keep the purchased versions I have on my computer now which require no regular verification with Adobe. How would that work?
Thank you for the information you provide–until I read your Myths post, I was pretty sure the Cloud wasn’t for me.
Sure Isabelle, glad to help. You can have the Creative Cloud or a single-tool subscription installed together with older/traditional versions on the same machine – see more details here:
How many computers, platforms, and/or languages can I run on?
Why is it an e-mail I just received today (5/14/2013) says I can get Photoshop CS6 on the cloud for $10.00, but when I go to your site it says $19.95
Hey Jim, the normal price is $19.99 – but Adobe is currently running a special promotion where you can now download and use Photoshop CS6 (and soon Photoshop CC) for $9.99 a month if you own any previous CS tool or suite going back to CS3…
Here is more information on the limited-time offer.