Announcing Adobe Aero End of Support

[Jeremie Noguer]

Hey everyone,

We’ve made a tough decision and wanted you to be the first to hear that Adobe Aero will be shutting down permanently on November 6th, 2025. This was an incredibly difficult decision that we didn't make lightly.

What This Means: ·

• Adobe Aero has always been free of charge and there will be no impact on your subscription.
• November 6th, 2025:
  • Aero will be removed from Creative Cloud, Apple App Store, and Google Play and will no longer be available for download or installation.
  • For users who already have the app installed on their device, the app will continue to operate, and users can still download Aero files. ·
• December 3rd. 2025:
  • Aero will be decommissioned, and users will no longer be able to access files.
  • Aero scenes (.real files) will stop working for both the authors and the viewers of the experiences.
• December 16th, 2025:
  • Aero user data will be removed from Adobe’s servers.

• Support during transition: 
  • For more information about this change and instructions for downloading your content, please visit this article on the Adobe Help Center - Aero FAQs. ·
  • If you have any additional questions or concerns, contact Adobe Support.

We're truly grateful for all the amazing creations that have been shared and the community we've built together. We're grateful for your support and creativity over the years. Thank you for being a valued Adobe partner.

- The Adobe Aero Team

[benl14700546]

Shocking !!!! 😕

All those year of being milked like a cow !

I'm so disapointed on adobe dev team.

[quitecontrary]

Anyone know a replacement AR app that offers QR codes for users to view? Adobe Aero is one of the main reasons I use Adobe programs along with the 3D substance and material apps to design for Aero, so I'll be cancelling all of those extras too.

[The_XR_Guy]

That came quite unexpected to us as well.

We've been shifting to an AR platform called Scenery. https://scenery.app/
It's as simple as Aero, but offers quite a few more features. Also comes with App Clips and geospatial capabilities.

You'll need a Mac or iPad to create tho.

Hope this helps!

[Henni239027686i3b]

Ok, this looks promising. 

Do you also handle GLBs or USDZ?

Any idea how to get those out of Substance?

Best

[The_XR_Guy]

As far as I know, you can currently upload .usdz
Export from susbtance directly in the right format, it works quite well.

If you have many .glb filesa already, there's a solid converter on macOS called Reality Converter.
Here's a link.

[quitecontrary]

Can Android users view AR created with Scenery? Their website doesn't have even a basic FAQ that I can find.

[The_XR_Guy]

I believe creation is only on macOS and iPadOS. There's a webXR player for Android in development, but not live yet.
For now, it allows sharing to all Apple platforms including Vision Pro.

[quitecontrary]

I really prefer to use something that can be viewed on Android and iPhones. It's ok if creating it is OS only, but needs to be accessible to many devices 

[SC-Agency]

Thank you. The vacuum of what to do next from Adobe is really painful. You attend things like AdobeMAX which is all about how Adobe empowers innovation and equips creators and then with Aero it's hobbled along but been free and now POOF, gone with no hint of any replacement. Wow.

[dave_5101]

Zappar's ZapWorks platform offers similar drag and drop functionality alongside multiple AR tracking types and deployment to the web via QR codes or customisable URLs. 

[Joyful_shape0D4C]

I'm agree with you about Zappar. I had the test option for a while and had several emails from their support team for my queries, which show commitment supporting customers. It has great tool options and best of all doesn't need coding. The only problem is a bit expensive the annual susbcriptions. These companies, as I mentioned to them, they classify you as an individual just for hoby or as a corporate digital company, and no space for professional freelancers. I also like from Zappar is, they do not charge you for singleprojects, or numbers of launch-users, or have the non-sense system of tokens. 

[uu395]

I'm looking into them and the program looks good but my issue is the filesize limits and the view count limits. They have a custom option, maybe thats the way to go. For 3k per year there shouldn't be a limit on those things.

[dave_5101]

We've published a quick tutorial if anyone's interested in moving across: https://youtu.be/vNJk3hR-CVs 

Full transparency, I work at Zappar : ) 

[Peter Villevoye]

This sure is a bitter decision ! 

Aero (in combination with Dimension and Shaper) has been a joy to explore and to work with. Granted, I also had my fair share of misery with it, learnt some tricks and hacks to achieve what I wanted, but all-in-all it was a fascinating phenomenon and tool to work with.

Like many of us, I'm also looking for a way to continue my experiences and experiments with other tools. 

Adobe is innovating in various directions with 3D (Substance Viewer, Neo, Firefly 3D model), but it all seems too fresh and fragile, and none of it is going into any VR/AR direction, yet.

So I asked ChatGPT:

Hey Chatty, Ive been using Adobe Dimension, Substance Stager and Aero to design and import 3D models and create AR environments. But are there other (similarly easy) tools to do such things ?

The reply mentions quite a lot of tools. I haven't had the time yet to check which ones meet my list of crucial features (surface, image, and location-based creations, QR code, in-browser viewing). Aero was quite capable of doing a lot ! So we're out in the woods. Here we go:

You're already using Adobe Substance Stager and Adobe Dimension (for static 3D scenes/renders) and Adobe Aero (for AR scenes), both of which are super designer-friendly and tie nicely into the Adobe ecosystem. But if you’re looking for other tools with a similar level of ease — maybe with different capabilities, platforms, or export options — here's a curated selection of easy-to-use alternatives for 3D + AR content creation, depending on your goals:

Designer-Friendly 3D Scene Builders

(like Adobe Dimension and Substance Stager)

1. Spline

• Web-based, very intuitive UI (like Figma meets Blender).
• Great for real-time, interactive 3D scenes, animations, and web embeds.
• Has basic AR/WebXR export (still developing).
• Mac-native app also available.

2. Vectary

• Web-based 3D editor focused on product design, web embeds, and AR.
• Drag-and-drop ease, PBR material support.
• Exports to USDZ for iOS AR or glTF for broader use.
• Built-in AR viewer via QR code.

3. Luma AI / Genie

• iOS and Web
• AI + NeRF-based tools for scanning real-world objects (with photorealistic results).
• Convert to 3D assets and easily place them in AR.
• Luma has AR previews and iOS USDZ exports built in.

4. Scenery

• Well-versed in the Apple eco-system; Android viewer on its way.
• [See other posts about it below.]

Simple AR Creation Tools

(like Adobe Aero)

1. 8thWall (now part of Niantic)

• WebAR platform – users don’t need to install an app.
• You can use drag-and-drop tools or custom JavaScript if you want.
• Ideal for AR websites, marketing, or interactive posters.

2. Zappar / ZapWorks

• Very user-friendly no-code web tool.
• Create AR experiences that work in-browser or in-app.
• Also supports image tracking, world tracking, etc.

3. Reality Composer

• For Apple iOS/macOS
• Native, easy, node-based AR scene builder from Apple.
• Works with USDZ and RealityKit.
• Excellent if your target is iOS.

4. Meta Spark Studio [EDIT – Discontinued]

• Meta’s platform for Facebook/Instagram AR filters.
• A bit steeper than Aero, but manageable.
• Has a visual programming interface like Quartz Composer.

Honorable Mentions / Crossovers

• Blender + Verge3D
  Blender is complex, but Verge3D adds a visual logic editor for interactive scenes + WebXR export. Powerful combo if you dare.
• Unity MARS or Snap AR Studio
  More advanced, but Snap has a few entry-level templates for quick prototyping.

[The_XR_Guy]

Thanks for the detailed report and highlighting alternatives, @Peter Villevoye.

Did you take a look at Scenery already?
It's proven to be tremendously useful for us, as you can create quite complex experiences as easily as with Aero, but then also deploy via AppClips. It's running barebones RealityKit and ARKit thus is pretty good for high-quality experiences. It's as accessible as webAR with the quality of a native app. 

Here's a little trailer video. 

[Peter Villevoye]

Whooooo, the extraction teams are already lifting us up and away from Adobe grounds !

Sure looks nice and promising, this stuff. (ChatGPT clearly dind't know of it, yet.) Good tip !

Since Adobe doesn't have any plans or new tools, we might is well take a good look around.

From the FAQ:

 

 

[SC-Agency]

Yea, unfortunately when I read "Adobe is innovating with programs like..." I think about the brand skewing towards additional "Pro," pay-to-play tiers on top of Creative Cloud. This is what Disney Parks did with Genie+ and Lightning Lane to eventually charge almost the same price as admission to actually ride rides once you were in the park. Not going well for Disney.

I'm sure Adobe will give us a discount for discontinuing the only AR solution they had. Oh wait, subscriptions are all going up. Less programs, more cost. Less generative uses, more cost.

[Peter Villevoye]

Hahaa, all those "Plus", "Pro" and "Star" next to the "Standard" tiers, they all show an initial underestimation of their own value ! Or... is it all planned ? I don't know, I'm not a marketeer.

But to be honest, Adobe has raised its price from ± € 50 to € 65 (exclusive. VAT) in the course of 13 years. I think that's a reasonable raise/inflation. And each year you're really getting much more value for your money ! So I wouldn't say one pays more for less. The fact that they take out our pet peeve is cruel, but it's their choice.

Sometimes companies decide they've bet on the wrong horse. Technologies evolve, popular file formats change, programming turns out to be hard to upscale or extend in new directions. Especially in new territories like XR and AI, and in the way how tools work (e.g. from desktop apps to web-based SaaS, and from single to multi-user) things have changed drastically. So you have to pull the plug. And often this also forces us as users to open our own blinders, to develop new and better workflows. 

[SC-Agency]

I believe the standard plan in the US going up $120 this year with less apps, less generations of AI. The new Pro plan costs even more to get the AI generations people truly need. I know innovation costs money. I know employees at Adobe gotta feed their families, but more for less feels wrong.

[Peter Villevoye]

I understand the loss of Aero feels bad, and we may question why Adobe doesn't have a roadmap for its continuation aftre the break-up (due to platform maintenance constraints) on December 3rd. 

But it's nothing less than reasonable that certain new and extra services which costs them a lot of energy/money each time we use it, may lead to new tiers and prices. And a raise of $10 (per month) isn't that problematic. It's actually far less than the normal inflation, calculated from 2012...

Please describe a bit more precise why you think/believe/feel you are paying more for less ? If you're on the full Creative Cloud plan, you actually gained every year more apps, more services, more features, more combined value for money, even if the prices are going up a notch.

To be honest, I think I'm thankful for having been able to try out this kind of stuff (for free) for a few years. Now that I know how things work, I can consider other (paid) tools. These might not be directly compatibe with Aero's files and materials, but I already have an inkling other tools will at least be better suited and organised, more stable, and easier to implement in viewing applications, compared to Adobe Dimension / Shaper / Aero workflows...

[SC-Agency]

Loss of Dimension, loss of Aero, loss of generative credits... 

The thing with Pro for generative credits and how video rolled out with like 2-3 tries was terrible. The fact that Firefly for anything other than generative fill never has high enough quality or pro results for us to use is also a huge negative to plan on a long term relationship with Adobe. Too many other players in the market  like Midjourney that now affordably does AMAZING video, Luminar that does some awesome things ACR and Lightroom can't or do them better (like skies), Affinity, and and and. 

How are your compensated by Adobe as a "Community Expert" to answer here? That makes people have suspicion on the "answers."

[Peter Villevoye]

To deal with your last question first: at the very moment, NOT (no compensation). But if our new Community Expert Hub platform would work (because the system has been down for many weeks now), I believe I'd get 2 points for an answer, which stands for a few dimes worth in getting some Adobe-related swag or software. But I don't care about that at all. As a matter of fact, I hate this gamification of voluntarily sharing thoughts and solutions in a community like this. I've been doing this for decades, no matter what badge or title Adobe uses to honor me, and most of time I've done it without being hooked to some tallying system with benefits.

BTW: I give Adobe credit where credits are due, but as you might have noticed, I'm not afraid of pointing it out and refer users to other (non-Adobe) valuable tools or solutions, when Adobe is clearly making a mess of something...
I'm quite independent in my contributions.

What I have learned, that is that every time when Adobe makes a decision about discontinuing software (and I've seen their graveyard grow since LiveMotion, PageMill, GoLive, FreeHand, PageMaker, InDesign DPS, Edge, Muse, XD, and many others), I see similar reactions and sentiments. And I've learned from these reactions too !

Lesson 1: when Adobe moves and shakes its tail, don't oppose to it. They've given it a lot of thought, and they run their shop, with visions and goals we don't always know.

Lesson 2: open your blinders, find other, newer, better tools and ways to do stuff, and jump ahead. Adobe is not a monopoly. (Dominant at best, off and on, in some areas).

Lesson 3: don't dwell on the cost of the tools. We're getting an increasing lot of apps and services for relatively less money. For a pro, CC's pricing shouldn't be a worry.

If you think you can do without Adobe, feel free to do so !

[rayek.elfin]

Meta Spark Studio was discontinued last January. 

https://spark.meta.com/blog/meta-spark-announcement

Never trust the info a LLM generates.

[Peter Villevoye]

HA !! Good catch. Thanks 👍

I'll take note of that and edit the list.