Subscription cost increasing AGAIN

[ActivelyX]

I'm going to cancel my subscription too. I'm tired of paying exorbitant fees month after month. $72.99 a month? From $52.99? I don't see inflation at that level.

[Abambo]

It happened to our teams license! I knew that we bought a first year promotional subscription. Why? Because “special upgrade price” for CS users was attached to it.

What you could ask Adobe is to show more prominently that the student subscription is a first year absolute special price. If you dig a little bit deeper into the conditions you will be shown the final cost of the product. I say a little bit deeper!

[Abambo]

ProDesignTools  wrote

Also just to be clear: students & teachers never pay full price... For education customers, the first year is discounted by at least 60%, and then subsequent years by at least 40%.

Students get renewed to the full subscription price, if they do not prove their continued student status. That would be a huge price increase. Otherwise, there is none I’m aware of, except if some super promotion comes to its end.

My internet provider is doing the same trick. Consumers should be used to first year specials... But it does not hurt to read renewal and cancelation conditions.

[ProDesignTools]

OT: Here's how Adobe handles renewal of the student discount in most cases:

"Adobe provides an education discount on Creative Cloud All apps plan. This discount is offered exclusively to enrolled students and university staff. After a student graduates from school, the student receives a grace year on the education price. 

Graduated students receive an email notification about the upcoming price increase thirty days before the contract renewal date... If the education status is not verified after the grace year, the subscription is upgraded to a higher non-education price on the contract renewal date."

Source:

Renewal of Creative Cloud educational student discount

[Abambo]

That’s correct! At some time, however, the student price converts to a full subscription price and I think that most students simply ignore the warnings.

[colinchristensen]

Here's what I wrote to them:

--

This is very discouraging.

I am a small business (one person) and use this product maybe once a week. It is the best product out there and all, (I only really use Illustrator and occasionally Photoshop) but at the new price, I will need to find another way to do what I do.

Also, being Canadian, I pay an extra ~27% on top of that. My $49 subscription costs me $70 each month. This $80 subscription will cost me over $100. As a small business, for the value this brings, it was barely worth it before. Now it certainly won’t be. I might have stuck around because new software has a learning curve and might not do all yours can. This barrier just dropped.

This isn’t the first time I’ve written to you about this and it seems it’s falling on deaf ears.

I wish you would consider value in a part-time user like me.

Back when Microsoft was selling Office as a disk, it was getting too expensive for small business owners to buy it. The illegal market for Office grew. More people were looking for ways to pirate it. Now, Office 365 is a measly $15/mth Canadian and I suggest it to every entrepreneur I work with because of the power and abilities it brings for a reasonable price. I’m not saying you need to drop your prices to $15/mth but you could ask yourself if there is a way to open an entire new market of millions of small businesses with an inexpensive version that we can afford. Your single app price is fine but I use two. Ends up being close to the same price as the suite.

At this point, all you are doing is creating competition. I’m going to be looking for alternate solutions and others will start to build them and will start growing. 30 years ago, businesses were on the S&P for an average of 65 years. By 2020, they will be averaging 5 years. It is practices like this that ostracize your clients and have them leave. You are creating a smaller exclusive market that only certain people can pay vs. a solid, massive market with those who want to pay a reasonable amount.

By the way, I’m one of the guys who educates hundreds of emerging entrepreneurs and once I find an alternative to the CC suite, I will have no choice but to point them elsewhere. As someone who has used Adobe for over 20 years, this is sad to me.

--

[macuser2000]

colinchristensen  -google docs is free. So is Open Office. Why pay for MicroSoft. You made a very good point.

[colinchristensen]

macuser2000​ both google and open office cannot do what MS Office does (to the level I use it). However, we're not talking about a difference of free to $80/mth, we're talking a difference of free to $15/mth for Office. I can justify that. The gap between something like Canva, GIMP or Inkscape  vs Adobe may make it more reasonable to have less features.

[macuser2000]

Fair enough. If it's worth it then $15/month is nothing.

[colinchristensen]

That is a true point macuser2000​. A barrier for the guys who cannot afford it is good. However, I'm not competing in that space, I'm just a user for my own personal stuff. Since I'm trained in it, I do my own graphics. I suppose this would force me to look at having someone else do it and that's not good for me either.

[frogmike]

I got this email today as well, being from Canada I get the joy of paying the converted rate. About $74 every month...!

After a few years of paying this monthly price, I have only just now switched to the photoshop/lightroom package for 10$ a month (or, as it will be in my case, about $14/month)

I honestly hope more people choose with their money, Adobe is getting to be a bit too much. I don't use most of these programs, photoshop mainly, plus premiere occasionally. Mainly just for hobby! I don't know why I've been spending so much money on something I wasn't using, I feel dumb and used.

Adobe, if you want more money from me, give me a small package deal. Say 3/4 programs of my choice for $25 a month. Until then, I'll be happy to use applications from other companies. And while I appreciate the usefulness of each application, I don't and can't use every application you offer for the higher-fee, I cannot justify paying this price any longer.

-Frustrated customer

[Kanikas]

Hi Frogmike,

We really appreciate your business with Adobe!

Unfortunately, as of now, there is no plan wherein you could club 3-4 apps for $25. We shall definitely forward your feedback to our concerned team.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Feel free to update the thread for more questions.

Thanks

Kanika

[Sterphy]

I refuse to pay over £40 for the only two apps I use when the whole suite is £50. Adobe seems to think this seems like a sweet deal, but I'm a video editor. I will never ever use Dreamweaver or any of the other apps that aren't for the thing I make my money doing. At work I use their CC login, but for my own work I use DaVinci Resolve, iMovie, blender etc. I would be persuaded back to Adobe for a reasonable video editor package of £15-20 a month for the only two apps I would ever want.

[Abambo]

You're welcome to use the products that fit your needs best.

[xtremevette2]

KanikaS

"Hi Frogmike,

We really appreciate your business with Adobe!

Unfortunately, as of now, there is no plan wherein you could club 3-4 apps for $25. We shall definitely forward your feedback to our concerned team.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Feel free to update the thread for more questions.

Thanks

Kanika"

hahah yeah right!...We will forward this recommendation to our team! Come on you take us for fools? You and we both know if you sold Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign for $25.00 that would be the biggest seller and take away 70% of your $52.99 sales for having to force us to buy the all or nothing package. We aren't as big of idiots as you take us for...show a little intelligence and don't degrade your customers.

[Abambo]

xtremevette2  wrote

(...) for having to force us to buy the all or nothing package. We aren't as big of idiots as you take us for...show a little intelligence and don't degrade your customers.

The all apps price is calculated on the assumption that the average CC user uses 3-4 applications. There could well be a different scenario:

Single app: 20$

3 apps: 50$

all apps: ???$.

Come on! Be happy that you get the all apps plan for 53$.

BTW: With professional print you also rely heavily on Acrobat pro. And that's also included in the all apps package.

You can always argue that the price is too high. You can always argue that you are not happy with the price you are paying. You can always argue ... with any price. People having the Photography plan argue that they do not need the 20Gb of cloud space that comes with that plan.

Anyhow Adobe would design it's plans, there will be users unhappy about.

[Jeremy Ryan]

This is very unfortunate!  As a self-employed, freelance creative, the cost of using Adobe products has become a difficult "bill" to swallow.  As much as I enjoy using the various apps, it has become a major expense.  Sadly, I may have to cancel my subscription.

* Perhaps Adobe could consider an advert supported business model?

[ppinto1982]

Agree, Adobe as become very expensive and should consider better prices.  Perhaps allowing 2 application or 3 application choices package instead of 1 or the full package which many people don't need.   Very greedy on adobes part.  Time for more competition at this rate from other creative software which I think will damage the industry which is not so well anyway. 

[ao60117370]

I am in the same boat. I'm in the process of getting rid of my subscription because I'm graduating and at 52.99 per month, it just wasn't worth what I was doing with it (small projects, etc). My employer just went back to version CS 6 because the rising cost of a subscription seems senseless at this point. I know a lot of other companies (at least 3 off the top of my head) who use the software version rather than the subscription service. The real shame is that they would gladly pay for upgraded software versions, but they hate the subscription model.

[Abambo]

ao60117370  wrote

The real shame is that they would gladly pay for upgraded software versions, but they hate the subscription model.

Well that's strange, because the subscription model is cheaper than the upgrade model.

[scrabbleship13]

This is complete trash on two levels.

We are using only three apps here in our office of five individual users, yet we will be paying $15/mo more because Adobe needs to subsidize those using the full suite. If only there was an option for graphic designers who don't need the BS of Premier or Dreamweaver.

Secondly, the fact there is still no Canadian pricing available (yet you magically charge Canadian HST on our product) is trash. You offer Australian pricing but can't manage a reasonable exchange rate for your Canadian customers? May have to start looking at paying in another currency where there is no tax applied.

[cliffpagemaker]

There is absolutely no need to increase the already high subscription prices! Apple is making a mint for themselves and their stockholders! ENOUGH ALREADY!
THEY NEED TO HEAR FROM WE, THE USERS!

[redwoodtwig]

I also got an email telling me my price was going to jump -- I expected that, since I signed up for the first year at 29.99 -- but that year isn't up until october.  Unclear if Adobe is going to wait till then to jump me to 52.99 or the email is saying that next month my bill will jump.  The link takes me to a very confusing plan changing area with lots of explanation that is very unclear regarding what I have and what they plan to do with my account.

As with just about everyone else who has the individual software as service plan, I use very few of the apps included.  In my case ther are only 6 that say "open." since I've not bothered to install the ones I never use.

If Adobe wants to continue to receive my monthly money, they need to realize that having pinned us to the wall, if they apply enough price pressure, we will leave.  Even if we have to use software that is not quite as "good."

[Kanikas]

Hi,

Sorry for the inconvenience!

For details, please see: Adobe Updates Creative Cloud Pricing          | Adobe Blog

Kindly view the link for more information related to price increase: Creative Cloud for individuals | Price changes in United States, Canada, and Mexico

You may also Contact Customer Care for help. Feel free to update the thread for more questions.

Thanks

Kanika

[colinchristensen]

I'm sorry to say, this is not helpful at all. I don't feel Adobe is listening. Pointing us to a page where it states the updated costs doesn't actually answer the real question everyone is asking here: why don't you care for your smaller customers or why don't you offer a smaller offering for said customers? Many of us have said almost the same thing. We only use a couple apps and the price is too high for what is being used.

[williams18553416]

There are 24 apps in Creative Cloud @ $79.99, so that's $3.33 each. I'll take the four that I actually use (I forgot to include Acrobat previously) for $13.33 and you can sell the other 20 dubiously useful ones to the people who use them.

I've always said to my colleagues that Adobe was the evil software empire, not Microsoft. Cable television is losing it's grip on the market because no one wants, or wants to pay for, the hundreds of channels that no one watches, and that seems to be Adobe's model. Hopefully the people that can migrate from Adobe to other products will send a enough of a message. Unfortunately, most of us will have too much invested in years of legacy files to move away from Adobe. Years ago, when Quark Xpress had 90% market share, they were pretty obnoxious with their customer support and pricing, and pretty quickly dropped to less than 10%. Adobe, essentially giving away InDesign at the beginning of Creative Suite then finished off Quark for the most part.