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Question

Is there an alternative to Creative Cloud?

Forum|Forum|12 years ago
December 12, 2013
13 replies
38035 views

Basically, I want access to a editing software that is easy to use, up to date, that isn't subscription based (which I totally detest), and that doesn't require a constant Internet connection - so that I can use it anywhere, anytime, without worry. Unfortunately, it appears that Adobe no longer offers such a compelling and trustworthy option anymore. Am I wrong about this? From my perspective, customers trying to stay up to date with the latest features are being slammed with a very un-consumer friendly push from Adobe, and met with a bunch of legalese that basically strips them of ownership of their content and their right to privacy.

Personally, I don't find anything about Creative Cloud compelling. It is restrictive, subscription based, and cloud based. I want a product with an upfront, non-reoccurring, cost. I have plenty of storage options (If I want cloud storage, there are plenty of options there, as well), so that is not something that interests me. I want to be able to use it on the go, as I have in the past, without worrying about Internet availability - sometimes for days at a time - a common situation for both myself and many people I known that are interested in these types of programs.

What options do I have available outside of CC? Do I have to stop using Adobe products altogether, eventually?

I won't switch to a subscription based, cloud centric suit; does that mean that Adobe has made itself irelevent as a company from my standpoint?

Please help! I don't want to switch to a competitor to stay up-to-date, but at this point I see no alternative. I can wait until what I have is outdated and no longer relevant, and then switch to a competitor -- which would put me at a disadvantage for a time -- or I can go with a competitor now, and spend that time learning their platform, while still using it along side this program, until this program is no longer needed. The ladder option, unfortunately, seems like the alternative I am going to have to lean toward.

So, any alternatives to Creative Cloud, that is still Adobe based, that will continue to be updated and improved for years to come?

P.S. - This question is not only for indesign, but all of Adobe's Creative Suit programs. Thanks in advance!

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Sandee Cohen

Legend

You have asked for an alternative to the Creative Cloud that "will continued to be improved and updated for years to come."

Obviously you have not been using personal computer software for 25+ years as I have or you would know that nothing can be relied on to be improved and updated for years to come.

When I started on a Macintosh computer there was a program called SuperPaint that did amazing things for its time. After a while the people who made SuperPaint stopped supporting it. And when I moved to a more modern OS, I couldn't use SuperPaint. All my SuperPaint files were worthless.

Now I'm no lawyer, but I know for certain that the company that made SuperPaint never contracted with me to keep improving and updating the software for years to come. So I switched to a different company's product.

Just like the company that made my favorite salad dressing stopped making it. It's gone. Over. Finished. There are no more bottles to buy. Do I have a right to protest that they have to keep making it? No. There is no implied agreement that I can have that salad dressing for the rest of my life.

Or the electric toothbrush manufacturer who stopped making my favorite electric toothbrush/irrigator combination. So when mine broke after 5 years, I couldn't buy another. There were no new mahines on the market. Nada. Nenio. Bupkis.

You've insisted that your editing software come from Adobe. Why would you want to do business with a company that imposes such arbitrary restrictions on how you use its products? I truly suggest that you purchase the latest version of QuarkXPress as well as some of the competitors to Photoshop and Illustrator. These companies are obviously treating their customers better than Adobe.

Of course if you are open to understanding how many mis-informed facts you have regarding the Creative Cloud, especially how often you need to be connected to the web, there are more than enough people to help you.

E

Eugene Tyson

Community Expert

There's a free trial isn't there?

BobLevine

Community Expert

There most certainly is. You get almost everything for a month. Doesn't

include DPS SE apps and a few other thing as well.

I wrote this blog post last week and the numbers released today confirm

my opinion. Creative Cloud is here to stay:

http://boblevine.us/why-creative-cloud-subscription-software-is-here-to-stay/

Steve Werner

Community Expert

Your option is to buy a copy in InDesign CS6 with what's called a perpetual license. It may never be updated. As newer versions of the operating system you're using come out, there's no guarantee that there might not be problems with it.

This issue has been debated endlessly for the past year. This isn't really an InDesign question, and if this thread degenerates, it will be locked.

Peter Spier

Community Expert

First, let's correct some misconceptions, starting with ownership of the content you produce. It's yours, always was and always will be. The application software belongs to Adobe (always did), and you obtain a license to use that software. Perpeutal (traditional) licenses don't expire, subscriptions do, and when they do you lose the right to use the software unless you renew. Your files are still yours and can be opened and edited on with properly licensed apps.

You don't need a constant internet connection. The software "phones home" periodically to be sure the license is current, but if the connection is missing you should be able to continue for a period of time until your connection is re-established.

You don't have to store anyting on the internet, and the applications are downloaded, installed, and run on your local computer.

I'm not a fan of the subscription model, either, but it makes a lot of sense for a professional user -- the cost is lower than keeping up with al the upgrades, you get more frequent updates, and they are released when they are ready, not when marketing says it's time, but if you don't need the new features that will be coming, and are not concerned about eventual inability to run on new hardware, a CS6 perpetual license is still an option.

H

HeyMikey

Participating Frequently

Hey all,

Just chiming in on this:

Peter states: "I'm not a fan of the subscription model, either, but it makes a lot of sense for a professional user".

Unfortunately, we're a small professional organization, and it doesn't make sense for us (the subscription model). Our costs to continue working in Adobe-branded products has increased, as it requires CONTINUAL payment; with the perpetual licenses we - and most users - enjoyed previously, we upgraded every 3-4 years, and budgeted that way. An annual cost to for 15 seats to CC is roughly $7,000 PER YEAR, while updating a perpetual license for 15 seats was roughly $7,000. That's a three-fold price increase just to be able to use the software, and I do believe Adobe did a "bad". I, too, have been looking for alternatives, as it simply isn't feasible to 'subscribe' and not be able to serve our clients should we not make a monthly payment. We're a big fan of Adobe products, we all grew up on them, but let's get real; subscriptions are for music and tv, which is a choice to either have or not; software which is vital to livelihoods is a requirement for our business, and it shouldn't be at the discretion of the manufacturers to turn it off. Whew! there, I've vented, and sincerely hopes Adobe sees its userbase now has a feeling of being controlled in their business practices. I personally will stay on CS6 until I've located options to switch over--Adobe's "competitor" isn't looking so bad anymore. And sorry if I offended anyone here, you all are my "community".

Cheers!

-Mikey

BobLevine

Community Expert

You're actually making the case for CC. Even if you don't buy a version, it

still costs Adobe millions of dollars to develop it.

Do you think your business could survive with people stopping in every 3-4

years?

Subscriptions work better and are here to stay. I get that they're not for

everyone but you have practically zero chance of ever seeing perpetually

licensed software from Adobe again.

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