Is there an alternative to Creative Cloud?

[Chaostheory66821]

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 I can wait until what I have is outdated and no longer relevant, and then switch to a competitor -- which would put me at a disadvantage for a time -- or I can go with a competitor now, and spend that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!

[amaronee1]

Andy,

Thank you for articulating the truth so clearly. You expresses my sentiments exactly. I would be eager to hear the number of CS/ID users that have registered, licensed software that have NOT converted to CC. I am currently using CS5, will soon buy CS6 and that will be the end of my Adobe purchases. Will not move to the subscription model. Regarding the tech challenges of regular updates on a non-subscrition model: how is it that Apple does this regularly with both iOS and OSX? I get the Software update notice, I go to the app store, the software is updated.

[rob day]

Regarding the tech challenges of regular updates on a non-subscrition model: how is it that Apple does this regularly with both iOS and OSX? I get the Software update notice, I go to the app store, the software is updated.

There's a difference between a patch and an upgrade. Buying the ID CS6 perpetual license certainly makes sense if it's the only Adobe app you use, but in that case you don't have to worry about updates because CS6 is stable at 8.02—there won't be many more patches.

[amaronee1]

Just bought Adobe CS6 Design and Web Premium CS6 Mac -- DVD media-- online for $581.

[JCF-MCC]

Hate to bump an old thread or open up old wounds, but we are now in the same boat.

I work for a community college, and we never had the funds to upgrade every version.  We'd usually upgrade every two or three versions; that way, we were relatively updated, the curriculum could stay stable over the course of those years because we stuck with the same version, and we saved money by not updating too often.

We have about 100 lab computers that we use Adobe CC on (in addition to about 20 staff computers with it).  We went ahead and paid it for the 2014-2015 fiscal year (that runs July 1 through June 30), but something has to change, at least in our circumstance.  The department that uses Adobe CC blew approximately 70% of its entire yearly budget on just Adobe CC.  Since then, the department has had to go to the school to request more cash just to stay afloat the remainder of the year.  That wouldn't be so bizarre, except that's just for a subscription -- which means we'll be in this boat again next year.

Because of state budget cuts, we are also looking at an overall budget reduction of approximately 4.5% next year -- which is pretty large.

My realistic expectation is this: somehow, the money will be miraculously found for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, and we'll have it one more year.  Then, one of two things will happen: (a) Adobe will substantially change its pricing model for higher education or (b) we'll finally find a suitable alternative and switch to it.  We've got a team looking for alternatives as we speak in case Adobe can't come through.

[BobLevine]

Unfortunately nobody here can help you with this.

Contact Adobe or your Adobe reseller and see what you can work out.

[JCF-MCC]

I am aware of that.  I just want to air my situation and opinion on the matter.

Unfortunately, there really is nothing we can "work out."  The price is the price -- which I totally understand.  I would not expect Adobe to treat us differently simply because we can no longer afford its products.  My hope is that Adobe will eventually make a better deal for higher-education customers.  The subscription model may already be better for higher-education customers who updated as soon as new versions were released.  On the other hand, those of us who didn't quickly upgrade are seeing substantially higher rates that may not be sustainable long-term.

[Gaz_T_-vahfc3]

I think Adobe will do very well with subscriptions as there are plenty of large wealthy companies that can afford it, and if Adobe ever did decided to double or triple their subscriptions and hold those companies to ransom, those companies would pay that as well, they'd have little choice once they're locked in. (That's why I bought shares in Adobe…. $$$ Kerching $$$ ).

What I think it does affect are smaller businesses and individuals. I think a lot of smaller companies will be looking for alternatives. Our business regrettably won't be upgrading from CS6 to CC, we'll be switching to alternatives going forward, which is a shame because I've used Adobe products for 20 years +. There are alternatives out there, which I won't mention on an Adobe forum, and they are actually not 1,000,000 miles off Adobe's offering, but you can use their licences in perpatuity.

I'd much prefer if Adobe continued with the CS6, CS7, CS8 model, but perhaps made the upgrades more expensive, unless you pay an annual service contract which includes updates. I'd be quite prepared to pay the £400+ a year (which I already do for Maxon's Cinema 4D and that's 1 program) if I has software I could continue to use if I decided to stop paying the fee. I've been paying Maxon that fee every year since 2011 and don't see a reason to stop. I do it because it's my choice, not because I need to pay up if I want to see my work again. I think if Adobe gave a guarantee they wouldn't raise prices above inflation, that would also help their CC case. The thing is Adobe won't / can't give that guarantee, because (I can only conclude) they'd like the option to do just that, if they wanted to.

Personally speaking It's the gun to my head I object to, not the fee itself.

[BobLevine]

CC subscription costs have not gone up one penny since it was released. In that time, we've seen three major upgrades, countless new features to apps and some really impressive mobile apps. Adobe continues to offer all of this for what amounts to about a cup of coffee per day.

There's really no gun to your head but perpetual licenses are done forever. Others are sure to follow.

[Gaz_T_-vahfc3]

The fact it's not gone up one penny in that time is very good, unfortunately the way subscription works is it doesn't matter what has happened in the past, it's what happens in the future that counts. Some form of commitment from Adobe on price increase limits would be more reassuring. If Adobe never planned to increase their fees beyond inflation in the country it's being sold in, then it shouldn't be too difficult to say. For example what if the £ -> $ rate changed drastically beyond Adobe's control ? What if $1 = £1 ? Suddenly, to keep my business running I'd need to increase my ongoing fee to Adobe by around 50%.

However I'm a realist and realise Adobe will make a lot of money out of this method, so it's probably right for them as a business and probably right for a lot of bigger creative companies to use this system, I wish Adobe well and good luck, I do like Adobe products and have used them for over 20 years. It's just not right for my business at this time, and I'll be switching to alternatives as CS6 becomes unusable with newer operating systems.

Probably no great loss to Adobe looking at the bigger picture. 🙂

[Glenn_McDowall]

Wasn't there talk of Adobe releasing crystallised versions of the CC Apps after 12 to 18 months of CC subscriptions so you'd have the choice of continuing to save & work with out of date release and OS if you wanted to work with old documents after your subscription ended?

[BobLevine]

Wasn't there talk of Adobe releasing crystallised versions of the CC Apps after 12 to 18 months of CC subscriptions so you'd have the choice of continuing to save & work with out of date release and OS if you wanted to work with old documents after your subscription ended?

Only by people that wanted that; never by Adobe.

[Gaz_T_-vahfc3]

I think a lot of people would have liked that to happen. That would be too good to be true though

[Robin_Driessen]

I adored Adobe.

But maybe the time has come you could take a look at Google. The have OS Chrome and build apps even to design and so one.

And they quick become better and better. There where others remain with the same buggy stuff and other issues that - us users - cost a lot of production time and money. We are just looking for fast, stable, easy to use software. Google has it.

[Derek Cross]

You need to address Adobe directly - it's just volunteers on here.

Wishform - Adobe InDesign

[tammien53278403]

Thank you for all of the information in this thread. 

I am new to this thread and see it goes back years, but it is very relevant to what I am currently going through.

How do we take this up with Adobe and reach a decision maker? 

I am an entrepreneur and had taken the plunge last year to do the annual package with monthly payments. Now I have my renewal for the same package at a substantially larger rate.  I am a 1 person freelancer with a small budget.  This is a large increase for me. Moving from $380USD to $599USD / year - and to top it off, I'm Canadian - so in reality it is now costing me nearly $838.60 per year.

Reading the comments in this thread about Adobe not substantially increasing each year has turned out be false in my opinion as this is more than a 50% increase in fees for the same package.

I realize this is not a place to debate or discuss this, but I would like to know what the best way to do this is and receive some helpful feedback as this is a large increase for the small entrepreneur.  I also am not a fan of subscription based software. It is a business model that does give faster updates, however it really is a model that many companies go to to exponentially increase revenue. Not so good for the consumer.

Helpful comments on where to take this discussion is greatly appreciated.

[BobLevine]

You got what was an introductory rate. Same thing happens with TV and other subscriptions.

The regular price for Creative Cloud has never been increased. It has always been $49.99/month.

[tammien53278403]

Thank you for the information. If it were my only expense then perhaps. Guess I will just have to find a different way. Thank you for your time to answer.

[MW Design]

You can always do a competitive upgrade to QuarkXPress.

QuarkXPress 2017 Competitive Upgrade Promo

then there is Scribus, which is an OpenSource application. Though I wouldn't recommend it but if cost is a concern, it is a viable product once one gets their head around the use of the thing. Every time I use it for the single client that specs it, I dread the work.

Mike

[postrophe]

Hi

You can check Affinity ( Mac/Windows ) : Welcome to Affinity - Creators of award-winning creative software

Pierre

[Eugene Tyson]

Yeh it is worth a look - but it is no InDesign.

There's a Photoshop-y version and a Illy-ish version both very good.

But the InDesign version Affinity Publisher is yet to be released.

[BobLevine]

But the InDesign version Affinity Publisher is yet to be released.

I assume you mean the Windows version.

The bottom line here is that with all the warts in Creative Cloud, it still has every possible tool you could need to get any job done. For $50/month is remains a bargain and these applications are for the most part considered industry standards. This will allow you to collaborate with just about anyone.

Is it for the hobbiest? Depends on how much you want to pour into a hobby, but I'll stick with what I've been saying since day one. If you can't afford $50/month for your business, you are in the wrong business.

[MW Design]

That's a bold blanket statement, Bob.

I had 2 open heart surgeries in 3 years. There were some tough financial times during the years prior and through those 3 years. (Which is one reason I stopped participating as an MVP a few years ago.) Heck, for that matter, I'll never recover financially. Because I was so unstable, I found other layout people to take over my larger clientele and many of the smaller regulars. But I also needed to contribute to the household finances. And I did so using QXP and other Adobe alternatives for the simple reason I owned a license for them. I could not have done so using CC for both financial reasons and continued access of former work.

My situation wasn't unique. And there are a myriad of other circumstances wherein one could not afford to rent and continue being productive in a lowered capacity. But that doesn't mean one could not, nor should not, continue in a business avenue one knows.

The fact is, there are viable alternatives to subscription-based software. It's easier when one is a contractor with dictates as to what to use & whether the work needs returned in a specific format. But even so I have found that most clients were happy with me using perpetual licensed CS6 products for the insistent ones and/or QXP, etc <--and most of the newer clients I picked up didn't care. They just wanted the work done.

One of the points made in this thread was about that a subscription is akin to the cost of a cup of (Starbucks, etc.) coffee. And that's true. But then again, some of us don't piss away money at such places, choosing instead to make our own coffee (or whatever beverage). It is a choice. The choice is whether to expend money without control every month/year or to have some semblance of control over the expenditures.

In any case, there is life post-CC. And these days, I'm (mostly) happy just for life itself...

[BobLevine]

First off, I’m very happy you’re doing okay. Life is precious and certainly way too short.

But back to the topic of Creative Cloud. One of the benefits is that you can stop and start and still pick up with the latest versions of everything. But as I alluded to, if you’re all by yourself and don’t have to worry about collaboration, then anything will do.

I made a point when all of this started and people were screaming about Adobe being a monopoly that they weren’t and if there was enough demand others would fill the vacuum. I believe I’ve been proven correct.

[Randy Hagan]

Maybe this is Polyanna-ish, but I look at the Whole Creative Cloud thing as giving me more options, not fewer of them.

Sure, you can choose to let Adobe ding your credit card every month. And I understand a lot of people don't like that.

So don't do it.

You can still buy an annual subscription from the software distribution channel that essentially purchases you a year's worth of "license." If you're having a good year, or just feel a little extra flush, buy another one in six months. That'll extend your use for another 18 months, because Adobe lets you add that annual number to your existing subscription. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Adobe asks you for a credit card when you register Creative Cloud. I believe they even check to make sure it's valid when you offer it to them. If you want to use this as insurance, assign a personal or business credit card to it in case you need to dip into the monthly plan. You can always another annual hit from the channel to return your card charges to a dormant state once again. Or I believe you could go to your nearby department store or pharmacy and buy one of the pay-as-you-go cards to give Adobe that number.

As far as how this compares to "perpetual licenses." I think the point is moot. For a number of reasons. We've been working with the CC program works for the last four years. When Adobe went to exclusive CC distribution in May, 2013, the company promised to carry CS6 through the next major upgrade of Windows and Mac operating systems. Support carried further than that. Even if you can't get behind that, Adobe did what it said it was going to do in more charitable terms than it originally obligated itself to do.

There have always been alternatives to Adobe's products and business models. Quark and Corel actively market themselves to be the anti-Adobe, to name two. But for standards and portability, Adobe file formats are universally accepted across the commercial industry. Just sayin' ... and trafficking files in Adobe file formats work most anywhere, anytime. Working with non-standard software -- even if it exports Adobe file formats -- adds variables to the process that can cause expensive and time-consuming problems downstream. Like they said in Goodfellas, "Why take a chance?"

[MW Design]

@Bob, thanks. And yeppers, if I needed to use ID CC for a job that paid even OK, I would do so. While I don't like the lack of a perpetual license, it wasn't my business decision to make. I also believe that Adobe handled the situation, the change, very poorly. But again, how it happened wasn't my decision.

@Randy. Nah, there are not more options per se, there are fewer. Stop paying and no access. Whereas before, as long as the OS will run a perpetual license, one has unfettered access. Heck, I have a couple dozen Ventura files to finish converting and am running CVP10 on a Windows 10 computer. So unless Microsoft changes something  my perpetual license CVP ... and my CS6 ... allows me to work on these projects without further payment. I would have gladly continued the 18-24 month upgrades as well. For either application, that is obviously not gonna happen.

As for "universally accepted across the commercial industry," well, I don't know if you have worked in the large format industry, but 9/10 shops I have dealt with curse AI files universally. Same goes for its PDFs, but especially ID PDFs. Same goes in some other industries.

"Non-Standard" is a joke. I have been producing, first, PostScript files for ripping and once PDFs became a thing, PDFs made from "Non-Standard" software since 1989. In the early 1990s I was producing 2-color Pantone gradients using a paper-white monitor that ripped just fine. Er, not made with Adobe software. It all can work just fine--the exception being what the client dictates. And if that is a CC version of ID, so be it.

We've come full-circle to Bob's point: I'll just happily rent at that point. Otherwise I'll just keep using my "Non-Standard"software along with CS6 products. It's less outlay for me, and, unfortunately, less for Adobe as well.

Mike