Adobe Muse EOL announcement - Alternatives to Adobe Muse?

[Preran]

Hi all,

For those of you that haven't received the email around the Adobe Muse EOL, see the FAQ Product Announcement that tries to answer some the common questions around the announcement including the reasons behind the decision.

Before we proceed with discussing alternatives, the Muse application will continue to open on your computer. You will be able to continue to edit existing or create new websites with the application. Adobe Muse will continue to be supported until May 20, 2019 and will deliver compatibility updates with the Mac and Windows OS or fix any bugs that might crop up when publishing Muse sites to the web. However, it is quite possible that web standards and browsers will continue to change after Adobe stops support for the application.

While there is no 1:1 replacement for Adobe Muse at this stage, the FAQ link above provides some alternatives. Also, Adobe is making our own investment in DIY website creation and welcomes all Muse customers to join our upcoming pre-release program for a new format that will be introduced this year as part of Adobe Spark. Build a beautiful website—in minutes | Adobe Spark

That being said, I would like to open up this discussion for discussing other solutions and migration paths. It would be ideal if we could focus our efforts on the topic at hand.

Thanks,

Preran

[Guest]

But rest assured that they have the bottom line in mind and they don't seem to care that they've disappointed thousands of their customers.  That's the way it is these days with these big companies.  I just feel lucky that I don't have to work for Adobe.  Meanwhile, when you call their customer service, if you can wait that long, you're clearly transferred overseas to people who read from a script.

I have designed a total of one web site with Muse and it ain't much.  So I feel very sorry for all of those who make their living with it. 

[CBBAIN]

This is not a bottom line decision people. Stop defending Adobe with this idea. You think Adobe Dimension, Character Animator and Fuse CC get used more than Muse. Please. Adobe wants nothing more than their extra lick of the ice cream. This is a money grab at your creativity. People were not using Busines Catalyst to host websites. So, they were not getting that extra lick. They did not like you using the software to create websites they had no control over. Hence, you will not pay $10 a month for the joke that is Adobe Spark Premium. (Pricing | Adobe Spark) Oh, you can get Spark Free, but it has their logo on it... "control". That is who Adobe has become. It why we have CC and not the software you can outright buy. This is the sad truth of what Adobe has become.

[Illostraight]

Spot On, @ckcbbain. IMHO, the Adobe name is endearing to the older generation, mine, the generation that grew up with it as it was the only software around. The kids coming up today are more savvy and will gravitate to the newer, less control and less expensive, if not free, software. Always pandering to the bottom line can bottom you out.

[REally twisted with adobe]

But will they do something. I agree support it for 5 years but in reality there is a huge need for this software. Just make it better slowly but surely. You used to be the leader in graphic software now you are a follower. Spark is very basic and won't fit my needs

[CBBAIN]

ADOBE SPARK......... Has anyone seen Adobes new Spark??? See, I told you. This is nothing more than a money grab. They want to charge you $10 a month for the POS that is Spark Premium... What a joke. Seriously Adobe, if this is not a kick in the face and the downward spiral of Adobe, I don't know what it. You spit in our face and you want us to say thank you. Unbelievable!

Pricing | Adobe Spark

[astrido74505683]

You’re absolutely right! Spark is a joke! I loved Muse so much, and now Adobe is cheating us. I will cancel my subscription and never buy  a photo in Adobe Stock again. I‘ll never trust this lousy company again!

[reklampartner]

Wow that was a milestone in bad decisions! I find no other words than... lack of credibility! Think again and do it right this time! Revoke this stupid idea!

/ Mathias

[abigailb4871824]

This is very sad news to me. The problem is that Adobe Spark does not provide nearly as many creative opportunities as Muse- which had widgets and everything... Dreamweaver is not simple enough, Spark does not offer much complexity. Muse was the perfect middleground: one could include animations and coding, but the aesthetics were easy to achieve with click and drag. I used the program to create digital literature and interactive stories that could blow twine out of the water for the simplicity it gave me toward including images and video. Yes, the program had some bugs- but the quality of the program far outweighed these. I can see why users are so upset- this is a true loss for anybody who casually enjoys code but still wishes to create a beautiful and unique product.

[timr90974997]

Like many others on this thread, we have invested hours of work in learning how to use Muse and build numerous websites for our clients. Not to mention the various plug ins that have been purchased. All a waste of time and money.

What exactly are we meant to say to our clients? "Sorry, you are going to have to pay us to completely re-build your 2 year old website in another app"??

What a complete sham on the part of Adobe.

We pay a considerable amount each year for the privilege use of your CC apps and then you just pull the rug out from under our feet! With no credible alternative! Spark is just a way of grabbing more money on top of an ever increasing monthly fee. Plus it is far too light to effectively replace Muse.

I am completely outraged at this decision.

I will certainly be looking for alternatives for all CC apps so I can ditch Adobe.

Big mistake, as I think there is going to be a big backlash over this!!!

[Graham_Barr]

I'd say most of us Muse users are not your dumb Average Joes, we are entrepreneurs and business owners. And a such we all understand the most important part of our business is our customers.   Adobe's complete and utter lack of regard to their customers is truly shocking.

And their unfathomable decision has huge implications for most of us who had put our trust in an international brand such as Adobe.

I think the thing that sickens us most, is the effect the decision made by a few 'fat-cats' will have serious consequences for thousands and thousands of small businesses.  The cost of paying for two services whilst migrating away from Adobe, the cost of retraining, the cost of 1000's of hours in unpaid work to make good Adobe's mess and the cost of losing credibility with our clients.

If it was a Photoshop type of product, it's not vital, as you simply retrain in using new software. But web designs take weeks/months to build and those builds are 'tied' to the product.   

The credibility of Adobe is shot in the design world. And I will NEVER buy or subscribe to an Adobe product again.

[bartl]

I so very much agree, Graham. I specialized in portfolio sites and showcases for artists and lifestyle products. This decision is completely ruining my business. The alternatives @Preran mentioned are obviously selected by someone who never created outstanding websites, these ideas are simply ridiculous.

Application by application I'll be leaving Adobe until I have every program needed replaced by other companies. My yearly subscription still lasts for two months, let's see whether I can be that quick. Fun fact is, I was warned so many times by others not to rely to one company only. And I was again and again defending Adobe. There we go.

[GARRogers]

It has been two days now since the bad news about Muse. I wish Adobe would reconsider -- it seems this time, more than any other time I've seen, the end of Muse disrupts SO many people's lives. If Adobe does not want to continue developing Muse, I hope they will consider selling it to Muse Themes or Muse Grid or some such third party so that it can continue. If these third party people do OK building widgets and the like, surely developing Muse would be within their realm and also profitable for them.

Please don't kill Muse without taking into consideration the harm it does to all these graphics designers who have supported Adobe for so long. For once, don't live up the reputation of Heartless Tech Companies, do something to add your bit to helping the people who have supported you. Please.

[Illostraight]

@GARRogers,

IDK why they would be so mean as to not help out by giving the code to another org or open source. They're going to drop it anyway, so what's the loss? Proprietary software they'll never use while we are all hurt? Makes no sense to me, business or otherwise. It just seems mean.

@Preran, ask your bosses why they won't give it up to someone else, please.

[GARRogers]

Illostraight, Adobe probably won't make Muse available because it might then become competition for something they have in mind. I hope this isn't the case.

I have a small business and I make a Muse site for my business. Knowing how much work it is just for my little business, I feel so sorry for those who have built so many sites. From the descriptions I've read here, these same people have supported Adobe for years and years, they trusted the software, and now -- nothing.

I hope in the end Adobe sees its way clear to offering the software in some way that will keep it going. Obviously it would help me too, but mostly for all these people. It shouldn't be a case of kill the app without considering alternatives.

[JustiBru]

I think what Adobe fails to understand is that while there are competitors in the marketplace like Wix and Squarespace that promise the ease of a business website effortlessly, the reality is that most of our clients come from people that have tried these online solutions and have been frustrated by them.

I have so many ex-Wix, Squarespace and Wordpress customers - it isn't even funny.

Why? Quite simple: They don't have time to learn an online system, nor do they want to! The majority of my small business customers need to focus on their business, not building a website and they are overjoyed to have someone else manage it.

The other reason why the steer away from these services is because when they attempt to create a website for themselves, they quickly find that the templates are limited and repeatedly the same in design. I had one client tell me: "I'm a baker and my website looks like the lawyer's down the street who also uses the same service - give me a better identity on the web!".

Muse opened up the possibility of a strong designer to client relationship. It gave a large audience of people frustrated by the limitations of the cookie-cutter, templated, DIY website builders a fantastic alternative: creativity. In doing so, Adobe failed to realize that while sites were being built using Muse (sometimes with BC) each designer was acting as a Adobe ambassador. Countless arguments have been had (and won) against the DIY options and clients - they gladly went along with their trusted creative advisers.

In eight years, our firm never lost out to changes in the market place. We never heard anyone say: "Well, what you have done is great but we are going to go with WP or SS." If anything, the trend was the opposite. 90% of our business came from businesses and individuals sick of the DIY trend. To this day, people still call us because of the work we have done, the flexibility we offer through Muse and the creativity we are capable of.

Adobe used to harbor the spirit of creativity, the expression of the individual, the artist. To silence such a voice in the wake of a market movement is foolish. Never react so timidly to market change, Adobe! YOU are made of YOUR customers. Without them and without hearing their voice, you will find your successes to be very few going forward. Everyone is watching what you will do next.

I only hope you find your creative spirit again, Adobe.

[Marco Romano]

I completely agree with you!

[GlennRandall]

I have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours developing my Muse site, www.glennrandall.com. I'm a photographer, not a coder, so Muse was an excellent solution for me. Adobe's decision to discontinue it is going to create huge headaches for me down the road and waste hundreds of hours that would be much better spent serving my customers than migrating a website to some new platform. Please reconsider your decision, or sell Muse to someone who will continue to support it! Abandoning a program that so many people rely on is a truly atrocious betrayal of your loyal customers.

[timr90974997]

Sign this petition and maybe Adobe might actually take notice!

https://www.change.org/p/adobe-systems-adobe-do-not-discontinue-muse?recruiter=20508280&utm_source=s...

[loopsatani]

Done!

[Wolfram999]

Hi Preran,

I appreciate the help and lots of wok you have done in the last years on that form, so thank you for that!

But I am very very unhappy as a lot of other users about that decision. It already happened 2015 with Edge Animate

and now Muse, that is tough.

But the worst thing is, no matter which new product Adobe is launching in the future, no matter which Solution Adobe will offer,

you never know for how long it will be on the market. And we always will now have to think about whether it is worth to spend

time and money again in new Adobe software or not.

Anyway, thanks Preran!

Wolfram

[Preran]

Thank you for your feedback, Wolfram. I hear you and the rest of the people that have posted since my last reply. I am trying to do my best to get to as many posts that need attention, which is why individual replies are difficult.

As a messenger, I have conveyed the feedback that I have received across support channels to people that matter. The posts here have not gone unnoticed or unheard by the team.

If there is anything that the team wants to recommend, I will post it here as soon as I hear from them.

[sstuart48]

Preran, I am only one person / insignificant to Adobe. However - I have 5 websites to build for clients from next week. I am poised to start in Webflow.... I do not want to do this, I want to stay with Adobe. I will pay more for Muse, I am sure many of the professionals on here will pay more to keep you and the others happy in their jobs. Webflow charge £35 per month - this is Monopoly money to the professionals on here. But we need key decisions made ASAP. Once I go to Webflow and become comfortable with it - which won't take me long, I am not turning back.

[Graham_Barr]

My Adobe costs £15, and my c-panel hosting £22 = £37. So for me, Webflow will be comparably priced. I've spent all day playing with Webflow and it's really growing on me.  The padding features and block structure are a revelation. Also, the RTE styling is great too.  A few niggles to iron-out such as nesting custom images alongside text (bullet points, ticks etc) but I'm nearly ready to commit.

[REally twisted with adobe]

Praran we don't want the team to recommend anything at all we want them to reverse their ill thought out decision to cancel Muse.  As some have said if Adobe is so poor it can't afford it I am sure reluctantly we would pay slightly more to keep it going.  Your people need to understand we the users are left high and dry and will have to absorb hundreds of thousands of dollars to give our client the support you have not given us by cancelling Muse.  I know as a sole proprietor I estimate the fix for me and my clients is about 40 grand including learning time on new software etc. Who will pay me for that and everyone else who is in the same position?  It is just greed and making stock holders happy.  Without us you have no share value.  I urge you all to consider the human side of this tragedy. You have made this a business tragedy for many and all you want to do is send us to some other software that does not come close to Muse. How do these people sleep at night. The design community made them all of their money and their stock options and their perks and salaries and now they want to kill us off.  Shock is all I feel right now.  As if someone or something swooped in and changed my life. Please reconsdier

[loopsatani]

If I have to spend many time to get confidence on your solution I pretend continuity.

How can I still trust in Adobe?

Adobe should release Muse as Open Source! Maybe this choice could regain some trust.

Best regards