Lets start a petition on the adobe subsciption model!

[Rickard26927291q1ge]

You heard it! I wish there were a custom Adobe subscription model for just these key programs: Photoshop (PS), InDesign (ID), Illustrator (AI), Lightroom (LR), and Acrobat!

As a freelancer working in illustration, graphic design, and photography, I have little to no use for the other apps that come with the full Adobe Creative Cloud suite subscription. Times are tough for creatives like us, and having to pay a high price for a subscription while only using a fraction of the software feels unfair.

I understand Adobe might be concerned about losing money with a model like this, but perhaps not – maybe more people would choose to subscribe instead of turning to pirated software? A flexible subscription plan could help!

If Adobe offered a reduced-cost subscription at a proportional price, ideally 50% of the full suite cost for just the core apps, it would be a game-changer for many of us. Right now, we're facing challenges like AI advancements, a financial crisis, and increasing costs. I wish Adobe would show some compassion and make this change to support the creative community.

What do you all think? Would a model like this benefit you too? Let’s discuss!

[Derek Cross]

I think the susbcription for the range of industry standard software is modest and if a business can't afford it they might be in the wrong business!

(I suggest you remove your personal contact details from this public forum.)

[Conrad_C]

I think the idea itself does make sense. People have asked before why there is an affordable Creative Cloud Photography plan (Lightroom and Photoshop), but there is no Graphic Design plan or Video Editing plan for those who work only in those apps.

But first you should question whether a petition is the best way to make this happen. Because a petition is just a list of names that‘s easy to ignore. There was a well-known petition that circulated when Creative Cloud came out over 10 years ago, asking to stop the subscription and restore the one-time fee. The petition got around 50,000 supporters. Sounds good, but…

…it never got anywhere, even with 50,000 supporters. The petition had no effect at all. One reason is that number is very small…compared to the number of Creative Cloud subscribers, who are currently in the tens of millions. 50,000 is a very tiny percentage of that. So if you want to make a difference with a petition, you’ll probably need to get many times more supporters than they did. At least tens of thousands, but millions would be a lot better.

Another way you might submit this is as a request in the Ideas section of this forum. There, a request is public and can be upvoted, and if Adobe responds they can set a Status for it. There are many requests where the Status is “Released” which means they thought the customer request was a good idea, and they actually did it. But no guarantees, because many factors go into what they decide to do and not do.

[John Waller]

What do you all think? Would a model like this benefit you too? Let’s discuss!

By @Rickard26927291q1ge

As @Conrad_C says, nice idea although not new. This has all been extensively discussed in the past. Since the Cloud model began, in fact.

Nothing has come of petitions or any other form of protest simply because the Cloud subscription model, and the existing plans, are extremely successful for Adobe with no signs of slowing down. 33 million Cloud subscribers was the last report with record revenue.

If there will be no changes to the Cloud plans (as is likely), there comes a point where a decision must be made: accept the plans and - as a freelancer - pay the tax-deductible fees or find a non-Adobe alternative.