PSE 2025 IS NOW LIVE!

In my opinion, the whole point of Elements used to be that it was a lifetime licence and you had to purchase a version of it only once. I personally still use Photoshop Elements 15 which I purchased back in 2016. Now, Elements is no different from a subscription. If you want to continue using it, you have to pay €105 (in my country) every three years. Previously you got the lifetime licence for the same price.

Also, the version you buy now will become completely unusable in three years. There's no guarantee that Elements 2028 will run the same on our computers, or if Adobe will not raise the price in the meantime. Even if one would like to extend the licence of the version they purchase now, they won't be able to. So if someone buys Elements 2025 now for three years and future editions will be too expensive or technically unfeasible for them, they will be left with no options whatsoever.

This is unacceptable in my opinion. I understand the subscription basis of the much more costly and advanced Photoshop, but with this change I think Elements lost its purpose, and it's far from user-friendly in any way. I'm not even sure if it's legal to sell software that has a built-in expiration date with no option to extend it. Maybe EU regulators should look into this.

My understanding is that @John Waller's reply to  @Peru Bob's questions is correct. 

@Peru Bob asked: Will updates be applied to PSE 2025 in the same way updates are applied to Photoshop CC?

My understanding is no. Each version will receive the kind of updates that are provided now.  These are generally major bug fixes and the occasional update of Camera Raw to support newer cameras.  However, new features that may be introduced in Elements 2026 will not be given to Elements 2025 licensees.

Will users of PSE 2025 be able to purchase a license for PSE 2028, and if their computer doesn't support PSE 2028, be able to use PSE 2025 or PSE 2026 or PSE 2027 instead? 

Will PSE only be released every 3 years?

Will updates be applied to PSE 2025 in the same way updates are applied to Photoshop CC?

I think we all know what kind of reaction there is going to be.  But, to be fair, $33 per year isn't bad.

Yes, John, you are correct on all counts.  Elements 2024 was a perpetual license.

So it's now a 7 day trial rather than the previous 30 days.

Then you can only buy it with a 3 year term license. It's still a one time payment but after 3 years, the Editor stops working, the Organiser keeps working with basic functionality.

So, to keep using the full-features including the Editor, you must upgrade at least every 3 years.

Is that a change from Elements 2024?