If you’re interested in purchasing Adobe Photoshop, you may wonder how much it costs. Adobe Photoshop is a professional photo-editing software application, and the price reflects that. Here’s a breakdown of the different Adobe Photoshop plans and their costs.
Photoshop Price
There are three Adobe Photoshop plans to choose from. You can get the monthly Photoshop Plan billed at US$31.49/mo, yearly (billed monthly) at US$20.99, and yearly (billed upfront) at US$239.88/yr, or you can get Photography or Creative Cloud All Apps that come with Photoshop plus additional apps. Each plan is also available with a 7-day free trial.
Adobe subscriptions with which you can buy Photoshop:
| Photoshop Plan | Photography Plan (1TB) | All Apps Plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $31.49/mo | – | $82.49/mo |
| Yearly billed monthly | $20.99/mo | $19.99/mo | $54.99/mo |
| Yearly billed upfront | $19.99/mo ($239.88/yr) | $19.99/mo ($239.88/yr) | $49.99/mo ($599.88/yr) |
| Free trial | Yes (7-days) | Yes (7-days) | Yes (7-days) |
| Photoshop for desktop and iPad | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lightroom and Lightroom Classic | ✓ | ||
| Adobe Express for web and mobile | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Adobe Fresco for drawing and painting | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Cloud storage | 100GB | 1TB | 100GB |
| 20+ Creative Cloud apps | ✓ |
What’s the Difference Between the Plans?
All three plans grant you access to Photoshop for desktop and iPad, but they differ in price, cloud storage, and the additional apps you get with it. All three plans also come with a 7-day free trial.
If you’re not a photographer and need only Photoshop (and other graphic design tools), the Photoshop Plan is the best choice. You can get it with a monthly commitment of $31.49/month or cheaper when you buy it for a full year. In addition, you get Adobe Express, which is Adobe’s online graphic design tool, and Adobe Fresco, as well as 100GB of cloud storage.
For photographers, the Photography Plan (1TB) is definitely the best solution because you also get Lightroom and 1TB of cloud storage instead of just 100GB. You can also get a cheaper version for $9.99 instead of $19.99 with the Photography Plan (20GB), but it’s not a great choice if you depend on cloud storage.
Finally, the All Apps Plan grants you access to all Adobe Creative Cloud apps, including Photoshop. It’s the most cost-efficient option if you need 3 or more apps.
Is It Worth Paying for Photoshop in 2023?
Photoshop remains the most popular image editing software in 2023. Over the past few years, there have been certain programs that tried to substitute some of Photoshop’s features. For example, Photoshop (and now even Lightroom) just recently introduced a fully automatic way of selecting subjects, sky, and background, while we have seen numerous automatic background removers.
With this feature that also works better than any other, there doesn’t seem to be a reason to use other software, especially considering how cheap (just $9.99/mo) Photoshop is.
Yet, Photoshop is not a great tool for everyone for several reasons. For one, it doesn’t support working with vector files, for which you need Adobe Illustrator. Due to its complexity, Photoshop also takes longer to learn, which intimidates new users, who prefer a simpler tool that they can master quickly. Many designers who need a simple tool for graphics, pick Canva, which doesn’t come just with an intuitive editor but also a huge library of free stock images (and a 30-day free trial).
But it’s also worth mentioning that with Photoshop and All Apps plans you get access to Adobe Express, which is a great Canva alternative, but not as powerful. Yet, it lets you browse and use over 160 million Adobe Stock assets.
Should You Get Adobe Stock with Photoshop?
Adobe Stock is one of the best stock photo sites, second only to Shutterstock. Many graphic designers and other creatives love to use it because it’s natively integrated into Creative Cloud. This means you can browse images and other assets within your Adobe apps, including Photoshop. While it’s very convenient, it speeds up your workflow and makes it overall more enjoyable.
Adobe offers a 1-month free trial of Adobe Stock at every checkout (at Step 2 of 4), including Photoshop plans. If you sign up for the free trial, you can download 10 standard assets for free in the first month. If you don’t cancel the free trial, you will be charged $29.99/month in addition to your Photoshop subscription.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Cheapest Way to Get Photoshop?
The cheapest way to get Photoshop is with the Photography Plan (20GB), which costs $9.99/month or $119.88/year. With it, you get Photoshop for desktop and iPad, Lightroom and Lightroom Class, and 20GB of cloud storage. You also get access to Adobe Fonts, Adobe Portfolio, Step-by-step tutorials, Behance, Creative Cloud Libraries, and access to the latest features.
Can I just buy Photoshop?
No, you cannot just buy Photoshop. You must subscribe to Photoshop through a Creative Cloud subscription, which you can pay monthly or annually. With this subscription, you have access to Photoshop, as well as other apps.
How much does lifetime Photoshop cost?
You cannot get Photoshop for a lifetime because it’s only available with the Creative Cloud subscription, meaning you pay a monthly fee to use Photoshop. When you cancel the plan, you also lose access to Photoshop.
How much does Photoshop cost per month?
Photoshop costs $9.99–$19.99 per month when bought with the Photography Plan or $19.99—$31.49 per month when bought with the Photoshop Plan. You can also get Photoshop with the All Apps Plan, which costs $49.99–$82.49 per month.
About your guide
Matic Broz is a multifaceted creative professional, with experience as a photographer, graphic designer, and business owner. He has a decade of experience in helping other creatives improve their craft and start their own businesses. His writing and research have been featured in notable publications such as The Guardian, PetaPixel, and USA Today. Additionally, his scientific research has been recognized with a cover feature in the prestigious MDPI-owned journal. In his leisure time, he enjoys photography, hiking, and spending time with dogs. Read more
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