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Photoshop subscription plans compared
Illustration: Matic Broz
Adobe removed the option to buy Photoshop outright. Nowadays, the only way to use Photoshop is to pay a subscription fee.
Photoshop is available through three different plans: Photoshop, Photography, and Creative Cloud All Apps. Which one you pick depends on which Adobe apps you need and how much cloud storage you want.
Adobe Photoshop plans compared
The cheapest way to use Photoshop is with the Photography (20GB) plan for $9.99 per month. Each plan includes a 7-day free trial of Photoshop.
Photography (1TB) costs $19.99 (12 months) per month. Photoshop plan costs $34.49 (one month), $22.99 (12 months), or $21.99 (12 months prepaid) per month. Lastly, Creative Cloud All Apps costs $89.99 (one month), $59.99 (12 months), or $54.99 (12 months prepaid) per month.
| Photoshop | Photography (1TB) | Creative Cloud All Apps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $34.49/mo | X | $89.99/mo |
| Yearly (billed monthly) | $22.99/mo | $19.99/mo | $59.99/mo |
| Yearly (billed upfront) | $263.88/yr ($21.99/mo) | $239.88/yr ($19.99/mo) | $659.88/yr ($54.99/mo) |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial | 7-day free trial | 7-day free trial |
| Photoshop for desktop and iPad | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lightroom | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Adobe Express | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Adobe Fresco | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Cloud storage | 100GB | 1TB* | 100GB |
| Generative credits | 500/mo | 500/mo | 1000/mo |
| 20+ Creative Cloud apps | ✓ |
Adobe increased several of its subscription prices in 2024 and that includes some Photoshop plans. The Photography plan, my favorite, maintained its old cost, while the Photoshop plan became $2 per month more expensive. The Creative Cloud All Apps is now $5 more expensive.
For most people, the most popular Photoshop plan might not be the best option to purchase Photoshop. As a photographer, I personally prefer the two Photography Plans that include Lightroom and cost $9.99 and $19.99 per month, respectively, based on the amount of cloud storage.
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.
How to buy Photoshop?
Photoshop is only available through a Creative Cloud subscription, which you pay for either monthly or annually. Follow these steps to purchase Photoshop:
- Go to the Photoshop page on Adobe.
- Pick one of the three plans.
- Start a Free trial or Buy now.
- Pick a subscription (Monthly, Yearly, Yearly billed upfront)
- Create an Adobe account.
- Enter your payment information.
- Download and Install Creative Cloud.
- Download Photoshop through Creative Cloud.
Is it worth paying for Photoshop in 2024?
Photoshop remains the most popular image editing software in 2024. 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.
