Why Pixelmator Photo is switching to subscription pricing (and a sneak peek at Pixelmator Photo for Mac)

Discuss the latest Pixelmator news.
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2022-09-21 15:31:36

by MATTEMOTTO
I guess there are, actually.

1. Existing customers have full access to Pixelmator Photo, is this equivalent to a Lifetime subscription for iOS and iPadOS?
2. What specifically Lifetime means, all the features that will ever be added throughout the lifetime of the product, or you might decide that some features might be exclusive to subscribers sometime in the unknown future? It's important to know what guarantees do we have because yes, I'm an existing customer, but in my company I have to buy new licenses for each designer, photographer, editor, times how many devices each uses, and cashing out hundreds/thousands of dollars is a different story with this kind of uncertainty. I guess this is when a subscription makes more sense, but also when Adobe makes more sense 😔
3. Will Pixelmator Pro also become subscription? If so, how will it work?

Please Andrius, buddy, don’t be vague on the answer.
1. Not quite – the lifetime purchase also entitles users to Pixelmator Photo for Mac, this doesn't apply to people who bought the app before the switch. For these users, we plan to provide a discount on the lifetime purchase of Pixelmator Photo for Mac and a discount on the subscription (as long as this is technically feasible).
2. We don't have any plans for subscriber-only features.
3. It's certainly possible, though we don't have any immediate plans for this. In fact, a free (very) major update is just around the corner. :party_face:
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2022-09-21 16:08:38

Very well then, as long as there's a lifetime option that's not priced obscenely, and has 1:1 feature parity witht the subscription, I might be able to stomach the change (still not — or will ever be, happy about it).
by Andrius In fact, a free (very) major update is just around the corner. :party_face:
Congratulations 🎉 I'm sure it will be awesome — as always.
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2022-09-21 16:15:07

by Wilbert
Apologies for being unclear. I refer to Pixelmator Photo for Mac. In your initial announcement you wrote:
“Pixelmator Photo will now cost $4.99 per month, $23.99 per year, but existing paid users get unlimited access for free. Also, Pixelmator Photo for Mac is coming! What’s more early subscribers will get access to it for the same monthly price, which will go up when the Mac version is out.”
Also, there’s supposed to be a lifetime fee of €54.99.
So again, assuming existing subscribers will get an offer for Photo (incl. Mac) prior to the Mac version release, when will that be?
Ah, we haven't made any decisions regarding this – it may be announced before the app is released, but it may also be revealed on the day of the release. We'll see!
by MATTEMOTTO Congratulations 🎉 I'm sure it will be awesome — as always.
Yep, and this one should be extra awesome! :smiley:
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2022-09-26 06:13:32

Photo becomes a subscription I don't care. I just hope that Pro does not become a subscription, and would rather buy out at a one-time high price than subscribe.
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2022-10-13 20:33:53

Hmm, not sure what to think. I do understand some of your arguments, but, wasn't that clear from the very beginning? It's not since yesterday that subscription based business models were introduced to the software market for a reason. So, why introducing a new photo editing software positioning it as an alternative to Adobe CC subscriptions and then switch to the same business model later on? Sorry to say it frankly: a little bit it feels like gaining market share with false promises. Start subscription free and once you have reached a critical SOM and people rely (or depend) on your software switch over. I'm waiting since two years for Affinity making the same move and always hoped Pixelmator wan't but now goes first. However, as for me personally: I have a strict annual budget for software subscriptions. Whenever the budget is reached, some of the (too pricy, less used or valuable) apps leave the portfolio. I'm an occasional non-professional user of Pixelmator Pro. After your move with Pixelmator I expect Pro to go the same route. Whether it will remain part of my subscription portfolio then will strongly depend on the price and of the benefit I get from it as well as on the competing subscriptions I have.
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2022-10-22 18:50:51

As a hobbyist photographer that does not earn money from using such applications, this is very sad news.
This is the exact reason why I moved from Lr/Ps. I will honestly admit that Pixelmator's price was too low for what it offers.
For people who use it just for themselves, a subscription is too expensive.
I am teaching my wife to take pictures now, and the time will come when she will start editing them too. Now I'm wondering if I should just buy all the apps for her now, so I'm not forced to pay monthly for updates that she will not need.
But then again, how can I be sure, that it will stay functional once Pixelmator goes the subscription route..
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2022-11-13 09:59:32

Your marketing department has successfully made me an affinity user.

I use the app maybe every two to three months. I got into Pixelmator because it was an affordable, non subscription alternative to Photoshop.
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2022-11-21 17:48:32

As PelicanBill pointed out there are other pricing models. For my CAD software, I buy the current version and receive new updates for a year, and this may include the next major release. It’s a good compromise. I can then run with what I have bought for years, until the latest version is worth upgrading to, or the version I have is no longer supported by the latest Mac OS, e.g. 7 years or so. It’s great for occasional use, and now I’m using it more, it’s great for everyday use, in which case I will re-buy it more frequently.
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2023-01-15 02:04:17

I support your going to a subscription model. It's great software and a good value for me. I'm happy you are continuing to develop it. The cost of a subscription is a lot less than most people spend at Starbucks or [ insert some other commodity here ] over a year's time.
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2023-02-11 15:02:43

I can't believe this is happening. We have been running away from adobe because of this kind of pricing. If pixelmator pro switch to this too, we'll have to quit pixelmator too. Deception.