Over the past few years, Adobe Creative Cloud has become one of my most used subscriptions. If I need to edit a family photo, design a logo, create social media graphics, edit a video for a YouTube channel, or mock up a website design, it’s the first software I think of. At $59.99/month for Creative Cloud All Apps, this feels like a reasonable investment. It’s replaced a handful of standalone programs I used to buy separately, made design work accessible (because I can’t hire a designer for every little thing), and generally sped up my workflow.
Is it possible that the full Creative Cloud All Apps subscription is worth the investment for someone who only occasionally needs creative software?
Spoiler: it depends. For some people, a single-app plan might be better. But for others, the All Apps plan is absolutely worth it. Let me explain.
Table of contents:
- What is Adobe Creative Cloud?
- Adobe Creative Cloud vs. Creative Suite at a glance
- How to sign up for Adobe Creative Cloud?
- How to install Adobe Creative Cloud?
- Is Adobe Creative Cloud worth it for you?
What is Adobe Creative Cloud?
Adobe Creative Cloud is a $60/month subscription service that gives you access to Adobe’s suite of creative applications without having to buy individual plans (you still can).
Unless you’re a professional designer, photographer, or video editor who needs multiple specialized tools, a single-app plan might be more your speed. But here’s what you’ll get with Creative Cloud All Apps that might tip the scales.
Over 20 creative applications in one subscription
Creative Cloud All Apps includes every major Adobe application, from industry standards to specialized tools:
- Photo and design: Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, InDesign
- Video and audio: Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, Animate
- Web design: Dreamweaver, Adobe XD
- PDF tools: Acrobat Pro
- Mobile apps: Adobe Fresco, Photoshop Express, and more
- Generative AI: 1,000 credits for Firefly
While single apps cost between $11.99 and $34.49 per month individually, getting them all bundled makes sense if you use three or more regularly.
Two Adobe tools—Adobe Stock and Substance 3D (Painter, Sampler, Designer, Stager, and Modeler)—are not included in the Creative Cloud All Apps plan and require separate subscriptions. But they are still integrated into the suite and you can use them together with other Adobe apps.
The cloud-based nature of Creative Cloud means you always have the latest versions of the software—no more waiting years for a new version to come out or deciding if an upgrade is worth it. Updates are automatic, and new features roll out regularly.
Adobe Express Premium included
Creative Cloud All Apps also includes Adobe Express Premium, Adobe’s answer to Canva. It’s a quick-design tool with templates for social media posts, flyers, presentations, and more—perfect for when you need something that looks good fast but don’t want to build it from scratch in Photoshop.
The standalone version of Adobe Express costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year, but you can also get a 30-day free trial.
Adobe Fonts and 100GB cloud storage
With your subscription, you get access to the entire Adobe Fonts library (formerly Typekit), with over 30,000 thousands of professional fonts you can use in your projects. Some of these fonts are licensed from world-renowned type studios and could easily cost you a few hundred bucks per project to license yourself.
You also get 100GB of cloud storage to sync your work across devices and share files with collaborators. It’s a good amount of cloud storage for most users, but you can also buy more if you need it in the future.
Adobe Creative Cloud vs. Creative Suite at a glance
While Adobe has fully transitioned to the Creative Cloud model over a decade ago, it’s worth understanding how it compares to the old Creative Suite approach—especially if you’re wondering why Adobe made the switch.
Unlike the old days when you would buy Photoshop or Illustrator as a one-time purchase and then use it until it became outdated, Creative Cloud works on a subscription model where you pay monthly or annually for uninterrupted access to the latest versions of Adobe’s software.
| Feature | Adobe Creative Suite | Adobe Creative Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Payment model | One-time purchase ($1,299-$2,599 for all apps, $349-$999 for single apps) | Subscription-based ($59.99/month or $659.88/year for All Apps, $11.99 to $34.49/month for single apps) |
| Software updates | Pay for major version upgrades (typically every 12-18 months) | Continuous updates included (always have the latest version) |
| Cloud storage | Not included | 100GB to 1TB included |
| Mobile apps | Limited to none | Multiple companion mobile apps included |
| Font library | Limited fonts included | Complete Adobe Fonts library (thousands of professional fonts) |
| AI features | Not available | Firefly AI and generative features (1,000 generative credits included) |
| Cross-device sync | Manual file transfer | Automatic cloud syncing across devices |
| Team collaboration | Limited sharing capabilities | Install on up to 2 computers with the same Adobe ID login |
| Installation limits | Typically 2 computers per license | Install on up to 2 computers with same Adobe ID login |
| Support | Limited-time technical support | Ongoing support with active subscription |
How to sign up for Adobe Creative Cloud?
Getting started with Adobe Creative Cloud is straightforward, especially if you want to try before you buy with their free trial option.
- Go to Adobe’s Creative Cloud plans page.
- Select your preferred plan: All Apps or a single-app subscription.
- Choose your payment commitment: monthly ($89.99/mo), annual paid monthly ($59.99/mo), or annual prepaid ($659.88/yr).
- (Optional) Add Adobe Stock free trial.
- Create an Adobe account or sign in with your existing one.
- Enter your billing information to complete the process.
Instead of paying for software right away, you can use the Creative Cloud free trials to test apps before committing. You can get free trials for All Apps, as well as for all single apps. After your trial ends, you’ll be automatically billed based on the plan you selected.
How to install Adobe Creative Cloud?
Once you’ve signed up for Creative Cloud, getting everything installed on your computer is pretty straightforward. I remember the old days of shuffling between installation DVDs—thankfully, Adobe has made this process much simpler now.
- After completing your purchase or starting your free trial, go to the Adobe Creative Cloud downloads page.
- Click Download Creative Cloud to get the desktop app installer.
- Run the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the Creative Cloud desktop app.
- Sign in with your Adobe ID (the same one you used when purchasing).
- Once the Creative Cloud desktop app opens, you’ll see all the applications available in your subscription.
- Click Install next to any app you want to use. The most popular ones, like Photoshop and Illustrator, have prominent placement at the top.
- Wait for your apps to download and install (this might take a while, depending on your internet speed—Photoshop alone is over 1GB).
The Creative Cloud desktop app will run in the background on your computer, keeping your apps updated and syncing your files to the cloud. It also serves as your hub for managing all your Adobe subscriptions, fonts, and other resources.
If you’re wondering about system requirements, most Creative Cloud apps work on both Windows and Mac, but they do need relatively modern systems. For the best performance, I’d recommend at least 16GB of RAM if you’re planning to work with larger files in Photoshop or video editing in Premiere Pro (and upgrading my GPU helped a lot).
Is Adobe Creative Cloud worth it for you?
Adobe Creative Cloud isn’t worth it for everyone, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it for you.
If you’re a professional graphic designer, photographer, video editor, or someone who regularly works across multiple creative disciplines, Creative Cloud All Apps ($59.99/month with annual commitment) is a solid investment. The suite gives you industry-standard tools that seamlessly work together—drag a Photoshop file right into Premiere Pro or an Illustrator vector into InDesign without any compatibility headaches.
For students and educators, the heavily discounted rate ($19.99/month for the first year, then $34.99/month) makes the All Apps plan much more accessible. If you’re studying design, media, or any creative field, having the full suite at your disposal is invaluable for building your portfolio and skills.
Creative Cloud All Apps 7-day free trial
Creative Cloud All Apps (1 year)
Creative Cloud All Apps (for students)
But let’s be honest—if you only occasionally need to edit a photo or create a simple graphic, the full subscription might be overkill. In that case, consider these alternatives:
- Single-app plans ($22.99/month with annual commitment) if you just need one program like Photoshop or Premiere Pro
- Photography plan ($19.99/month) if you’re primarily a photographer who needs Lightroom and Photoshop
- Adobe Express Premium ($9.99/month) if you mostly need quick designs and templates
For casual users who only need creative tools now and then, the monthly no-commitment option ($89.99/month for All Apps) might be worth it for short-term projects—you can subscribe just for the month you need it and cancel afterward.
The 7-day free trial (or 14 days for teams) is the perfect way to test whether you’ll actually use all these apps before committing. And remember, if you subscribe to an annual plan and realize it’s not for you, Adobe offers a full refund if you cancel within the first 14 days.
For me, as someone who regularly jumps between Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro, the All Apps plan has been worth every penny. But $659.88 per year is a significant investment—so be honest about how often you’ll realistically use these tools before you dive in.
Related reading:
- Adobe Creative Cloud price
- Best Adobe Creative Cloud discounts right now
- What’s the best Photoshop version?
