Monthly software subscriptions seem to be looming on new horizons for computer users and graphic designers. Adobe Photoshop users are the first to experience this change in the industry, with the famous photo editing software becoming a monthly service at $30 a month. The monthly fees are just the tip of the iceberg with complex price lists coming down the pike.
The overall expense of your monthly service fee will depend upon how many programs you rent. If you want to use the program for a year, the cost will be $240. The full Adobe Suite package that includes Illustrator, InDesign, and Premiere will cost customers a whopping $600 a year. Educators and students can still take advantage of the 30-day free trial, which has been standard for several years. Will Adobe’s decision to make their service a rental product rub off on other software giants?
Microsoft has recently hinted at following suit by making the latest version of Office a subscription service for $100 a year. Unlike Adobe, Microsoft allows you the option to buy and own your copy of Office, making renting optional. The new business model allows Adobe several advantages, one being the cut down on piracy. By downloading the new software versions, the 30 day software checks that run over the internet will be able to determine who’s using a purchased version of the service versus those who have pirated.
There’s a growing concern among small business owners that parallels the growing price of the Adobe service. If you rent just one or two of the programs, you’ll be paying $240 a year versus the old days when annual upgrades cost $200, and you weren’t expected to renew every year. Despite growing concerns from long-term Adobe customers who’ve recently started a petition protesting the new service, Adobe assures customers that the advantages will come from having updated software that’s always improving.
