In summary:
- Apple launched Creator Studio, a subscription bundle for creative professionals that includes Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Motion, Pixelmator Pro, Compressor, and MainStage for $12.99 monthly.
- Macworld reports the bundle offers significant savings compared to buying apps individually (nearly $700) and undercuts Adobe Creative Cloud’s $70 monthly fee.
- New AI features include Visual Search in Final Cut Pro, Beat Detection for music syncing, and enhanced productivity tools across Keynote, Pages, and Numbers applications.
Apple today unveiled Apple Creator Studio, a new subscription bundle that brings together all of its powerful editing and productivity apps into a single suite aimed at video editors, designers, musicians, and writers. Essentially, users can get apps like Final Cut Pro, Motion, and even Pixelmator Pro under the same subscription.
But what does this mean for users who already own these apps? Is this subscription more worthwhile than purchasing the apps separately? Read on as we detail everything you need to know about Apple’s new Creator Studio.
What is Apple Creator Studio?
For years, Apple has sold its “Pro” apps, such as Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Motion, as standalone one-time purchases on the Mac App Store. Now, for the first time, the company is offering these tools, alongside Pixelmator Pro, Compressor, and MainStage, under one subscription.
With the subscription, users will have access to these apps not only on Mac but also on iPad. In addition to Pro apps, the Apple Creator Studio subscription also includes extra premium features for Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and even Freeform.
Apple is offering a subscription bundle with all of its pro apps.
Apple
What exactly is this premium content?
There aren’t many details right now about the premium content that will be available with Apple Creator Studio, but according to Apple, this includes a new “Content Hub,” a space where users will find photos, graphics, and illustrations that can be used in their projects.
The subscription will also unlock new templates in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers.
These apps will also gain extra AI features with the subscription, including the ability to generate a presentation from a text outline or create presentation notes based on existing slides. In Numbers, subscribers will be able to generate formulas and fill tables with AI.
Pixelmator Pro joins Apple Creator Studio
Apple is finally introducing the first major update to Pixelmator since its acquisition last year. The popular image editor Pixelmator Pro will be part of Apple Creator Studio, and for the first time, the app will also be available to iPad users.
The app interface has been redesigned to take advantage of Liquid Glass, and subscribers will have access to a new Warp tool for twisting and shaping layers, as well as exclusive mockups.
Pixelmator got its first major update since Apple acquired it in November 2024.
Apple
Final Cut and Logic are also getting updates
When it comes to Final Cut Pro, the app is getting new AI features that will let users easily find a specific part of a video by searching for what was said or even an object in the scene. There’s also a new feature called Beat Detection to match the video to the rhythm of the soundtrack.
On the iPad, Final Cut Pro now features Montage Maker, which analyzes all selected clips to generate a dynamic video based on the best moments from each chosen video. It can also automatically reframe videos for sharing on different social networks.
Logic Pro also has new AI features that will help users create music, including Synth Player and Chord ID, which can turn any audio or recording into a chord progression. There’s also a new Sound Library with hundreds of royalty-free samples.
Will the standalone version of Final Cut Pro get all the new features?
Although Apple’s website is somewhat vague about which features will be included in the standalone version of Final Cut Pro for Mac and which apps will remain available on the Mac App Store, the company has now clarified further details in an interview.
All new AI-powered features announced this week, including Visual Search, Transcript Search, and Beat Detection, will also be available to those who have purchased Final Cut Pro, according to Bryan O’Neil Hughes and John Danty from Apple’s marketing team. For now, both the App Store version and Apple Creator Studio will have the same features.
However, the official Final Cut Pro webpage also makes it clear that “access to some of the premium content is available only to Apple Creator Studio subscribers,” so expect some future features to be exclusive to subscribers.
How much does Apple Creator Studio cost?
The Apple Creator Studio subscription will cost $12.99/£12.99 per month or $129/£129 per year, with a free one-month trial. Customers who purchase a new Mac or iPad can get three months of subscription for free. Students and teachers can subscribe for just $2.99/£2.99 per month, or $29.99/£29.99 per year.
The subscription can be shared with up to six family members through iCloud Family Sharing.
Final Cut Pro is getting an AI infusion with the launch of Apple Creator Studio.
Apple
For comparison, the current Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad cost $4.99 per month each, totaling $9.98 per month for both apps. For just $3 more, you can subscribe to Apple Creator Studio and get all the other apps and benefits.
The bundle also becomes extremely appealing when compared to the price of purchasing each Mac app individually. For instance, Final Cut Pro costs $299, while Logic Pro costs $199. That’s already nearly $500, almost four times more than subscribing to Apple Creator Studio for a year.
What happens to current apps?
If you’re not a fan of subscriptions, don’t worry. All apps will remain available as standalone purchases on the App Store, with productivity apps available for free.
- Final Cut Pro: $299
- Logic Pro: $199
- Pixelmator Pro: $49
- Motion: $49
- Compressor: $49
- MainStage: $29
- Keynote: Free
- Pages: Free
- Numbers: Free
- Freeform: Free
Apple says it will keep these apps updated regularly for both subscribers and non-subscribers. However, as detailed before, subscribers will have access to some extra “premium” features. Soon, all the apps will get updated with the Liquid Glass interface for free.
Is it worth subscribing to Apple Creator Studio?
If you’re a creator who works extensively with image, video, and audio editing, the new Apple Creator Studio bundle sounds really tempting. For just $12.99 per month, you’ll get access to pro-level apps and new AI-powered features. To put it in perspective, Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite costs $70 per month and buying each of Apple’s apps separately would cost nearly $700.
In addition, the new features coming to Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform are quite interesting, although you probably shouldn’t consider paying for the bundle just for them.
Availability
Apple says the Apple Creator Studio bundle will launch on January 28, along with updates for all the apps that are part of it.
Author: Filipe Esposito, Contributor
Filipe Espósito is a Brazilian journalist who has been covering tech for over 10 years, and has become known for publishing exclusive reports on Apple's plans – such as the launch of the first titanium Apple Watch. He has worked for 9to5Mac and also co-hosts the tech podcast “A Fonte” in Brazil.