Apple bundles creative software into $12.99 monthly subscription

Apple announced on Tuesday a new subscription bundle called Creator Studio that brings together six professional creative applications into a single monthly or yearly payment. The service costs $12.99 per month or $129 per year and launches on January 28, with a one-month free trial for new subscribers.

The bundle includes Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro on both Mac and iPad, Pixelmator Pro on Mac and iPad, and Motion, Compressor, and MainStage on Mac only. The subscription also unlocks premium features and content in Apple's productivity apps Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, with Freeform expected to be added later in 2026.

Background

Apple has long offered creative software to professionals and hobbyists, but the apps have been sold separately or through individual subscriptions. Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro previously required separate purchases on Mac or individual subscriptions on iPad at $4.99 per month each. Pixelmator Pro, an image editing tool that Apple acquired in 2024, has never been available on iPad until now.

The move to bundle these tools reflects a broader industry trend of offering creative software through subscription services rather than one-time purchases. Adobe's Creative Cloud, which includes Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and other tools, costs significantly more at $54.99 per month for individual apps or higher for full suite access.

"Apple Creator Studio is a great value that enables creators of all types to pursue their craft and grow their skills by providing easy access to the most powerful and intuitive tools for video editing, music making, creative imaging, and visual productivity," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.

Key Details

The subscription service includes several new features across the bundled applications. Final Cut Pro on Mac and iPad is gaining Transcript Search, which allows editors to find specific soundbites by searching text. A new Visual Search feature lets users locate exact moments in footage by describing them in words. Beat Detection automatically identifies musical beats in video.

Final Cut Pro for iPad specifically gets Montage Maker, a tool for quickly starting edits, and Auto Crop, which automatically reframes video content.

Logic Pro, Apple's music production software, receives Synth Player for creating sounds, Chord ID for identifying musical chords, a new sound library, and natural language search capabilities that let musicians describe what they want to create.

MainStage, included in the Mac version of Creator Studio, transforms a Mac into an instrument, voice processor, or guitar rig for live performance.

Pixelmator Pro's arrival on iPad marks the first time the image editing software appears on Apple's tablet. The iPad version includes full Apple Pencil support for precise editing and is designed for fast image editing workflows.

Pricing and Student Discounts

The standard subscription runs $12.99 monthly or $129 annually in the United States. College students and educators get a significant discount at $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. Customers purchasing new Mac or iPad devices with qualifying specifications receive three months of Creator Studio free.

Apple is maintaining its previous approach for some apps. Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro will continue to be available for one-time purchase on Mac, though the subscription offers both Mac and iPad versions for a lower total cost than buying separate subscriptions.

What This Means

The Creator Studio bundle represents a shift in how Apple packages professional tools, moving toward subscription-based access rather than individual purchases. For creators using multiple apps, the bundle offers substantial savings. Someone previously paying $4.99 monthly each for Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro on iPad, plus the cost of Pixelmator Pro on Mac, would spend considerably more than $12.99 monthly.

However, the change also means creators must commit to ongoing payments rather than owning software outright. The bundle's inclusion of premium features in iWork apps suggests Apple plans to expand the subscription's value over time rather than just offering existing tools at a discount.

The availability of Pixelmator Pro on iPad fills a gap for creators wanting professional image editing on Apple's tablets. Combined with Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro already on iPad, the bundle now offers a complete creative suite across Mac and iPad devices.

The subscription launches through the App Store on January 28, with all new subscribers eligible for a free one-month trial.