The Apple Creator Studio subscription has officially launched as Apple attempts to lure creatives away from Adobe Creative Cloud and other tools. The bundle packages Apple’s productivity and pro creative apps—including new “intelligent” features and a built-in stock library exclusive to the bundle—under one monthly (or yearly) price.
Apple gave several reviewers early access to the bundle and early reactions are a bit mixed. While the bundle could certainly be a great deal for some creators it also comes with some real trade-offs, especially if you’ve already paid for Apple’s pro apps over the years.
What is Apple Creator Studio?
At a high level, Creator Studio combines Apple’s video, music, image, and productivity tools into one subscription, with extras aimed at speeding up everyday creator workflows—especially across Mac and iPad.
Here’s what’s included in the bundle:
- Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Pro for iPad
- Logic Pro and Logic Pro for iPad
- Pixelmator Pro and Pixelmator Pro for iPad
- Motion
- Compressor
- MainStage
- Intelligent features and premium content like templates and a stock image library for Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. Content access for Freeform will also come at a later date.
Big Takeaways From Early Reviews
Exclusive Final Cut Pro upgrades a big reason to subscribe
I mentioned above that, moving forward, while Apple will continue providing updates to its pro apps for those who already purchased the one-time license for apps like Final Cut Pro, the company will be making some new features only available to Creator Studio subscribers. The Creator Studio gated features for Final Cut Pro seem to be the main reason you’d consider subscribing at this point.
Jason Snell’s hands-on at Six Colors says the following new Final Cut Pro features are great for getting things done faster:
- Auto transcription of imported videos allows you to search for specific moments in a timeline.
- Visual indexing allows you to search for specific actions or items in a timeline.
- Beat detection allows you to sync edit timing to the beat of music.
Logic Pro’s “AI” push is more collaborator than autopilot
There is similar praise for new AI-powered features in Logic Pro aimed at helping you move through an edit faster. Six Colors and 9to5Mac point out the new Session Player focused on synth/bass, plus Chord ID for analyzing audio and detecting chords.
Pixelmator Pro on iPad is great
From the moment the bundle was announced, Pixelmator Pro arriving on iPad was easily the part of the new most positively received. Snell calls Pixelmator Pro a fitting companion to Apple’s pro lineup, and specifically highlights Apple Pencil support and full document compatibility with the Mac version.
AppleInsider goes further, framing Pixelmator Pro as a legit, approachable Photoshop-adjacent tool, and says the iPad version feels strongly influenced by the Mac app—helping you keep a consistent workflow even if you do more of your creation on iPad.
The bundle’s productivity apps add-ons are useful but controversial
While Apple’s Pages, Keynote, and Numbers apps will all remain free, Apple is going to start introducing new intelligent and premium features for these apps for Creator Studio subscribers. The new Content Hub, a built-in stock library of photos, templates, and illustrations, has been received positively with early reviewers calling it fast to search and handy for quickly finding assets while building decks, docs, and spreadsheets while noting some aspects still need a bit of polish.
However, Snell notes that overall he dislikes rolling these new features for Pages, Keynote, and Numbers into the subscription bundle because it turns free apps into freemium upsells, and it raises the fear that the subscriber-only premium templates could mean fewer new templates over time for everyone else.
Is it worth it? Sure—unless you already own most of this stuff
AppleInsider’s review basically sums up the bundle’s core pitch: for newcomers, the low monthly price makes Apple’s pro apps far more approachable than paying hundreds up front, and the bundle is “a bargain” if you’ll actually use multiple apps—especially when you compare what a bundle with similar apps would cost from Adobe.
But the flip side is just as important: the value drops fast if you already paid for Final Cut, Logic, Motion, etc. AppleInsider notes the upgrades can feel modest if you’re comparing “old” vs “new” versions side-by-side—and also points out there’s no prorating for existing ownership.
Pricing
Apple Creator Studio is available now. Pricing in the U.S. is:
- $12.99/month or $129/year
- Education pricing (college students and educators): $2.99/month or $29/year
- Free trial: Apple says new subscribers get a one-month free trial
- Family Sharing: a standard subscription can be shared with up to five other family members
If you’d rather avoid subscriptions entirely, Apple is still selling one-time purchase versions of the Mac pro apps (Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, MainStage) through the Mac App Store.
Other Topics You Might Like:
Apple’s “Awe Dropping” Event Will Bring More Than Just New iPhones. Here’s What to Expect Next Week
Apple Launches New iPad Mini With More Storage and a Performance Boost
High Sierra Compatible with All Sierra-Compatible Macs
