Apple has been heavily dependent on services for several years now. That segment of the business brought in tens of billions of dollars in revenue last year alone, and the company says 2025 was a record year. With Apple Creators Studio, Apple extends that strategy further into professional creative software.
Apple Creator Studio is a new subscription bundle that packages many of the company’s apps under one monthly or annual fee. It starts on January 28 and includes a one-month free trial. A key change is that some of these apps are now subscription-only for the iPad, as Apple continues to offer one-time purchases on the Mac – albeit with slightly different features. Here’s everything you need to know about Apple Creator Studio and related programs.
Including Apple Creator Studio
At its core, Apple Creator Studio offers subscribers access to Apple’s professional video, music and photography applications. The bundle includes Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor and MainStage. Pixelmator Pro (acquired by Apple in late 2024) is also coming to iPad for the first time, with a touch interface and Apple Pencil support.
A Creators Studio subscription also unlocks premium content and features within Apple’s productivity apps. Keynote, Pages and Numbers remain free, but subscribers get access to premium templates and themes, as well as a new Content Hub with curated Apple images, graphics and illustrations. Similar paid features are coming to Freeform later this year, the company said.
Apple is also using bundles to introduce new “intelligence” features across multiple apps. In Final Cut Pro, the new Beat Detection feature can analyze a music track and display a beat grid so you can edit the edit to the beat. The app also features tools like text search and visual search designed to make it easy to find moments across videos.
Logic Pro gets AI-assisted Session Players and workflow features for Mac and iPad. Pixelmator Pro continues to rely heavily on machine learning for tasks such as background removal, image correction and image enhancement. Note that some of these features require an Apple Intelligence-capable device.
What devices are supported
Apple Creator Studio works on all Apple platforms, although not all applications are available everywhere.
On Mac, subscribers get access to all six applications: Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor and MainStage.
For iPad, Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and Pixelmator Pro are included. Motion, Compressor and MainStage remain Mac only.
On iPhone, Creators Studio does not include full versions of Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro or Pixelmator Pro. Instead, it unlocks premium features and content within Keynote, Pages and Numbers, and eventually Freeform.
Apple says the best experience is on macOS 26, iPadOS 26 and iOS 26 or later, with each app’s requirements varying by device and chip.
Apple Creator Studio apps (apple)
Pricing and subscription options
Apple Creator Studio costs $12.99 per month or $129 per year, and new subscribers can try the service for free for one month. College students and teachers get a steep discount: the education plan costs $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year, and comes with a one-month free trial.
Standard subscriptions can be shared with up to five other people using Family Sharing, allowing a total of six users. Educational subscriptions are limited to individual use and are non-assignable. Apple is also offering three free months of Creators Studio to customers who purchase a qualifying new Mac or iPad at launch.
But Creators Studio isn’t the only way you can access most of these apps. Apple says all major apps included in Creators Studio will continue to be available as a one-time purchase from the Mac App Store.
Final Cut Pro remains priced at $299.99, Logic Pro at $199.99, Pixelmator Pro at $49.99, Motion at $49.99, Compressor at $49.99 and MainStage at $29.99. Users who already own these apps can continue to use and re-download them from the App Store as usual.
On the iPad, however, things are different. Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and Pixelmator Pro for iPad are available only with a Creators Studio subscription. There is no standalone purchase option for those apps on iPadOS.
Keynote, Pages, Numbers and Freeform are always free for everyone to download and use. Apple says those apps will continue to receive updates, including the upcoming visual design changes bundled with iOS 26 and iPadOS 26.
Without a Creators Studio subscription, you can still create, edit and share in those apps. What you won’t get are paid templates, content hub assets and some smart features.
What happens to your projects if you cancel
Apple says the projects and content you create with an active subscription are always licensed as part of your original work.
Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and Pixelmator Pro projects stay on your devices and can’t be copied or shared elsewhere. But you will need an active subscription to open or edit projects in those paid apps.
Keynote, Pages, Numbers and Freeform documents are always edited without registration. However, you will not be able to make new plans based on paid features once your subscription has expired.
More information about the new bundle
Apple Creator Studio also comes with fast trading. Alongside the bundle, Apple has confirmed that the old Pixelmator app for iPhone and iPad, now described as Pixelmator Classic, will no longer receive updates. Apple says it will remain active, but development is shifting to Pixelmator Pro, including a new iPad version that includes Creators Studio.
But don’t expect the standalone versions of the apps to maintain feature parity with their Creators Studio counterparts. According to Apple’s FAQ, “The Apple Creator Studio version of Pixelmator Pro includes access to the Warp Tool feature,” meaning that feature is not available in the standalone version.
Broadly, the bundle puts Apple directly in competition with Adobe and other subscription-based creative platforms, especially for people looking for a low monthly entry point. At the same time, Apple is keeping one-time purchases on the table for Mac users, as iPad access goes away after registration.
Apple Creator Studio will be available on January 28. Whether it makes sense will probably come down to what device you’re working on and whether you’ve pre-paid one or more Apple apps.
