There’s been plenty of speculation if Apple would expand more into subscription offerings, especially with their recent 2025 recap of Apple services. Apple One has been in the MENA region spanning many of their existing services. Now, they have set their sights on native creative apps across macOS and iPad with the new Apple Creator Studio.
Breaking Down The Package
We’re talking about a suite of nine apps, spanning both productivity and creative. Best part that it’s a universal offering, spanning both desktop (macOS) and mobile (iPadOS/iOS) with just one tier. I’ll let the below table summarize it
| Apps/Features | macOS | iPadOS | iOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final Cut Pro | Y | Y | N/A |
| Logic Pro | Y | Y | N/A |
| Pixelmator Pro | Y | Y | N/A |
| Motion | Y | N/A | N/A |
| Compressor | Y | N/A | N/A |
| MainStage | Y | N/A | N/A |
| Pages (intelligent features) | Y | Y | Y |
| Numbers (intelligent features) | Y | Y | Y |
| Keynote (intelligent features) | Y | Y | Y |
One unique positive standout – one-time purchase option still remains if you want to have specific apps. This applies to the macOS versions of Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage. As for the iPad versions of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro, they’re already subscription-based so they’ll remain unchanged.
(Update: 15 Jan 2026) According to an interview on CineD, the separate app subscription option for the iPad apps will go away for new users. Hence, you can use the apps exclusively by signing up to Apple Creator Studio. If you’re an existing subscriber to Final Cut Pro/Logic Pro on iPad, you’ll be grandfathered in and it’ll continue unchanged until you cancel it. Personally, I’d love it if Apple does intro an iPad-only tier for Creator Studio as well.
Media App Upgrades
Back in November 2024, Pixelmator announced that they were being acquired by Apple. Since then, there has only been a few updates but nothing more specific. Now the results have shown, as they’re also bringing the app to the iPad as well.
Big caveat is certain features will be exclusive to the Pixelmator Pro app on macOS and iPad as part of the Apple Creator Studio subscription. One of them is the Warp tool, helping to twist and shape image layers.
Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro are getting new features on macOS and iPadOS, but there is some muddiness on the rollout. According to the news announcement, Logic Pro and MainStage will have the same features between the subscription and one-time purchase. As for Final Cut Pro, the “exciting new intelligent features and premium content” will dictate the differences. The apps will continue to receive ongoing updates.
iWork Suite Becomes ‘Creative’
Remember when the productivity apps by Apple (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote) were once sold as standalone releases? Then they became free bundled apps with each Apple device, linked to your Apple account with just a sign-in. Apple has stated the apps will still stay FREE, and will receive updates.
However, certain ‘intelligent features’ (which definitely means AI-powered ones) will require having an Apple Creator Studio subscription.
- There’s a new Content Hub that serves as a hub to find “curated, high-quality photos, graphics, and illustrations”.
- Advanced image creation and editing using OpenAI models.
- Premium templates across the apps
- Access to features in beta across the apps e.g. generating presenter notes, presentation cleanup, Magic Fill suggesting content based on data patterns
- and more.
Rollout
Apple has confirmed that the new subscription launches on January 28, 2026. The date definitely hints on the release of the next OS update for macOS/iPadOS/iOS 26. You’ll have the option of paying either monthly or annually, and the below table sums it up best.
| Monthly (equivalent pricing in local currency) | Annually (equivalent pricing in local currency) | |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | AED 49.99 | AED 499 |
| Education (student/educator) | AED 9.99 | AED 99 |
One good thing is that you can share the subscription with up to six people as part of Family Sharing. That itself is a very good deal. It’s even better for SMEs, and I’m sure Apple can figure out something for large enterprises. However, this won’t work if you subscribe using the education pricing.
New subscribers can enjoy a free one-month trial. Buying a new Mac or iPad (powered by A16, A17 Pro, M-series, or newer)? You’ll get a three month period trial, similar to how they offer Apple Arcade and few other trials.
If you’ve been an Adobe Creative Cloud subscribe, this offering is putting them on notice especially with the pricing. Check out the official product page for more details.
Image Credits: Apple Newsroom
Drop your thoughts