Adobe Is Ditching Their Cheapest Photography Plan for New Customers: Now What?

The upcoming Adobe Photography and Lightroom plan price increases muddy the already somewhat confusing waters with Adobe subscription options. It is worth taking a beat and breaking down all the possible choices a photographer has if they want to use Lightroom or Photoshop.

Recapping the Adobe Photography Plan Price Changes

Before getting into all the possible options, when will the upcoming price changes go into effect, and who will be impacted? The updates to the Photography and Lightroom plans go into effect on January 15, 2025. The price changes will apply immediately to new subscribers at that time and affect existing members when their current plan renews.

That seems simple enough, but the situation is a bit confusing when broken down further. The Photography (1TB) plan is not changing, so it’s safe to ignore it for the moment: it is $19.99 per month or $239.88 annually (12 months of $19.99 payments made at once).

However, the Photography (20GB) plan, the most affordable way to access Lightroom and Photoshop, is changing dramatically in 2025. This plan is currently $9.99 a month or $119.88 per year. For those on the yearly version of this plan, nothing is changing. They are already locked at $119.88 for a year of access to Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and Photoshop, plus 20GB of cloud storage.

These price changes will go into effect starting on January 15, 2025. For those with existing subscriptions, applicable changes will apply to the first renewal after this date. | Adobe

However, active subscribers with monthly plans will be dramatically impacted by January 15. The monthly fee is increasing by 50 percent from $9.99 to $14.99, which works out to $179.88 over a year’s worth of monthly payments. Anyone who pays monthly for Adobe’s Photography (20GB) plan will see the price increase starting with the first month’s payment after January 15, 2025.

There are three options available to these customers. The first is to continue with the monthly subscription and pay the higher $14.99 each month after January 15, 2025. The second option is to switch to the annual commitment plan for $119.88 per year, which works out to the same $9.99 a month they are paying now. The third option is to cancel. Technically, there’s also a fourth choice: to upgrade to the Photography (1TB) plan, but if someone needed the additional cloud storage that badly, they likely would have made that move already.

Goodbye, Cheapest Adobe Photography Plan

There is something else significant to mention about the Photography (20GB) plan. While Adobe is maintaining this plan for all existing customers, whether monthly or annual subscribers, beginning on January 15, 2025, new subscribers will not be able to purchase this plan — not even for the higher $14.99 a month fee or $119.88 annually. New customers will have just one Photography plan to choose from: the Photography (1TB) tier for $19.99 monthly or $239.99 annually. There is also a Lightroom-only plan, but more on that shortly.

Admittedly, Adobe tucking the end of the Photography (20GB) plan into a single sentence in a long blog post — and not adding a notice about this or any upcoming plan changes to the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan homepage — is questionable. There should not be any confusion when it comes to people’s money. The communication here was poor.

It also means that anyone unaware of the price changes ahead of January 15, 2025, and therefore unable to lock into the cheapest annual Photography plan at $119.88 a year will be forced into the Photography (1TB) plan come the middle of next month. Adobe says it has alerted affected customers via email, so customers should be aware before active subscriptions renew. The cheapest entryway will jump from about $120 to $240 annually and from $10 to $20 a month since the increased $14.99 monthly fee for the Photography (20GB) plan will only be available to existing customers.

Lightroom Plan Changes

Adobe also has a Lightroom-only plan but it is changing, too.

The Lightroom (1TB) plan — the only one on offer — is $119.88 with an annual commitment. This price isn’t changing. However, the monthly fee is increasing from $9.99 to $11.99 on January 15. Customers can either switch to the annual plan to lock in the cheapest price ahead of time or accept the $2 monthly price hike.

As of now, the Lightroom plan only includes Lightroom on desktop, web, and mobile, not Lightroom Classic. Many longtime photographers prefer Lightroom Classic, so they have been forced into the Photography plan. However, Adobe is adding Lightroom Classic to the Lightroom plan starting in January.

The New ‘Best’ Options for Photographers

Assuming someone wants to continue to use Adobe’s photography apps, and there are plenty of compelling reasons to do so as they remain the best overall photo editing apps available, what are their choices?

Those who require Adobe Photoshop as part of their workflow can maintain the lowest possible price beyond the upcoming price changes by subscribing to an annual pre-paid Photography (20GB) plan. If that is what they have already, they’re set for now. If someone wants Photoshop and Lightroom but does not require 1TB of cloud storage, they can sign up for a monthly recurring Photography (20GB) plan while it remains available. It will be $9.99 for the first month and $14.99 thereafter since the price change will go into effect next month.

There is also a Photoshop-only plan for $22.99 a month (with an annual commitment) or $34.49 monthly without a commitment. There’s no obvious case to be made for this plan, aside from someone needing Photoshop for only a month or two, as the Photography (1TB) plan, while cheaper on a monthly basis, requires an annual commitment.

Or they could go all-in for a full-blown Adobe Creative Cloud plan. This has all Creative Cloud apps and is $59.99 a month when paid for monthly on an annual subscription. It is $89.99 monthly without an annual commitment and $659.88 yearly when paid upfront. That’s a hefty chunk of change and one few photographers are keen to pay.

There’s a new choice for photographers who don’t require Photoshop but want to use Lightroom Classic. Previously, the only option was to get the Photography plan. With the Lightroom plan updates, Lightroom Classic will be accessible alongside all other Lightroom apps and 1TB of cloud storage for $11.99 monthly. While the bare minimum entry price for new users is still increasing from $9.99 to $11.99, it comes with access to additional cloud storage compared to the outgoing Photography (20GB) plan, at least.

It is worth reiterating that the Photography and Lightroom plans, while available with monthly payments, all require an annual commitment. There is no buy-as-you-go monthly choice for any of them. Getting out from underneath a yearly agreement with Adobe requires paying an early termination fee, which is detailed on Adobe’s website.

To summarize quickly, Adobe’s self-described “best” photography plan — the Photography (1TB) option — will not change on January 15.

However, the Photography (20GB) plan will no longer be available to new customers but existing customers can either stick with the yearly up-front plan at $119.88, the same as it is now or pay $14.99 a month with an annual commitment, up from $9.99 per month.

The Lightroom (1TB) plan is to get Lightroom Classic, and the monthly price is increasing from $9.99 to $11.99, but the annual all-at-once fee stays the same at $119.88.

For brand-new customers, the current cheapest Photography plan, the 20GB tier, will no longer be available come January 15. The new most affordable option will be the Photography (1TB) plan for $19.99 monthly with an annual commitment or $239.88 paid all at once. Adobe only offers a pay-as-you-go photography app option with an annual commitment, and no evidence suggests that will change anytime soon.

Image credits: Images created using assets licensed via Depositphotos.