In what could be bad news for cash-strapped creatives, Apple has quietly rolled back some of its generous free trial offers for its professional editing software.
Apple Creator Studio, which bundles together the company’s creative tools under a monthly subscription, not unlike Adobe’s Creative Cloud, rolled out earlier this month. The bundle gives users access not only to Apple’s music-editing software Logic Pro and its video-editing software Final Cut Pro, but also to image editor Pixelmator Pro, motion-graphics tool Motion, file-conversion app Compressor, and live-performance companion MainStage.
The new bundle costs $13 per month or $129 per year. Discounts are available for students and educators, bringing the price down to $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year.
But one downside of the new creative suite, first spotted by Cult of Mac, is that Apple is no longer giving access to the previous 90-day free trials for Final Cut Pro or Logic Pro. Instead, anyone wanting to try either product must now sign up for the full Creator Studio bundle, which offers only a 30-day trial. This means new users get just one-third of the time to try the editing tools before they start forking out cash.
If you’re not interested in having yet another monthly subscription, Apple will continue to sell one-time-purchase versions of Final Cut Pro ($299.99) and Logic Pro ($199.99) via the Mac App Store. If these programs are the only part of the suite you are interested in, making the one-time purchases would work out cheaper than subscribing to Apple Creator Studio in just over three years.
Recommended by Our Editors
Aside from the pivot to a subscription model, Apple Creator Studio also introduced a range of updates across its software suite, including new AI-powered features in Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro. These include Chord ID, which allows Logic users to analyze existing music files to identify the chords being used. Meanwhile, Final Cut Pro’s new Beat Detection feature uses an AI model to help editors make quick cuts that sync video to the rhythm of a music track.
Pixelmator Pro has also launched on iPad for the first time as part of the suite, though Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro remain Mac-only purchases.
Get Our Best Stories!
Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy
Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
About Our Expert
Experience
I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.
I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.
Read Full Bio
