Since the beginning of Photoshop, back in 1990, the program was sold in a single pay-per-license format, that is, you paid only once and the program was yours for life. Although Adobe would release a new version of Photoshop from time to time, usually annually, you could choose to upgrade or keep your old version forever. The advantage of having an old version and updating it is that the purchase price was much lower than buying it from zero, but you could decide whether to do it or not. Buying Adobe Photoshop used to be simple. Today I will show you how to buy Photoshop in 2023.
How to buy Photoshop in 2023
In recent years, Adobe drastically changed the purchase format of Photoshop from a single license fee to a system based on a monthly subscription, also offering different packages and ways to obtain the program, which generated mixed reviews from its old customers, and attracted a larger number of new customers thanks to its new payment facilities. Do you know the new purchase system? What’s the Best Way to Buy Photoshop in 2023?
How to buy Adobe Photoshop
When Adobe changed the way to buy Photoshop, the company was the center of attention for the number of comments that emerged in this regard: you could no longer buy the program through a one-time license fee, and now you had to cancel a monthly subscription to be able to use it.
This undoubtedly annoyed many users, but relieved the pockets of others, as it offered different pros and cons depending on your use of the program. Why? For its price. The last version of Photoshop that could be purchased for a single payment, the CS6, came as part of the Creative Suite and cost more than $2500, making it very difficult for the average user to buy. From the next version, Photoshop CC, the program could be obtained as part of the Creative Cloud, for a price of $49.99 per month, making it accessible to many people’s pockets.
Currently, there are different ways to get the program, and the one you choose will depend on the use you want to give and your level of work, ranging from amateur to professional.
How to buy Photoshop in 2023
When buying Photoshop, Adobe offers different plans to get Adobe Photoshop, which are:
Option 1
Buy Photoshop Classic CC as a Subscription
The first way to buy Photoshop in 2023 is with an individual subscription. This plan includes:
- Photoshop
- 100GB of cloud storage, Adobe Portfolio, Adobe Fonts, and Adobe Spark
Price: $20.99/mo or $239.88/yr
The individual subscription is designed for people who just want to buy one Creative Cloud application. Simply select Photoshop from the drop-down menu to access your plans and pricing.
With this plan, you can get only Photoshop, with no extra programs or plans, but it is cheaper to buy the Photography Plan even if you are not going to use Lightroom. With the Single app plan, you pay $11 more than with option one, and you have fewer benefits.
Option 2
Buy Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan
Includes:
- Lightroom CC
- Lightroom Classic CC
- Photoshop CC
- Your own portfolio website and social media tools
- 1TB of cloud storage (about 20,000 raw DSLR images or 200,000 JPEGs)
This plan is mainly aimed at photographers and/or photo editors who handle a high volume of photos, as both Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic are included, which are Adobe’s programs for the organization and better workflow management, along with the latest version of Photoshop.
This plan comes in 2 versions and the difference lies in the size of the cloud storage offered by Adobe, with 20GB for $9.99 and 1TB for $19.99.
This is one of the best ways to buy photoshop, but if you are not a photographer or simply want to have the program without the extra benefits of the plan, you can move on to the next option.
Option 3
Buy All apps Plan
The third option and the most complete package from Adobe. This plan includes:
- The entire collection of 20+ creative desktop and mobile apps including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Adobe XD
- 100GB of cloud storage, Adobe Portfolio, Adobe Fonts, and Adobe Spark
Price: $52.99/mo or $599.88/yr
This plan is designed for professionals or individuals who use multiple Adobe applications on a day-to-day basis. It includes all the programs available in the Creative Cloud at a much lower cost than if you buy each app separately, making it an almost irresistible offer.
Again and in comparison, if you only want to use Photoshop and are not interested in using any of the other Adobe programs, the Photography plan is still the best way to buy Photoshop in 2023.
These are the 3 plans offered by Adobe, but there are still other ways to buy Photoshop: discounts.
How to get a Photoshop Discount
Do you Qualify for an Adobe Student Discount?
Adobe offers a 60% discount to students and teachers who wish to purchase its products. The discount applies only to the All apps Plan, which includes Photoshop and all Creative Cloud applications.
In order to apply for the discount, you need to go through a verification process in which Adobe makes sure that the person you are purchasing belongs to an educational institution, either as a teacher as a student, or as a homeschooled student.
Once the verification process is complete, the All Apps plan is priced at $19.99, which is just over 60%. This is your best option if you want to have all Adobe applications and you are a student or teacher. If you only want to buy Photoshop, the Photography plan is still the best option.
Special discounts
If you have no problem waiting for a little, you can take advantage of Adobe offers throughout the year, with discounts on all plans, specific plans, and even individual apps. The discounts are large and short-lived, so you’ll need to check the page from time to time to take advantage of the highest possible discount.
This is one of the ways to buy Photoshop at a very low price, but it depends a lot on Adobe and whether or not you decide to make those discounts.
So, what’s the best way to buy Photoshop in 2023?
If you want to buy Photoshop soon and without having to wait, the Photography plan is the best option without a doubt, but if time is not a problem for you, you can wait for some of the offers they make throughout the year. With a bit of luck, you could buy Photoshop at a lower price than normal.
If you would like to learn about Adobe Photoshop CC 2023 check out our article Adobe Photoshop Review.
