Services have been a big part of Apple’s business for the past several years – contributing billions of dollars in revenue last year alone. Now, with the new Apple Creator Studio bundle, the company is leaning more firmly into the professional creative software arena.
Apple Creator Studio packages a group of the company’s pro apps into a single subscription service that you can pay monthly or annually for. It’s officially available starting January 28th, and includes a one-month free trial. The main change is that some of these apps are now available by subscription only on the iPad, while 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 the programs it includes.
What’s included in Apple Creator Studio
At its core, Apple Creator Studio gives customers access to Apple’s professional video, music, and imaging apps. The bundle includes Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage. Pixelmator Pro (which Apple acquired in late 2024) is also coming to iPad for the first time with a touch-optimized interface and Apple Pencil support.
Creator Studio membership also unlocks premium content and features inside 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 Apple-curated photos, graphics, and illustrations. The company says similar paid features are coming to Freeform later this year.
Apple is also using the bundle to introduce new “intelligence” features in several apps. In Final Cut Pro, the new Beat Detection feature can analyze a music track and show a beat grid so you can make edits according to the beat. The app also offers tools like transcript search and visual search, which make it easier to find moments in the footage.
Logic Pro is getting new AI-assisted session players and workflow features on Mac and iPad. Pixelmator Pro relies heavily on machine learning for tasks like background removal, image repair, and image upscaling. Note that some of these features require an Apple Intelligence-enabled device.
Which devices are supported
Apple Creator Studio works on many Apple platforms, although not every app is available everywhere.
On Mac, customers get access to all six apps: Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage.
On iPad, includes Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro. Motion, Compressor and MainStage will remain Mac-only.
On iPhone, Creator Studio does not include full versions of Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, or Pixelmator Pro. Instead, it unlocks premium features and content inside Keynote, Pages and Numbers, and eventually Freeform.
Apple says the best experience is on macOS 26, iPadOS 26, and iOS 26 or later, with individual app requirements varying by device and chip.
Pricing and Subscription Options
Apple Creator Studio costs $12.99 per month or $129 per year, and new customers can try the service for free for a month. College students and teachers get a steep discount: The Education plan costs $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year, and it also comes with a one-month free trial.
A standard subscription can be shared with up to five other people using Family Sharing, allowing a total of six users. Education subscriptions are limited to personal use and cannot be shared. Apple is also offering three free months of Creator Studio to customers who purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad around launch.
But Creator Studio isn’t the only way you can access most of these apps. Apple says all major apps included in Creator Studio will remain available as one-time purchases on the Mac App Store.
Final Cut Pro is priced at $299.99, Logic Pro is priced at $199.99, Pixelmator Pro is priced at $49.99, Motion is priced at $49.99, Compressor is priced at $49.99, and MainStage is priced at $29.99. Users who already have these apps can continue to use them and re-download them from the App Store as usual.
However, things are different on the iPad. Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro for iPad are only available through a Creator Studio subscription. There’s no standalone purchase option for those apps on iPadOS.
Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform are free for everyone to download and use. Apple says those apps will continue to receive updates, including the upcoming visual design changes associated with iOS 26 and iPadOS 26.
Even without a Creator Studio subscription, you can create, edit, and collaborate in those apps. You won’t get paid templates, Content Hub assets, and some intelligence features.
What happens to your project if you cancel?
Apple says that projects and content you create with an active subscription will remain licensed as part of your original work.
Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro projects stay on your device and can be copied or shared elsewhere. But you’ll need an active subscription to open or edit projects in those paid apps.
Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform documents remain editable without a subscription. However, after your subscription expires you will not be able to make new edits relying on paid features.
Other information about the Apple Creator Studio App Bundle
Apple Creator Studio also comes with some immediate trade-offs. Along with the bundle, Apple confirmed that the older Pixelmator app for iPhone and iPad, now described as Pixelmator Classic, will no longer receive updates. Apple says it will remain functional, but development is moving to Pixelmator Pro, which also includes a new iPad version with Creator Studio.
But don’t expect the standalone versions of the apps to maintain feature parity with their Creator Studio counterparts. According to Apple’s FAQ, “The Apple Creator Studio edition of Pixelmator Pro includes access to the Warp Tool feature,” meaning the feature is not present on the standalone version.
More broadly, the bundle puts Apple in direct competition with Adobe and other subscription-focused creative platforms, especially for those looking for a lower monthly entry point. Plus, Apple is keeping one-time purchases on the table for Mac users, even if iPad access moves behind a subscription.
Apple Creator Studio will be available on January 28th. Whether this would make sense depends on what device you work on and whether you would otherwise pay upfront for one or more of Apple’s Pro apps.
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