One of our favorite Apple photo editors has announced a controversial change TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. One of our favorite Apple photo editors has announced a controversial change By Steve Clark published 23 August 2022 Upfront payments can't cover costs, say Pixelmator Photo developers (Image credit: Unsplash) Audio player loading… Popular photo editing app Pixelmator Photo is shifting towards a subscription model, hiking the price of a perpetual license in the process. The iOS photo editor will now embrace monthly and annual subscriptions for $4.99 and $23.99, respectively. Meanwhile, a lifetime license will now cost $54.99, a massive jump for what was once a $7.99 app. Existing users can continue using the app with unlimited access, no subscription required. Why Pixelmator subscriptions   In a detailed blog post, the developers outlined why they're moving away from an upfront payment model. Ultimately, the decision was financial, with the company admitting that relying on big feature updates to market the photo app meant "the money we make isn't actually enough to support development costs". The post also revealed other problems app designers face with the paid upfront model. Balancing slower development cycles with demand for major updates among new users meant the team felt unable to focus on the important features and quality of life upgrades existing users actually wanted.Read More> We've tested the best photo storage and sharing sites > Google Photos update wants you to get creative - but there's a catch > Bad news, Amazon Prime members - one of your best perks is being taken away Pixelmator also revealed the Apple App Store's lack of free trials for paid apps was partly to blame. It claims no trials have led to reviews from users who felt the lightweight Photoshop alternative didn't match their expectations. Pixelmator hopes the now-free app with features locked behind a subscription will provide a workaround for the absence of a free trial. However, the team behind the well-established image editor recognize the decision may be a controversial one: "Of course, there are downsides to subscriptions too – one big one, really. It's more expensive… But the hope is that there are enough users who use the app regularly and feel that the annual or monthly fee is worth it." It's not all bad news, though. Early subscribers will get the upcoming Pixelmator Pro - in our experience, one of the best photo-editing apps for Mac - at a reduced cost. The image editing tool is set for release by early next year. The team has promised to look into discounted pricing for existing customers.Keep your media safe with the best photo cloud storage Steve ClarkB2B Editor - Creative Steve is Techradar Pro's B2B Editor for Creative where he zeroes in on the creative apps that keep companies competitive. He cut his journalism teeth at Web User magazine covering software and hardware news, reviews, features, and guides. A copywriting veteran across B2B and B2C tech, he's written for Microsoft, Sony, and countless SaaS & product design firms. In a past life, he wrote commercials and movie trailers. See more Software news Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to theTechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. MOST POPULARMOST SHARED1The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me2Stop saying Mario doesn't have an accent in The Super Mario Bros. Movie3Google Pixel Tablet is what Apple should've done ages ago4RTX 4090 too expensive? Nvidia resurrects another old favorite5Nvidia RTX 4090 Ti reportedly canned due to sky-high power consumption1Logitech's latest webcam and headset want to relieve your work day frustrations2Best offers on Laptops for Education – this festive season3Apple October launches: the new devices we might see this month4Google's AI editing tricks are making Photoshop irrelevant for most people5Best laptops for designers and coders Technology Magazines (opens in new tab)● (opens in new tab)The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviewsFrom$12.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)