Adobe’s Creative Cloud All Apps subscription lets you use Photoshop, Premiere Pro, InDesign, and several other apps. It’s not uncommon for professionals and agencies to purchase the All Apps plan, but is it worthwhile for non-professionals? Let’s find out.

What’s Included in a Creative Cloud All Apps Subscription?

The Adobe CC All Apps subscription includes all the major paid Adobe apps, including Lightroom, Audition, Premiere Pro, and Photoshop. You also get access to Adobe’s free programs, such as Photoshop Express—along with any paid tiers those apps may have.

See our complete guide to what’s included in an Adobe CC plan and how Adobe CC works if you want a full overview.

Who Should Get the Adobe All Apps Plan as a Non-Professional?

Considering that Adobe CC’s All Apps subscription costs $59.99-$89.99 per month, it’s a significant investment if you don’t use the software for your job, degree, or business. Nonetheless, some non-professionals will benefit greatly from paying for it.

If you fall into one of the categories below, you may want to consider purchasing the All Apps plan.

1. You Enjoy Multiple Creative Disciplines

Even if other people tell you to stick to one thing, the truth is that some people simply enjoy lots of different creative disciplines. For example, while photography is my main creative endeavor, I also like videography and recording audio. For these reasons, the Creative Cloud All Apps plan is the most logical choice.

Buying the All Apps plan is usually much better than the mental gymnastics involved in choosing, say, the Photography plan but then needing to find an alternative graphic design or audio editing solution. Instead, you can simply download all the apps you need and then focus more on the creative process.

2. You’re Experimenting With Different Hobbies

Before you find the creative hobbies and career paths that really interest you, you’ll often need to try multiple things to see what sticks and what doesn’t. If you’re in that phase, buying different Adobe plans can get expensive.

If you don’t yet know what you want to do, the easiest choice is to try each Adobe app and creative discipline to see what’s best for you. You might find that you like everything equally, in which case you can keep your All Apps subscription.

But some users will find one core thing they like; if that’s you, simply cancel your Adobe subscription after the commitment period and choose a more specialized plan.

3. You’re Eligible for a Student or Teacher Discount

While an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription is quite expensive at full price, students and teachers can get a significant discount. If you qualify, you can get the All Apps plan for just $19.99 per month for your first year.

After the first 12 months, your subscription will increase to $29.99 per month with an annual commitment. But even at this price, it’s still much less than what you would pay at full price. So, it’s often better to get the All Apps plan and have the flexibility when needed.

Schools and universities can also get the All Apps plan for $34.99 per year, in addition to choosing other discounted pricing plans.

If you’re a student and on the lookout for tech discounts, you should also consider getting Apple’s Student Discount.

4. You’re Interested in More Than One of the Adobe Plans

Adobe has several subscription bundles, such as Lightroom and Photoshop for photographers and the Substance 3D collection. However, you’re only allowed to have one active plan on each Adobe account at any given time. While you can create multiple Adobe IDs, this quickly becomes confusing.

If you want to access multiple paid subscriptions, you’re much better off buying the All Apps plan and keeping everything in the same place. You also don’t need to worry about multiple payments going out of your account, making it much easier to monitor your budget if that’s something you’re concerned about.

When Should You Not Get the Adobe All Apps Subscription?

While the argument to get an Adobe CC subscription is compelling for some non-professionals, it’s not something everyone should pursue. Let’s discuss when purchasing the All Apps plan isn’t worthwhile.

1. You’re Only Interested in One Creative Discipline

Adobe lets you buy subscriptions for individual apps alongside its bundles, and many focus on one creative discipline. These are often much less expensive than the All Apps plan.

If you’re only interested in one creative discipline, you’re not going to get the value for your money from the All Apps plan. So, stick with getting the apps related to your interests and upgrade later if you feel like it’s necessary.

2. You Often Use Non-Adobe Apps

Some people might be interested in more than one creative discipline but not use Adobe apps for all of them. For example, I’ve used DaVinci Resolve many times in the past for video editing and know creatives who would rather use Lightroom alternatives, such as Capture One.

If you use non-Adobe apps for some of your creative disciplines, you’re unlikely to get significant value from the All Apps plan. Moreover, you may need to pay for several subscriptions across different platforms, which will start to add up. If you want to later switch to Adobe, you always have that option.

3. You Only Want to Use Adobe’s Free Apps

While you need to pay for most of Adobe’s premium apps and services, you can use some of its tools for free. For example, Premiere Rush has a broad suite of features available without needing to pay. Similarly, you can use Adobe Express, Bridge, and Photoshop Express without paying.

If you’re only going to use Adobe’s free apps, the All Apps plan is not really worth getting. To use the various free tools, you only have to sign up for an Adobe CC account, which costs nothing.

Is the Adobe CC All Apps Plan Worth It if You’re Not a Professional?

It depends on the programs you need access to. If you’re interested in multiple creative disciplines and prefer Adobe apps, the All Apps plan is good value for money. Plus, students and teachers can get sizable discounts.

The All Apps plan is also worth getting if you aren’t necessarily interested in multiple disciplines but want to get more than one subscription on the same account.

On the other hand, you’re not getting much value if you only need one plan or only want to use Adobe’s free tools. You can find plenty of free alternatives or get a free trial if you’re still on the fence.