Adobe Creative Cloud business versus cheaper alternatives
Adobe is the standard, not the only fit. Affinity (acquired by Canva in 2024), Canva and Figma cover 80% of work for a fraction of the price. Depends on who uses it and what you ship to third parties.
Try this first
- 1Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps for business is expensive per user per month. Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere remain standard in print and agencies.
- 2Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher: one-off purchase historically (now under Canva ownership with subscription path). Strong for SMB marketing, not for agencies trading InDesign files.
- 3Canva for brand content, socials, simple decks: usually enough for non-design teams. Pro tier stays affordable. Not for production graphic work.
- 4Figma for UI/UX and collaborative design: replaced Adobe XD for most teams. Adobe could not acquire Figma, it stays an independent standard.
- 5Practical: ask first who needs exactly what. A marketer and an external DTP person do not both need full Adobe. Mixing tools is fine.
When to bring us in
Adobe to Affinity migration with file fidelity (fonts, spots, PDF/X) needs care. We have run this script, ask us.
See also
- New hire has an account but cannot reach Outlook or TeamsAn M365 account without a license is an empty shell. Assigning takes a few clicks, but picking the right plan pays off long-term.
- Employee left, but their email must be retainedPulling the license straight away starts a 30-day timer on the mailbox. The right route keeps access to the mail without paying for the license.
- We pay for licenses nobody usesBetween leavers, duplicate plans, and test accounts there is often 10-20% wasted license spend. A usage report exposes it fast.
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