Source: Adobe
Creatives and designers all over the world must now be celebrating the news of Adobe Photoshop moving to a freemium model on the web. As announced by Adobe this week, the beloved graphics editor software will finally be available for free online. The company will run a trial of the Photoshop free web version first in Canada where users can access basic PS features. This will eventually spread to global users, though no timeframe was announced for this goal. Users will still be required to create a free Adobe account to access Photoshop freemium.
According to Adobe, it is still making improvements to optimize Photoshop for the web. It’s improving features such as the curves tool, refine edge tool, and the dodge and burn tools. The good news is that the freemium version will include enough basic image editing features that will render it useful to free users.
Previously, Adobe released a free version of Photoshop but it was aimed merely as an online collaboration platform. The idea was to have a more efficient way for a user to share a document on the web from the desktop software. Collaborators can check the document and leave comments before sending it back to the designer. This time though, the company is aiming to deliver the app’s core functions through its free web version.
Adobe’s VP of digital imaging explained that the company now wants to make it easier for users to access and try Photoshop. “I want to see Photoshop meet users where they’re at now,” said Yap. The goal is to send the message that users don’t need a high-end machine to access all the best features of Photoshop.
Freemium as the Future of SaaS
Adobe’s decision to move to a freemium model for one of its most popular products can help introduce more users to Photoshop, especially during a time when competition in the industry is as fierce as it has ever been. Millions of consumers and prosumers are turning their backs on expensive software subscriptions in favor of less expensive alternatives to Photoshop that already include capable features and tools.
Many SaaS vendors in the past have resisted the freemium model for fear of cannibalizing their paid plans. The risk of undervaluing a product is valid since users who are able to use an app for free will certainly expect even more advanced features and capabilities for the paid plans.
However, the success of SaaS companies that have continued to offer free plans to users proves otherwise. Examples of such SaaS products include CMS platform, WordPress, social media management platform, Hootsuite, and popular music streaming app, Spotify.
Why is freemium so effective in bringing in subscribers? It’s because of the simple concept of getting as many customers as possible to use your product and incentivizing them to upgrade to become paying subscribers. As former Evernote CEO, Phil Libin, put it, “the easiest way to get 1 million people paying is to get 1 billion people using.”
Freemium works because a percentage of users will inevitably convert and opt for paid plans, especially if they get to see and experience the value of a software product. Freemium is also beneficial to vendors since it can help developers identify product gaps and features that need to be improved and retain users that have excellent potential to be loyal customers.
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