Adobe Lightroom Price and Buying Guide

How much does Lightroom cost and how do you buy Lightroom at the cheapest price? Let’s explore all the buying options and obviously discount tips in detail. Firstly, I’ll tell you my recommendation to buy Lightroom at the best possible price.

What is the best way to buy Lightroom?

How Much Does it Cost to Buy Lightroom?

• For an annual subscription, Lightroom with 20GB of cloud photo storage costs $119.88 per year, equivalent to $9.99 per month.
• Opting for Lightroom with 1TB of cloud photo storage on an annual plan will be $239.88 per year, which translates to $19.99 per month.

What are the ways to obtain a discount for Adobe Lightroom?

To secure a discount on Adobe Lightroom, you can explore various options:

• Student Discounts: Adobe often offers significant discounts to students and educators. Check if you qualify for their student pricing.
• Adobe Promotions: Keep an eye on Adobe’s official website for promotional offers and discounts, especially during special events or holidays.
• Annual Subscription: Opting for an annual subscription plan can be more cost-effective than monthly plans, providing savings over time.
• Bundle Packages: Consider Adobe’s Creative Cloud plans, which bundle Lightroom with other Adobe software like Photoshop. These bundles can offer substantial value for the price.
• Educational Institutions: Some educational institutions and organizations may have partnerships with Adobe, allowing their members to access discounts on Adobe software.
• Third-Party Retailers: Explore authorized Adobe resellers who may offer competitive prices or exclusive deals on Adobe software.
• Renewal Discounts: When renewing your Adobe subscription, there may be loyalty discounts available. Check your account for renewal offers.
• Adobe Photography Plan (Our recommendation): If you’re primarily interested in Lightroom, the Adobe Photography Plan (which includes Lightroom and Photoshop) can often be a cost-effective choice compared to standalone Lightroom subscriptions.
• There is one more secret way: Lightroom mod apk if you are an Android user.

Student Discount for Lightroom

Students can access Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for both desktop and mobile as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps plan. This comprehensive plan offers more than 20 powerful creative applications designed for everyone.

The regular monthly cost for this plan is $54.99, but students can enjoy a discounted rate of $19.99 per month*. Make sure to review the terms and conditions for further details.

Tip: Student discount gives you the best price of Adobe Lightroom, so, you know the drill I think.

Lightroom Buy vs. Lightroom Subscription

Lightroom used to offer a perpetual license option where you could make a one-time payment to own a specific version indefinitely. However, this option has been discontinued by Adobe. With a perpetual license, you owned that version, but you would only receive updates within that specific version. Major upgrades required an additional purchase, and you had limited access to Adobe’s cloud services.

In addition to the discontinued perpetual licenses, Adobe offered Lightroom 6 as a standalone version, which users could purchase without a subscription. Lightroom 6 provided a one-time, non-subscription option for those who preferred to own a specific version outright. However, it’s important to note that Lightroom 6 is no longer receiving updates or new features from Adobe, making it less suitable for users who require ongoing improvements and compatibility with the latest cameras and technologies.

Nowadays, Adobe primarily offers Lightroom through a subscription-based model called the Creative Cloud Photography Plan. Under this model, you pay a monthly or annual subscription fee to access Lightroom and other Adobe software. You have ongoing access to the latest features and updates as long as your subscription is active. This subscription also includes access to Adobe’s cloud services, providing cloud storage, synchronization across devices, and integration with Adobe’s broader creative ecosystem.

In summary, perpetual licenses for Lightroom have been discontinued, and Adobe has transitioned to a subscription-based model. Subscribing provides continuous access to the latest features, cloud services, and a more flexible payment structure, making it the current standard for accessing Adobe Lightroom.

What is difference between lightroom and Lightroom Classic?

I’ve written a complete and detailed article on the differences between Lightroom and Lightroom Classic. Here is a quick review.

Lightroom Classic

• Where to Work: Desktop only
• Location of Originals: Local hard drive
• File Backup: Not included
• Ease of Use: Most comprehensive
• Organization and Photo Search: Manual keywords

Lightroom

• Where to Work: Desktop, mobile, and web
• Location of Originals: Cloud
• File Backup: Automatic
• Ease of Use: Intuitive, streamlined
• Organization and Photo Search: Automatic tagging and intelligent search

Free Lightroom Alternatives:

There are several free alternatives to Adobe Lightroom for photo editing and organization.

1. Darktable: Darktable is an open-source photography workflow application and raw developer. It offers a wide range of editing tools, non-destructive editing, and a user-friendly interface. It is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
2. RawTherapee: RawTherapee is another open-source raw image processing software known for its powerful editing capabilities. It provides a variety of tools for color correction, noise reduction, and more. RawTherapee is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
3. Snapseed: Snapseed is another great free Lightroom alternative for Android and for iPhone users. It is completely free. There are obviously differences between Lightroom and Snapseed but you must try if you are in search of a free alternative.

Final Words

If you ask me, my recommendation is to buy an Adobe Photography Plan with 1 TB storage. Personally, I use this and I am quite happy with my selection. However, if you are looking for the cheapest way to buy Lightroom, you can choose the 20 GB Adobe Creative Cloud Plan which costs almost 9.99$ per month.

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