14 DAY TRIAL // Adobe has introduced a new way of paying for its Creative Suite products, monthly rentals. If you need Photoshop or Dreamweaver for only a few months or don't want to fork a big pile of money out front, this solution may be for you. However, the pricing may be a bit confusing and the question of which is makes more sense, to buy or to rent, is best answered on a case-by-case basis.
"Subscription editions of Creative Suite software are just like regular Creative Suite products — they are installed on your computer and provide all the same features and functionality," Adobe explains.
"Choose a one-year plan for lower payments or a flexible month-to-month plan you can stop and restart as needed. Either way, you'll have ongoing access to the latest version of your software at no extra charge as long as your subscription remains active," it adds.
Pricing varies from product to product. Adobe Photoshop for example can be had for $35 a month, as long as you subscribe for a year, or for $49 a month if you go for month-by-month payments. Either way you will pay once a month, there's no way of paying for a few months ahead of time.
The whole Master Collection will set you back $129 per month, or $1548 per year if you rent it year-by-year, or $199 a month otherwise.
Since Adobe has upped the development cycle of its Creative Suite from 18 months to 24, you'll end up paying just $140 more by renting Photoshop for two years rather than buying the software.
Of course, if you plan to use it for more than two years and you factor in the Upgrade pricing, things get more complicated.
Other than the way you pay for it, there are no differences between the rent or buy versions of the Creative Suite. The software calls back to Adobe each month to check to see if you've paid your subscription. If there are issues, you get a five-day period to sort them out.