Adobe Photography Plans
Description
These days, there are two kinds of Lightroom, both included in the current Adobe plans:
Lightroom Classic is the latest version of that traditional catalog-based Lightroom for Windows/Mac, which stores your photos on your hard drive. It looks like this:
Lightroom is the cloud-native family of Lightroom apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Web. It stores your photos in the cloud so they can be accessed from all of your devices. It’s a newer program, so it doesn’t have all of Lightroom Classic’s features, but it’s easier to learn. It looks like this:
If you’re not sure which version will be best for you, there’s a feature comparison here.
What does the Lightroom 1TB subscription include?
If you don’t want Photoshop, the Lightroom (1Tb) plan is the most cost-effective subscription. It includes:
- Lightroom Classic for Windows and macOS
- Lightroom for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Web
- 1TB cloud storage space
- You can have Lightroom Desktop installed on as many computers as you like, and it can be activated on 5 computers and up to 10 mobile devices at a time.
- You can have Lightroom Classic installed on as many computers as you like, but it can only be activated on 2 computers at a time.
What does the Photography (1TB) subscription include?
The Photography Plan subscription includes all of the above plus Photoshop.
Buying on Subscription
Lightroom (1TB) and Photography (1TB) are only available as a monthly/yearly subscription, but in return, you always have the very latest features without having to wait for Adobe to release a paid upgrade.
Both monthly and yearly subscription options are annual contracts, but if you pay for a year upfront, you save 33% compared to monthly payments.
Some people are concerned about being locked into a subscription forever, but it’s only a year’s commitment and you can move on to other software if you find it’s not the right choice for you. Even if your photos are stored in the Lightroom cloud, they can be downloaded to your computer to use with other software. There’s also a trial version so you can try before you buy.
Do I have to be online all the time to use Lightroom?
You don’t need constant internet access to use either version, but you do briefly need internet access to activate them.
They also “phone home” now and again to check your subscription status, but you can be offline for up to 99 days before it reverts to a limited mode (no Develop, Map or Sync).
Of course, syncing photos to the cloud does need internet access, but that’s only really necessary for the cloud Ecosystem, and it will catch up later if you’re offline for a while.
What happens to my photos if I cancel my subscription?
Don’t worry, we have all the information for you here, so you have nothing to fear!
I’m still on Lightroom 6 (or earlier), how do I upgrade to Lightroom Classic?
We keep adding to our “What’s new in Lightroom Classic since Lightroom 6” post, as the number of new features is huge! If you scroll to the end of that post, there’s step by step instructions on the upgrade process too.
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First Published March 3, 2019 Updated for new Plans January 15, 2025.
