A long time ago in our galaxy, Apple offered iLife – a suite of creative apps – and iWork – a trio of productivity tools. Like many technologies fueled by nostalgia (and today’s rise of bundles), what’s old is new again.
Apple Creator Studio brings together leading creative apps like Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor, MainStage, Pixelmator Pro (a first!) and Final Cut Pro, alongside Pages, Keynote and Numbers, in a single subscription covering all platforms. For $12.99 / £12.99 / AU$19.99 per month or $129 / £129 / AU$199 per year, you get access on Mac, iPad and iPhone.
This is clearly a value play. Many of these apps were previously purchased directly or through separate platform-specific subscriptions. But beyond the savings, Apple is betting that this offer will encourage more people to integrate these tools into their workflows – or try them for the first time.
In a shared statement, Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, said: “Apple Creator Studio is a great value that allows creators of all types to pursue their craft and develop their skills. »
Cue also highlights “advanced smart tools” designed to speed up workflows, building on AI features already found in apps like Logic Pro for iPad. Notably, Creator Studio officially introduces Pixelmator Pro to Apple’s line of first-party creations. Apple acquired the popular photo editing app in 2024, and it has a loyal fan base – myself included – and this bundle finally brings it to the iPad.
When Creator Studio launches on January 28, 2026, subscribers will have access to the following applications:
- Mac: Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, Freeform, Motion, Compressor and MainStage
- iPad: Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Pages, Keynote, Numbers and Freeform
- iPhone: Pages, Keynote, Numbers and Freeform
Eligible students and teachers can subscribe at a significant discount: $2.99 / £2.99 / AU$4.99 per month or $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$49.99 per year. Apple is also offering a one-month free trial to eligible customers on both plans, but if you purchase a select Mac or iPad, you can get a three-month free trial.
iMovie and GarageBand will remain free, entry-level creative apps on Mac, iPad and iPhone. And for those who prefer to pay once, Pixelmator Pro, Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage will continue to be sold individually on Mac. Beyond bundling, there are significant platform expansions and new features – so let’s break them down.
Pixelmator Pro finally comes to iPad
Pixelmator Pro has long been a Mac favorite, but we’ve been waiting for a major update – or a new platform – since Apple acquired it in November 2024. That wait ends on January 28, 2026, when Pixelmator Pro launches on iPad.
Built from the ground up for iPadOS, the app is optimized for Touch, Apple Pencil, and Apple Pencil Pro. Apple says workflows will flow seamlessly between Mac and iPad, with many of the same editing tools available on both. Features like super resolution are retained, and Apple Pencil gestures, including hover, tap, and double-tap, let you preview and adjust effects more fluidly.
A new Warp tool is also coming to Pixelmator Pro on Mac and iPad, allowing users to twist and reshape layers – another step towards a more premium creative toolkit. You’ll also find that on the iPad, many time-saving features like ML Enhance or Super Resolution are also retained.
Logic Pro adds more AI-powered features
Logic Pro was one of Apple’s first AI showcases, thanks to features like Stem Splitter, which separates a recording into individual sound layers. Now, as part of Creator Studio (or as a standalone purchase on Mac), Logic Pro gets new tools.
The AI Session Player expands with a new Synth Player designed for EDM-style performances, adding synthesized bass elements and dynamic flair. You can change the complexity in real time, effectively treating it like an always-on session musician. Apple is also adding more royalty-free sounds via a new Sound Pack, as well as natural language search in the Sound Browser – a welcome quality of life upgrade.
Final Cut Pro on iPad gets Montage Maker, while Mac gets new AI features
Final Cut Pro on iPad gets a new feature called Montage Maker. Think of it as a more powerful approach to auto-editing – not for vertical social clips, but for traditional video projects.
Select a group of clips and Final Cut Pro will automatically assemble a sequence based on what it identifies as key moments. It can crop footage to your chosen aspect ratio and provide the result in a complete timeline, where you can rearrange clips, adjust speed, swap music and add other media.
If you’re dealing with a larger selection of clips, you’ll now be able to search either the “transcript” of the video or visually, making it easy to find a specific moment in clips on Final Cut Pro for iPad and Mac.
Pages, Keynote and Numbers get new templates and AI features, but the main versions will remain free
Apple has made it clear: Pages, Keynote and Numbers will continue to be free on iOS, iPadOS and macOS, with regular updates. Creator Studio subscribers, however, unlock more advanced features. These include early access to smart tools – like generating a first draft of a Keynote presentation from a simple outline – as well as a new content center with higher quality illustrations and photos.
Subscribers also get premium templates for all three apps. Image Playground remains available, but Apple adds on-device AI tools to upgrade images – it uses the same engine as Super Resolution in Pixelmator Pro – and automatically crops them for documents or presentations directly in Pages, Keynote and Numbers.
Overall, Creator Studio Pro serves as a unified home for Apple’s creation and productivity apps, while also shining a light on how Apple is using AI — not to replace the long-promised new Siri or the broader Apple Intelligence umbrella, but for practical, quality-of-life improvements in the apps people already use. Between updates to Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Pixelmator Pro, Apple isn’t so much trying to replace human creativity as it is to offer tools that speed up workflows and encourage experimentation with new effects.
With the first steps towards premium content in Pages, Numbers and Keynote, Apple also offers premium templates and graphics designed to enhance documents and presentations. Image Playground, alongside other AI models, can be used to customize visuals and put your own spin on clip art.
Apple Creator Studio will launch on January 28, 2026 as a bundled subscription that includes new features in apps like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. We’ll get to work as soon as possible and share our first impressions as launch approaches – but in the meantime, let us know what you think in the comments below. Is this the return of iLife and iWork, reinvented with a new brand image and a more premium advantage?
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