Pixelmator Pro
Apple-owned Mac and iPad image editor with on-device ML tools
Overview
Mac-native image editor with fast on-device ML tools (Super Resolution, denoise, subject selection), acquired by Apple in February 2025. Still $49.99 one-time on Mac, and now part of the $12.99/month Apple Creator Studio bundle, which also brought it to iPad.
Pricing
Pricing shown for reference only. These figures reflect RECATOOLS research as of 11 Jul 2026 and may be out of date or incomplete. This is not financial or purchasing advice — always confirm the current price on the provider’s official website before making any decision.
- Full desktop editing suite
- Free major updates
- No subscription required
- Bundles Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, Motion
- Exclusive Warp Tool
- 30-day free trial
- Same Creator Studio bundle
- Verified student/educator pricing
Use cases
ASEAN Perspective
Pixelmator Pro in Southeast Asia
ASEAN-region availability and pricing notes coming soon. Drop the editorial team a note via /contact/ if you can supply local context (Singapore/Malaysia/Indonesia/Thailand/Vietnam).
Apple closed its Pixelmator acquisition in February 2025, and January 2026 revealed the plan: Pixelmator Pro joined Apple Creator Studio, the $12.99/month bundle with Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro, picked up new AI features and a Liquid Glass redesign, and finally landed on iPad — though the iPad version is subscription-only. On the Mac it can still be bought outright for $49.99, which remains the best deal in serious raster editing: on-device Core ML tools (Super Resolution, denoise, smart repair, one-click subject selection) run fast and private on Apple Silicon. Caveats: macOS/iPadOS only, development went near-dormant for a year after the acquisition, and the standalone app's long-term future beside the bundle is uncertain. No API, no Windows, no web version.
What people say
For nearly a year after Apple closed its acquisition of Pixelmator in February 2025 (announced November 2024, not January 2024 as often misreported), the app barely moved — one Apple Intelligence update, otherwise silence, and long-time users publicly worried Apple had bought their favourite Mac app to let it die.
January 2026 answered that. Pixelmator Pro became part of Apple Creator Studio, the $12.99/month (or $129/year) bundle launched on 28 January alongside Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor and MainStage, with education pricing at $2.99/month. The app picked up new AI features, a Liquid Glass redesign, and — the headline for many — an iPad version at last, though on iPad it's available only through the subscription. On the Mac, crucially, you can still buy it outright for $49.99, which remains one of the best deals in serious raster editing.
The core appeal hasn't changed. The machine-learning tools — ML Super Resolution, Denoiser, smart repair/remove, one-click subject and background selection — run entirely on-device via Core ML, so they're fast on Apple Silicon and nothing leaves your machine. Layer-based editing is deep enough that most people who think they need Photoshop don't, and the macOS integration is what you'd expect now that it's literally Apple software.
Caveats are structural: no Windows, no Linux, no web version, no API, and it's fair to wonder how long the $49.99 standalone purchase survives next to a subscription bundle Apple wants you in. For Mac users the value is obvious. For anyone on mixed platforms, it's a non-starter — that was true before Apple bought it and it's truer now.
Summary of public user & expert reviews, compiled by RECATOOLS.
Notable facts
- Apple acquired Pixelmator in January 2024, making it the most prominent creative app acquisition by Apple since Final Cut Pro in 1998.
- Pixelmator Pro's ML tools run entirely on-device using the Mac's Neural Engine — all AI processing is done locally with no cloud connectivity required.
- The Remove Tool was one of the first AI inpainting tools available in a desktop photo editor, predating Adobe's Generative Fill by 2 years.
Frequently asked questions
About this listing
This entry was compiled from publicly available data including Pixelmator Pro's official website, press releases, documentation, and reputable third-party publications. RECATOOLS is not affiliated with Pixelmator Pro unless explicitly stated.
Third-party AI tools update their pricing, features, availability, and policies frequently. Information here may be outdated by the time you read this — we make reasonable efforts to keep listings current, but cannot guarantee absolute accuracy.
For the latest details, please refer to Pixelmator Pro directly →
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