Design, graphics & illustration
Acorn 8 vs Pixelmator Pro
Both replace Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Creative Cloud Photography.
| Fact |  Acorn 8Small, fast mac image editor from a two-person shop |  Pixelmator Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29.99 | $49.99 |
| Licence | Paid upgradesMajor versions cost again | PerpetualUpdates included, forever |
| The catch | Each major version is a fresh $29.99 purchase, not a discounted upgrade | The one-time build is drifting behind the subscription one, which gets the Warp Tool exclusively |
| Against a subscription | 2 monthsAgainst Adobe Photography plan at $240 a year | 3 monthsAgainst Adobe Photography plan at $240 a year |
| Seats | No Mac count statedOne registration covers one person on as many of their own Macs as they like; a second person on another Mac needs a second licence. | No Mac count statedNo Mac count: the App Store purchase covers the Macs signed in to your Apple Account, and Family Sharing extends it to up to six family members. |
| Developer account | None needed | None needed |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Silicon | Native | Native |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| On Setapp | No | No |
| Minimum macOS | macOS 14 | not established |
| Buy direct | Buy direct |
Both prices read 22 Sep 2026, on the pages these buttons open. App Store rating is not established for either app, so that row is left out.
In their own right
Acorn 8
A long-running Mac image editor with layers, curves, vector shapes, text on a path and scriptable automation, sold for $29.99 with no subscription of any kind.
Pixelmator Pro
Apple's layered image editor with non-destructive adjustments, ML tools and PSD support, still sold as a one-time purchase alongside the newer Apple Creator Studio subscription.