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Like Adobe ramps upwards THIS investments on AIthe company decided to shut down its 2D animation software, Adobe Animate. On Monday, Adobe released a update on the company’s support site and sent emails to existing customers informing them that Adobe Animate will be discontinued on March 1, 2026.
Enterprise customers can continue to receive technical support until March 1, 2029, to ease the transition. Some customers will have support until March next year, the company said.
That’s the decision MEETING with disbelief, frustration, and anger among Adobe Animate users, who are concerned about the lack of alternatives that mirror Animate’s functionality.
A customer, post on Xbegged Adobe to at least open source the software rather than abandon it. Commenters on the thread responded with dismay, saying things like “This is legitimately going to ruin my life,” and “Literally what the hell are they doing? Animating is why a good chunk of adobe users subscribe in the first place.
Adobe explained its decision to stop the program in a FAQstating, “Animate is a product that has existed for over 25 years and serves its purpose of creating, nurturing, and developing the animation ecosystem. As technologies evolve, new platforms and paradigms emerge that better serve the needs of users. Recognizing this change, we plan to discontinue support for Animate.”
Reading between the lines, Adobe seems to say that Animate no longer represents the current direction of the company, which is now more focused on products that include AI technologies.
What’s surprising is that Adobe can’t even recommend software that fully replaces what Animate customers have lost. However, it says that customers with a Creative Cloud Pro plan can use other Adobe apps to “replace parts of Animate’s functionality.”
For example, it suggests that Adobe After Effects can support complex keyframe animation using the Puppet tool, and Adobe Express can be used for animation effects that can be applied to photos, videos, text, shapes, and other design elements.
There are signs that Adobe is heading in this direction after Animate was ignored at the company’s annual Adobe Max conference. Additionally, no 2025 software version has been released.
The software will continue to work for those who download it, Adobe said. Normally, Adobe charges $34.49 per month for the software, which drops to $22.99 with a 12-month commitment. The annual prepaid plan is available for $263.88.
Some users recommend other animation programs to use instead, including Moho Animation and Toon Boom Harmony.
TechCrunch has reached out to Adobe for comment. This article will be updated if the company responds.
