Enter Pixelmator Pro. It’s fast, native on Mac, packed with modern tools, and now backed by Apple. It’s become my daily driver here at High on Technology, and I’m confident that with another year of learning it, I’ll be waving goodbye to Photoshop forever.
Where It Came From
Pixelmator started life in 2008 as a fresh, Mac-first image editor from the Lithuanian brothers Saulius and Aidas Dailidė (Pixelmator Team). It was always designed to feel at home on macOS—clean, fast, and leveraging Apple’s latest tech (Metal, Apple Silicon, etc.).
Pixelmator Pro launched in 2017 as the premium evolution: redesigned interface, rewritten graphics pipeline, and a bigger focus on AI/ML tools. In late 2024, Apple acquired the company (deal closed in early 2025), folding the team and apps into Apple. It’s now a core part of Apple’s creative ecosystem.
How Much Does It Cost?
- Standalone: One-time purchase of $49.99 on the Mac App Store. No subscription required.
- Apple Creator Studio: New monthly bundle ($12.99/month or $129/year, with student/educator pricing at $2.99/month) that includes Pixelmator Pro, Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and more. Great low-barrier entry point for new users. (Only $10.75/month if you buy the year at once).
I already own Pixelmator Pro (and DaVinci Resolve Studio), so I’m not jumping into the bundle yet—but for creators starting fresh, it’s a fantastic value compared to Adobe’s offerings.
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How It Has Evolved (and What You Can Do With It)
Pixelmator Pro has grown from a solid photo editor into a versatile creative powerhouse. You get:
- Photo editing — Non-destructive layers, advanced adjustments, AI-powered tools (auto enhance, background removal, selections, etc.)
- Vector design — Shapes, paths, typography, and illustration tools
- Retouching & effects — Healing, cloning, filters, and machine learning magic
- iPad support — Full Apple Pencil integration and seamless Mac workflows
- Integration — Works beautifully with Final Cut Pro, Photos, and the rest of Apple’s apps
It’s not trying to copy Photoshop feature-for-feature. Instead, it focuses on what most Mac users actually need day-to-day: fast, beautiful, and reliable tools without the bloat. Recent updates (especially post-Apple acquisition) have added even more Apple Intelligence features, warp tools, and polish.
The interface is simple enough that I can hack around and get things done quickly. No more fighting with Adobe’s ecosystem—just open, create, export, done.
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Why It’s Rocking Here at High on Technology
Layers, variable opacity, stylized text, resizing controls, precise cropping, color management, it’s all here and relatively painless to use (sure beats struggling with GIMP). Pixelmator Pro fits our workflow perfectly. Whether we’re prepping graphics for the blog, creating visuals for Mark King Radio streams, or just experimenting with photo edits, it delivers pro results without the headaches. It’s fast on Apple Silicon, plays nice with our other tools, and keeps evolving in the right direction.
If you’re tired of subscription fatigue and want a powerful Mac-native creative app, give Pixelmator Pro a try. The one-time price (or the new Creator Studio bundle) lowers the barrier dramatically.
I’m all-in, and I suspect many of you will be too after a few projects.
Thanks for reading High on Technology, Good Graphics to YOU!
©May 2026 by Mark King, it is NOT ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author.
Originally Published May 1 2026
