Adobe Photoshop at $20.99/month for the Photography plan is expensive for what most people actually use it for. In 2026, AI tools have replaced many of Photoshop's most common use cases: background removal, image enhancement, and basic editing, at a fraction of the cost.
Do You Actually Need Photoshop?
The honest question first: for most content creators and marketers in 2026, Canva Pro handles 80% of what people use Photoshop for: background removal, image resizing, graphic design, template customisation, and basic photo editing. At Norths Clearance pricing, Canva Pro costs a fraction of what Photoshop does. If your use case is creating social graphics, marketing materials, and basic image editing, Canva Pro is the smarter choice.
When You Still Need Photoshop
Photoshop remains the professional standard for complex compositing and layer work, high-end retouching, print production workflows, and advanced colour grading. If your work genuinely requires these capabilities, Photoshop's cost is justified.
How to Get Photoshop Cheaper
Photography plan: $20.99/month includes Photoshop + Lightroom. If you need both, this is Adobe's best per-tool value.
Annual commitment: Adobe's annual plan is significantly cheaper than month-to-month, but you're locked in for 12 months.
Adobe's free alternatives: Adobe Express (free tier) handles many basic design tasks. Adobe Firefly for AI image generation is partially free.
The Canva Pro Alternative
For most use cases, switch to Canva Pro via Norths Clearance. It's cheaper, faster to learn, and does everything most non-specialist designers actually need. Save the Photoshop subscription for professional work that genuinely requires it.
For a full review of Canva Pro's AI features, read the Canva Pro review. For the full content creator stack, see Best AI Tools for Content Creators in 2026. For social media managers specifically, check Best Tools for Social Media Managers in 2026.