Apple is Acquiring Pixelmator
Credit: Pixelmator TeamToggle Dark Mode
In what may be the biggest acquisition news of the year for Apple fans, the popular photo app developer Pixelmator has announced that it’s reached a deal to be acquired by Apple.
The Pixelmator Team shared the news in a blog post this morning. While the deal is done in principle, it will still have to clear the usual regulatory hurdles.
Pixelmator has signed an agreement to be acquired by Apple, subject to regulatory approval. There will be no material changes to the Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps at this time. Stay tuned for exciting updates to come.
The acquisition will include the entire Pixelmator Team of employees and rights to the company’s trio of apps, Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator.
Pixelmator was founded by “a small group of dedicated people” from Vilnius, Lithuania, 17 years ago. It has always been a very Mac-focused developer. Pixelmator Pro quickly became a viable and powerful alternative to Adobe’s pricey (and subscription-based) Photoshop.
We’ve been inspired by Apple since day one, crafting our products with the same razor-sharp focus on design, ease of use, and performance. And looking back, it’s crazy what a small group of dedicated people have been able to achieve over the years from all the way in Vilnius, Lithuania. Now, we’ll have the ability to reach an even wider audience and make an even bigger impact on the lives of creative people around the world.
Pixelmator has also been quick to take advantage of new AI and machine learning features over the years that surpass the Adobe behemoth, offering features like fast and intelligent AI-powered background removal and Super Resolution to resize photos with a minimal loss in quality.
The suite of tools began with the standard Pixelmator for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, later expanding to a more powerful Mac-exclusive Pixelmator Pro in 2017 (which, sadly, never made it to the iPad).
Pixelmator Pro 2.0 was also one of the first photo editing tools to support Apple’s M1 chip, beating Adobe to the punch by nearly six months. Pixelmator and Photomator were available for the Vision Pro on day one.
The company also branched out with the more photography-focused Pixelmator Photo in early 2019, which won an Apple Design award only two months later, and was eventually rebranded to Photomator and selected as Apple’s Mac App of the Year for 2023.
So, it’s no wonder that Apple feels the Pixelmator Team would be a good fit for its ambitions to improve its photography apps and features. While it’s unclear exactly where the Pixelmator folks will fit in, the team says that its trio of apps will remain available and unchanged for now but that we should “stay tuned for more exciting updates to come.”
While Apple regularly acquires smaller companies, most of these deals fly under the radar. A public announcement like this is uncommon, but it’s also bigger news when Apple acquires a well-known app developer, as it did with Dark Sky in 2020 and Shazam and Workflow in 2017. Much of what made Dark Sky special was rolled into Apple’s Weather app, while Shazam has become a built-in feature, and Workflow became Shortcuts in iOS 12. It will be interesting to see what Apple does with Pixelmator’s apps and technology.
Pixelmator Pro is available as a one-time purchase from the Mac App Store for $50, while Photomator is a free download for the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro with a $30 yearly subscription to unlock all features. There’s no word on whether those pricing models will change after the acquisition is finalized. Apple hasn’t typically offered subscription-based apps, although that’s recently changed with Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad, which each cost $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year.
