Apple has announced Apple Creator Studio, a new subscription bundle that brings together Apple’s creative apps across iPad and Mac. The collection combines video editing, music production, creative imaging, and visual productivity into a single subscription.

Below is a breakdown of what this means for iPad users.

What Is Apple Creator Studio?

Apple Creator Studio is a single subscription that bundles three apps (six for the Mac) alongside premium content and intelligent features in Apple’s productivity apps:

• Final Cut Pro
• Logic Pro
• Pixelmator Pro – arriving on iPadOS for the first time, built for touch with full Apple Pencil support
• The iWork apps (Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform), which receive premium content and feature updates as part of the bundle

For Mac users, Apple’s companion pro apps, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage, are also included. Despite rumors that some of these apps might be coming to iPad, they currently remain Mac-only.

Subscribing to this bundle for iPad or Mac does give you access to the corresponding apps on the other platform, which is nice if you’ve been curious to see how the other side lives.

Pricing

Apple Creator Studio will be released via the App Store on January 28, 2026. Pricing is set at:

• $12.99 per month
• $129 per year

New users can take advantage of a 30-day free trial. Education pricing is also available at $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year.

Pixelmator Pro Comes to iPadOS

Apple’s professional image editing app, Pixelmator Pro, has historically been exclusive to macOS. With Apple Creator Studio, the app makes its debut on iPadOS with a touch-first interface and Apple Pencil support.

While it’s still unclear whether the iPad version will offer full feature parity with the Mac version, it does support the same file format. This means projects can move seamlessly between iPad and Mac, a notable contrast to Final Cut Pro, which currently allows projects to move from iPad to Mac, but not the other way around.

Pixelmator Pro on iPad will also include a Photos extension, allowing users to work directly from the Photos app if they prefer.

The arrival of Pixelmator Pro coincides with the end of active development for Pixelmator Classic on iPadOS and iOS. While the app will continue to function, Apple has confirmed it will no longer receive updates.

No One-Time Purchases on iPad

Apple has made it clear that its Mac apps will continue to offer one-time purchase options. Unfortunately, that flexibility does not extend to iPad. While this isn’t entirely surprising as Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro on iPad have always been subscription-based. Many iPad users will undoubtedly wish they had a choice.

iPad Compatibility

Apple Creator Studio supports a wide range of modern iPads, but features scale based on chip, iPadOS version, and Apple Pencil support. Newer hardware unlocks the full experience.

For the best experience on iPad, Apple effectively recommends:

• Apple A16, A17 Pro, or any M-series chip
• At least 6 GB of memory
• iPadOS 26 or later

App-Specific Requirements

Final Cut Pro

• iPad with A16, A17 Pro, or M1 or later
• iPadOS 18.6 or later

Advanced features (Transcript Search and Visual Search):

• iPad with M1 or later, iPad (A16), or iPad mini (A17 Pro)
• iPadOS 26 or later
• Available only in U.S. English

Pixelmator Pro

• iPad with A16, A17 Pro, or M1 or later
• iPadOS 26 or later

Logic Pro for iPad

Minimum requirements:

• iPad with Apple A12 Bionic or later
• iPadOS 26 or later

Advanced features:

• Session Players require M1 or later
• Some intelligent features require A17 Pro or later

App Updates

Apple’s existing pro apps on iPadOS are receiving meaningful updates as part of the Apple Creator Studio bundle, with a strong emphasis on AI-powered workflows.

Final Cut Pro

Enhanced Searching
Final Cut Pro introduces two new search tools designed to speed up editing. Transcript Search lets you search footage by typing phrases spoken in a clip, while Visual Search allows you to search clips for specific objects or actions.

Beat Detection
This feature uses an AI model from Logic Pro to generate a visual “Beat Grid” for music tracks, making it easier to synchronize edits with specific beats.

Montage Maker
Montage Maker uses AI to analyze clips in your project and automatically assemble a montage highlighting the best moments.

Logic Pro

Synth Player

A new session-style instrument that can automatically generate synth parts, including chords and bass lines, to accompany your project. It’s designed to speed up composition and experimentation without manual programming.

Chord ID

An intelligent analysis tool that examines audio or MIDI and identifies chord progressions. Think of it as a built-in music theory assistant that helps expand musical ideas directly on iPad.

Smarter Sound and Loop Discovery

Logic Pro on iPad now offers improved search tools for loops and sounds, making it easier to find what you need without relying solely on tags or categories.

Quick Swipe Comping

A professional editing feature brought over from the Mac version, enabling fast selection and assembly of the best takes from multiple recordings.

iWork Apps

Alongside an overdue Liquid Glass visual refresh, Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and eventually Freeform, will receive new features as part of the Apple Creator Studio subscription.

While these features require an active subscription, the apps themselves remain free and fully functional without it.

The Content Hub introduces a new space for pulling high-quality images into your work, alongside new Premium Themes for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.

Apple also highlights new AI-powered tools that allow users to generate images from text prompts or adjust existing images using models from OpenAI.

In Keynote, subscribers will gain access to beta features that can generate draft presentations from text outlines and automatically create presenter notes from existing slides. In Numbers, users will be able to generate formulas with AI and use Magic Fill to complete tables automatically.

Apple Creator Studio launches on January 28, 2026.

Link: Apple Newsroom