Softwr

Design · head to head

Adobe Creative Cloud vs Depot

Adobe Creative Cloud logo

Adobe Creative Cloud

Design

Creativity for all

From
$20.99/month
Free plan
No
Visit Adobe Creative CloudFull review
Depot logo

Depot

Developer Tools

Cloud-based builds and CI runs 55x faster with less cost

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit DepotFull review

The short version

  • Depot is a cloud-based CI/CD platform.
  • Depot has a free plan, then $20/mo; Adobe Creative Cloud starts at $20.99/mo.
  • Only Adobe Creative Cloud lists premiere Pro; only Depot lists Depot CI.
  • Where Depot falls short: developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Adobe Creative Cloud and Depot actually diverge.

Attributes where Adobe Creative Cloud and Depot differ
AttributeAdobe Creative CloudDepot
Starting price$20.99/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, macOS, iOS, Android, WebWeb, GitHub, API
CategoryDesignDeveloper Tools
Founded19822022

Not yet recorded: pricing model for Depot.

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Adobe Creative Cloud

  • Photoshop
  • Illustrator
  • InDesign
  • Premiere Pro
  • After Effects
  • Lightroom
  • XD
  • Creative Cloud Libraries

Only in Depot

  • Depot CI
  • Container builds
  • GitHub Actions runners
  • Distributed caching
  • Build API
  • Depot Registry
  • Cross-platform builds
  • SSH debugging

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Adobe Creative Cloud

  • Graphic designnot Depot
  • Photo editingnot Depot
  • Video productionnot Depot
  • Web designnot Depot
  • Digital artnot Depot

Depot

  • Accelerating Docker builds for container-based developmentnot Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Replacing GitHub Actions runners with faster infrastructurenot Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Distributing cache across Monorepo buildsnot Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Debugging failed CI builds interactively with SSHnot Adobe Creative Cloud

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Adobe Creative Cloud

  • The vendor's own Plans and Pricing page as captured by the Internet Archive on 1 January 2022 listed, in US dollars per month: Photography (20GB) at $9.99, Photography (1TB) at $19.99, Creative Cloud All Apps at $52.99, Acrobat Pro at $14.99, and single apps such as Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, and InDesign each at $20.99, all with a 30 day free trial and a separate Adobe Stock add-on

Depot

  • Developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development
  • Startup plan at $200/mo is expensive for smaller teams
  • Business plan requires custom pricing consultation
  • macOS M2 runners not available on Developer plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Adobe Creative Cloud

$20.99/month
  • Photography$20.99/mo
    • Lightroom
    • Lightroom Classic
    • Photoshop
  • Single App$22.99/mo
    • One app of your choice
    • 100GB cloud storage
    • Portfolio website
  • All Apps$59.99/mo
    • 20+ Creative Cloud apps
    • 100GB cloud storage
    • Portfolio website
  • Teams$89.99/mo
    • Everything in All Apps
    • 1TB cloud storage
    • Advanced admin console

Depot

Free
  • Developer$20/mo
    • 1 user
    • 500 Docker build minutes per month
    • 2,000 Depot CI minutes per month
  • Startup$200/mo
    • Unlimited users
    • 5,000 Docker build minutes per month
    • 20,000 Depot CI minutes per month
  • BusinessOn request
    • Custom pricing
    • Unlimited users
    • Custom monthly compute

Which should you pick?

Choose Adobe Creative Cloud if

  • You need photoshop.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want illustrator.
Adobe Creative Cloud review

Choose Depot if

  • You need depot ci.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, GitHub, API.
  • You also want container builds.
Depot review

Questions people ask

Is Adobe Creative Cloud or Depot better?
Neither clearly leads. Adobe Creative Cloud starts at $20.99/month and Depot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Adobe Creative Cloud or Depot?
Depot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $20.99/month for Adobe Creative Cloud and Free for Depot.
Does Adobe Creative Cloud or Depot run on more platforms?
Adobe Creative Cloud runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web. Depot runs on Web, GitHub, API.
Can I use Depot for free?
Yes. Depot has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Adobe Creative Cloud starts at $20.99/month.
What is Adobe Creative Cloud best used for?
Adobe Creative Cloud is most often used for graphic design, photo editing, video production, web design. Of those, graphic design and photo editing are not what Depot is typically brought in for.
What can Adobe Creative Cloud do that Depot cannot?
Adobe Creative Cloud covers Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro. Depot covers Depot CI, Container builds, GitHub Actions runners, Distributed caching.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Depot: How much faster are Depot runners compared to GitHub Actions?

Depot runners offer 30% faster CPUs and 10x faster networking than standard GitHub-hosted runners, enabling builds to complete significantly faster.

Source
Depot: What is included in the Developer plan?

Developer plan ($20/month) includes 500 Docker build minutes, 2,000 Depot CI minutes, 2,000 GitHub Actions minutes, 25 GB storage, unlimited concurrency, and community support.

Source
Depot: Can I use Depot with my own AWS account?

Yes, Depot Managed allows deployment within customer AWS accounts. This is available to interested customers; contact sales for details.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Adobe Creative Cloud

More on Depot

Keep looking

Other head to heads