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Design · head to head

Adobe Creative Cloud vs Principle

Adobe Creative Cloud logo

Adobe Creative Cloud

Design

Creativity for all

From
$20.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
P

Principle

Design

Animate your ideas, design better apps

From
$129/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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; Principle macOS only with no Windows or Linux editor available
  • They diverge on capability: Adobe Creative Cloud covers Photoshop, Principle covers Timeline-based animation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Adobe Creative Cloud and Principle differ
AttributeAdobe Creative CloudPrinciple
Starting price$20.99/month$129/one-time
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWindows, Macos, Ios, Android, WebmacOS
Founded19822015

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Design).

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 Principle

  • Timeline-based animation
  • Interactive prototypes
  • Touch gestures
  • Component reuse
  • Video export
  • Sketch import
  • Figma import
  • Driver animations

What people use each for

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

Adobe Creative Cloud

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

Principle

  • Mobile app prototypesnot Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Micro-interactionsnot Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Animation designnot Adobe Creative Cloud
  • User flow designnot Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Gesture-based interfacesnot 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

Principle

  • macOS only with no Windows or Linux editor available
  • No vector morphing capability for complex shape transformations
  • Limited asset creation tools; cannot create vectors or shapes directly within Principle
  • Sketch import flattens certain properties including paths, fills, borders, masks, blur effects, and text layers
  • Limited variable support, logical loops, and data input capabilities compared to tools like ProtoPie or Origami

Pricing, plan by plan

Adobe Creative Cloud

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

Principle

$129/one-time
  • License$129/one-time
    • One year of upgrades
    • Full access to all features
  • Upgrade License$99/year
    • Annual renewal for ongoing upgrades

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 Principle if

  • You need timeline-based animation.
  • You work on macOS.
  • You also want interactive prototypes.
Principle review

Questions people ask

Is Adobe Creative Cloud or Principle better?
Neither clearly leads. Adobe Creative Cloud starts at $20.99/month and Principle at $129/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Adobe Creative Cloud or Principle?
Adobe Creative Cloud starts at $20.99/month and Principle at $129/one-time.
Does Adobe Creative Cloud or Principle run on more platforms?
Adobe Creative Cloud runs on Windows, Macos, Ios, Android, Web. Principle runs on macOS.
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 Principle is typically brought in for.
What can Adobe Creative Cloud do that Principle cannot?
Adobe Creative Cloud covers Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro. Principle covers Timeline-based animation, Interactive prototypes, Touch gestures, Component reuse.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Principle: Does Principle run on Windows or Linux?

No. Principle is macOS only and runs on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. There is no Windows or Linux editor available; however, prototypes can be shared and viewed on any platform via web link.

Source
Principle: What is the cost of Principle?

Principle costs $129 for a one-time purchase with 1 year of upgrades included. After 1 year, upgrade licenses cost $99/year. A 14-day free trial is available with all features included.

Source
Principle: Can I import designs from Figma or Sketch into Principle?

Yes. Principle supports importing designs from Figma and Sketch with intelligent merging of re-imported files. Some Sketch properties such as paths, fills, borders, blur effects, masks, and text layers are flattened upon import.

Source
Principle: How do I share Principle prototypes with others?

Prototypes can be shared via web link with one click (File > Export > Share to Web). Recipients can view and interact with prototypes in any browser on any platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, or iOS. No installation required.

Source
Principle: Can I create vector shapes and morphing animations in Principle?

Principle does not support vector morphing, where vector objects transform into other vector shapes. It also has limited asset creation capabilities and editing is restricted to basic operations like scale and rotate.

Source
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