Adobe has just confirmed that it will stop operating 2D animation software Adobe Animate from March 1, 2026, marking the end of a creative tool that has existed for more than 25 years.
This decision was announced through the official support page and emails sent to customers, in the context of Adobe increasingly focusing resources on artificial intelligence (AI) and new generation products.
According to the announcement, corporate customers will continue to receive technical support until March 1, 2029 to ensure the transition process takes place smoothly.
Meanwhile, individual customers will only be supported until March 2027, after which the software will no longer be updated or officially maintained.
This decision quickly caused a strong wave of reactions in the Adobe Animate user community, including animators, graphic designers, teachers and creative students.
Many people expressed disappointment and concern about the lack of alternative software with equivalent capabilities.
On social network X (Twitter), some users even called on Adobe to publicly disclose the Animate source code so that the community could continue to maintain and develop the software.
Emotional comments like "this will ruin my career" or "Animate is the main reason I registered for Adobe" reflect the deep attachment of users to this tool.
In the Official Q&A section, Adobe explained that Animate has fulfilled its historical mission in building and nurturing a digital animation ecosystem.
As technology develops, new platforms and models appear that better meet user needs. Recognizing this change, we decided to stop supporting Animate," Adobe said.
However, experts believe that the root cause lies in Adobe's shifting focus to AI and artificial intelligence integrated products, such as Adobe Firefly and automated creative tools.
This makes Animate, a traditional manual process software, no longer suitable for the company's long-term orientation.
It is noteworthy that Adobe does not offer a complete alternative to Animate. Instead, the company only suggests that Creative Cloud Pro users can combine other applications such as Adobe After Effects, with the Puppet tool supporting main frame animation, or Adobe Express, which is more suitable for simple animation effects for photos, videos and text.
Signs that Animate is about to be killed off have actually appeared before.
This software was absent from the Adobe Max conference, and there was no 2025 update, raising doubts about the product's future.
Currently, Adobe Animate can still continue to work with those who have downloaded it, although it is no longer further developed.
Before being discontinued, the software had a fee of about 34.49 USD/month, reduced to 22.99 USD/month if registered annually, or 263.88 USD/year for a prepaid package.
Faced with this change, some users have suggested switching to other animation software such as Moho Animation or Toon Boom Harmony, which are two platforms highly appreciated in the field of professional animation.
