Adobe is delaying its plan to discontinue Adobe Animate following intense customer backlash after it announced plans to end the 2D animation software amid an increased focus on its artificial intelligence investments.
“We are not terminating or removing access to Adobe Animate. Animate will continue to be available to existing and new customers, and we will ensure that you continue to have access to your content,” the company wrote in a post on Wednesday.
Adobe’s announcement on Monday to end Animate was met with disbelief, disappointment and anger, with users airing concerns about the lack of alternatives that mirror Animate’s features.
The company changed its tune on Wednesday, saying there will no longer be a “term or date by which Animate will no longer be available.”
“Adobe Animate is in maintenance mode for all customers. This applies to individuals, small businesses and enterprise customers. Maintenance mode means that we will continue to support the app and provide ongoing security and bug fixes, but we are no longer adding new features. Animate will continue to be available to new and existing users – we will not be interrupting or removing access to Adobe Animate,” he said.
One customer writing on X asked Adobe to at least abandon open source software. Commenters on the thread reacted with anguish, saying things like, “This is going to ruin my life” and “what the hell are they doing, literally? Animation is the reason a large portion of adobe users even log in.”
On Monday, the company updated its support pages and sent out emails to existing customers saying that Adobe Animate will be discontinued on March 1, 2026. Business customers will continue to receive technical support until March 1, 2029 to ease the transition, the company said at the time. Other customers would have support until March next year.
Adobe explained its decision to end the program in an FAQ, saying, “Animate is a product that has been around for more than 25 years and has served its purpose well in creating, nurturing, and growing the animation ecosystem. As technology evolves, new platforms and paradigms emerge that better serve the needs of users. We acknowledge this change and plan to stop supporting Animate.”
Reading between the lines, it seemed as if Adobe was saying that Animate no longer represented the current direction of the company, which is now more focused on products that incorporate AI technologies.
What’s surprising is that Adobe couldn’t even recommend software that would fully replace what customers are losing with Animate. Instead, it said that customers with a Creative Cloud Pro plan can use other Adobe applications to “replace parts of Animate’s functionality.”
For example, he suggested that Adobe After Effects can support complex keyframe animation using Puppet, and Adobe Express can be used for animation effects that can be applied to photos, videos, text, shapes, and other design elements.
There were hints that Adobe was heading in that direction when there was no mention of Animate at the annual Adobe Max conference. Additionally, no 2025 software version has been released.
Before going into “maintenance mode”, Abode intended for the software to continue to work for those who downloaded it. Adobe typically charges $34.49 per month for the software, which drops to $22.99 with a 12-month commitment. An annual prepaid plan was available for $263.88. Now the company says it will be available to new users as well.
Some users recommended using other animation programs as a replacement, including Moho Animation and Toon Boom Harmony.
Updated on February 4, 2026 to note that Adobe has reversed its decision and announced that the software will be placed in maintenance mode instead of being retired.