Adobe is postponing its plan to discontinue Adobe Animate following intense backlash from its customers after it announced plans to shutter the 2D animation software amid increased demand. focus in is investments in AI.
“We are not suspending or removing access to Adobe Animate. Animate will continue to be available to both existing and new customers, and we will ensure that you continue to have access to its content,” the company said. wrote in a post On Wednesday.
Adobe’s Monday announcement about discontinuing Animate was of with disbelief, disappointment and anger, with users expressing concern about the lack of alternatives that reflect Animate’s functionality.
The company changed its mind on Wednesday and said there would no longer be a “deadline or date by which Animate will no longer be available.”
“Adobe Animate is in maintenance mode for all customers. This applies to individual, small business, and enterprise customers. Maintenance mode means that we will continue to support the application and provide ongoing security and bug fixes, but we will no longer be adding new features. Animate will continue to be available to new and existing users; we will not discontinue or remove access to Adobe Animate,” it said.
a client publishing in Xhad asked Adobe to at least open source the software instead of abandoning it. The commenters on the thread responded with fear, saying things as“This is legit and it’s going to ruin my life.” and“literally what the hell are they doing? Animation is the reason a good portion of Adobe users even subscribe in the first place.”
On Monday, the company updated its support site and sent emails to existing customers announcing that Adobe Animate would be discontinued on March 1, 2026. Enterprise customers would 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 of next year.
Adobe explained its decision to discontinue the program in a Frequently asked questionssaying: “Animate has been a product that has been around for over 25 years and has served its purpose well in creating, nurturing and developing the animation ecosystem. As technologies evolve, new platforms and paradigms emerge that better meet the needs of users. Recognizing this change, we are planning to stop supporting Animate.”
Reading between the lines, it seemed as if Adobe was saying that Animate no longer represents the current direction of the company, which is now more focused on products that incorporate AI technologies.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 completely replace what customers are losing with Animate. Instead, it said customers with a Creative Cloud Pro plan can use other Adobe apps to “replace parts of Animate’s functionality.”
For example, he suggested that Adobe After Effects can support complex keyframe animations using the Puppet tool, and Adobe Express can be used for animation effects that can be applied to photos, videos, text, shapes, and other design elements.
There were signs that Adobe was heading in this direction when Animate was not mentioned at the company’s annual Adobe Max conference. Additionally, no 2025 version of the software was released.
Before switching to “maintenance mode,” Abode intended to keep the software working for those who downloaded it. Adobe normally charged $34.49 per month for the software, which was reduced to $22.99 with a 12-month commitment. The annual prepaid plan was available for $263.88. Now, the company says it will also be available to new users.
Some users have recommended other animation programs to use as a replacement, including Mold animation and Toon Boom Harmony.
Updated on February 4, 2026, to note that Adobe reversed its decision and announced that the software would be placed in maintenance mode rather than discontinued.
