Adobe Animate is shutting down as company focuses on AI

As Adobe continues to ramp up its investments in artificial intelligence, the company has decided to shut down its long-running 2D animation software, Adobe Animate. On Monday, Adobe updated its official support site and sent emails to current customers confirming that Adobe Animate will be discontinued on March 1, 2026.

Adobe said enterprise customers will still be able to receive technical support for the software through March 1, 2029, to ease the transition. Other customers will continue to receive support only through March of next year.

The announcement has been met with disbelief, frustration, and anger from many Adobe Animate users, particularly those who rely on the software for professional animation work and are worried about the lack of comparable alternatives that fully replicate Animate’s feature set.

One user on X urged Adobe to consider open-sourcing the software rather than abandoning it entirely. Responses in the thread reflected widespread anxiety, with commenters writing reactions such as “this is legit gonna ruin my life,” and “literally what the hell are they doing? Animate is the reason a good chunk of Adobe users even subscribe in the first place.”

Adobe addressed its reasoning for discontinuing Animate in an FAQ, stating: “Animate has been a product that has existed for over 25 years and has served its purpose well for creating, nurturing, and developing the animation ecosystem. As technologies evolve, new platforms and paradigms emerge that better serve user needs. Acknowledging this change, we are planning to discontinue supporting Animate.”

Reading between the lines, the explanation suggests that Adobe no longer sees Animate as aligned with the company’s broader strategic direction, which is increasinglycentredd on products that integrate AI-driven capabilities.

What has surprised many users is that Adobe cannot point to a single product that fully replaces Animate’s functionality. Instead, the company says customers with a Creative Cloud Pro subscription can turn to other Adobe applications to “replace portions of Animate functionality.”

For example, Adobe notes that After Effects handles complex keyframe-based animation with tools like Puppet. At the same time, Adobe Express can be used to apply animation effects to photos, videos, text, shapes, and other design elements.

There were signs that Adobe might be moving in this direction. Animate received little attention at the company’s annual Adobe Max conference, and no 2025 version of the software was released.

Adobe emphasised that the software will continue to function for users who already have it installed. Historically, Adobe charged $34.49 per month for Animate on a month-to-month basis, with the price dropping to $22.99 per month under a 12-month commitment. An annual prepaid plan was available for $263.88.

In response to the announcement, some users have begun recommending alternative animation tools, including Moho Animation and Toon Boom Harmony, as possible replacements.