After customer backlash, Adobe said it won’t fully discontinue Adobe Animate, as planned. The company this week announced it would shut down its 2D animation software, Adobe Animate, amid an increased focus on its investments in AI.
On Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, the company issued an update to the company’s support site and sent emails to existing customers announcing that Adobe Animate will be discontinued on March 1, 2026.
Enterprise customers could continue to receive technical support through March 1, 2029, to ease the transition, the company said at the time. Other customers would have support through March of next year.
The decision was met with incredulity, disappointment, and anger among Adobe Animate users, who are concerned about the lack of alternatives that mirror Animate’s functionality.
As a result, Adobe changed its tune on Wednesday, saying there would no longer be a “deadline or date by which Animate will no longer be available.”
“We are not discontinuing or removing access to Adobe Animate. Animate will continue to be available for both current and new customers, and we will ensure you continue to have access to your content,” an announcement published on Feb. 4, 2026, stated.
“Adobe Animate is in maintenance mode for all customers. This applies to individual, small business, and enterprise customers. Maintenance mode means we will continue to support the application and provide ongoing security and bug fixes, but we are no longer adding new features. Animate will continue to be available for both new and existing users - we will not be discontinuing or removing access to Adobe Animate,” it said.
One customer, posting on X, had pleaded with Adobe to at least open source the software rather than abandon it. Commenters on the thread responded with angst, saying things like “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 explained its decision to discontinue the program in an FAQ, saying, “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 the needs of the users. Acknowledging this change, we are planning to discontinue 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Reading between the lines, it seemed as if Adobe was saying that Animate no longer represents the current direction of the company, which is now more focused on products that incorporate AI technologies.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 fully replace what customers are losing with Animate. Instead, it said customers with a Creative Cloud Pro plan can use other Adobe apps to “replace portions of Animate functionality.”
For instance, it suggested that Adobe After Effects can support complex keyframe animation 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 hints that Adobe was headed in this direction after Animate was ignored at the company’s annual Adobe Max conference. Plus, no 2025 version of the software was released.
Before switching to “maintenance mode,” Abode had intended only for the software to continue to work for those who have it downloaded. Typically, Adobe charged $34.49 per month for the software, which dropped to $22.99 with a 12-month commitment. The annual prepaid plan was available for $263.88. Now, the company says it will be available to new users, as well.
Some users have been recommending other animation programs to use as a replacement, including Moho Animation and Toon Boom Harmony.
Updated, Feb. 4, 2026, to note that Adobe reversed its decision and announced the software would be placed in maintenance mode instead of discontinued.
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