Pixelmator
Pixelmator is a Lithuanian software developer of Pixelmator Pro, an AI-powered image editing application for Mac and iPad acquired by Apple in late 2024 and distributed via the App Store and Apple Creator Studio subscription bundle.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersVilnius, Lithuania
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Pixelmator does
Pixelmator is a Vilnius, Lithuania-based software company founded in 2007 that develops Pixelmator Pro, a professional image editing and graphic design application for Apple platforms. The product is built on Apple Silicon and leverages Apple Intelligence for on-device AI features, including Super Resolution upscaling, background removal, intelligent masking with edge detection, generative fill, Auto Enhance, Deband, and intelligent denoise. Pixelmator Pro supports layer-based nondestructive editing, vector graphics, RAW photo processing (over 750 formats), 60+ effects, video layer retouching, and broad file compatibility including PSD, SVG, PDF, and Adobe Illustrator formats. The company was acquired by Apple in late 2024 and is now integrated into Apple's creative software portfolio.
The business model is dual-track: Pixelmator Pro is available as a one-time purchase on the Mac App Store at $49.99 (or $69.99 per one source), and as of January 2026 it is also bundled into the Apple Creator Studio subscription priced at $12.99/month or $129/year, alongside Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage. An education tier at $2.99/month or $29.99/year targets students and educators. The company maintains Photomator as a separate sub-brand photo editing application. Distribution is exclusively through Apple's ecosystem — Mac App Store, iPad App Store (launched February 2026), and apple.com product pages — with a 30-day free trial offered via Apple Creator Studio. The customer base spans creative professionals, prosumers, hobbyists, and video/audio production professionals, with primary positioning against Adobe Creative Cloud's subscription model.
Following Apple's acquisition, the entity operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary within Apple's Services segment. The company had 11-50 employees and was founder-owned (Saulius Dailide) prior to the acquisition. No funding rounds or external investors are disclosed in the input data, and revenue figures were not publicly available prior to the deal.
Pixelmator firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pixelmator
- Legal name
- Pixelmator
- Website
- https://pixelmator.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Pixelmator is a Lithuanian software developer of Pixelmator Pro, an AI-powered image editing application for Mac and iPad acquired by Apple in late 2024 and distributed via the App Store and Apple Creator Studio subscription bundle.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pixelmator industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Image Editing Software
- NAICS
- Photography Studios, Portrait (541921)
- SIC
- Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Medical Imaging AI (HDAAAEAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Responsible AI, Security & Privacy Platforms (Safety, Guardrails, PII) (HDAEANAG), Image Classification & Tagging (HDAAAEAA)
Keywords
Where Pixelmator is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vilnius
- HQ country
- Lithuania
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pixelmator business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Apple Creator Studio Subscription: Pixelmator Pro is included in Apple Creator Studio subscription at $12.99/month or $129/year, bundling Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage with AI features. This represents a shift from one-time purchase to recurring subscription model targeting creative professionals frustrated with Adobe's subscription fatigue.
- One-time Purchase: Pixelmator Pro for Mac available as a one-time purchase on the App Store for $49.99, maintaining individual purchase option alongside subscription model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Apple Creator Studio Subscription - Monthly |
| Subscription | Annual | Apple Creator Studio Subscription - Annual |
| Subscription | Monthly | Apple Creator Studio - Education Monthly |
| Subscription | Annual | Apple Creator Studio - Education Annual |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Pixelmator Pro One-time Purchase |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Pixelmator product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pixelmator develops and sells professional image editing software for Apple platforms, with Pixelmator Pro as the flagship product available on Mac and iPad. The software provides AI-powered creative imaging tools, layer-based nondestructive editing, intelligent masking, Super Resolution upscaling, background removal, generative fill, and broad file format compatibility, distributed via the Mac App Store as a one-time purchase and through the Apple Creator Studio subscription bundle. Photomator is maintained as a separate standalone photo editing application.
Product overview
Pixelmator offers a portfolio of professional creative software centered on Pixelmator Pro, a flagship image editing application acquired by Apple in late 2024 and integrated into the Apple Creator Studio subscription bundle. The portfolio includes Pixelmator Pro (available as a one-time purchase or via subscription), Apple Creator Studio (a comprehensive creative suite bundling Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage with premium iWork features), and Photomator (a separate photo editing app maintained as a standalone product). The products compete directly with Adobe Creative Cloud by offering one-time purchase alternatives to subscription-based models while leveraging Apple Intelligence for on-device, privacy-focused AI-powered editing capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Photomator: Photo editing application available as a separate purchase from the App Store, featuring AI-powered photo enhancement tools.
Products and services
- Pixelmator Pro Professional image editing and graphic creation software for Mac and iPad featuring AI-powered tools built on Apple Intelligence. Offers creative imaging effects, intelligent masking, color adjustments, video retouching, layer-based editing, warp tools, vector graphics support, and broad file format compatibility including PSD, SVG, PDF, and Adobe Illustrator formats. Available as one-time purchase ($49.99) or via Apple Creator Studio subscription.
- Apple Creator Studio Subscription bundle at $12.99/month or $129/year combining Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage with AI-enhanced features across Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform. Includes premium templates, royalty-free photos and graphics, and intelligent features. Education pricing at $2.99/month or $29.99/year.
- Photomator Photo editing application available as a separate purchase from the App Store. Continues to operate as standalone product separate from Pixelmator Pro, featuring AI-powered photo enhancement tools.
Quantifiable outcome
- One-time purchase at $49.99 vs Adobe Creative Cloud subscription model targeting $13 billion annual Creative Cloud revenue
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Pixelmator
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Pixelmator technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature8 records
Pixelmator partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Apple Inc.coreApple completed the acquisition of Pixelmator in late 2024, integrating the Lithuanian company's technology and team into Apple's operations beginning in 2025. The acquisition gives Apple access to sophisticated, privacy-focused AI image editing capabilities that run on-device using Apple Silicon, positioning Apple to challenge Adobe's dominance in professional creative software. Pixelmator Pro is now part of Apple Creator Studio subscription bundle launched in January 2026.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Pixelmator competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Adobe Photoshop: Adobe Photoshop is the dominant professional image editing software and Pixelmator's primary direct competitor. Both target creative professionals with layer-based editing, AI features (Adobe Firefly vs. Pixelmator's on-device AI), and broad file format support. Photoshop is the market leader that Pixelmator explicitly positions against on price and privacy.
- Affinity Photo (Serif): Affinity Photo is a professional image editor offering a one-time purchase model at a similar price point to Pixelmator Pro's standalone option. Both target Adobe refugees seeking pro-grade editing without subscriptions, with comparable feature sets including RAW processing, layer editing, and modern AI-assisted tools.
- Skylum Luminar: Skylum Luminar is an AI-focused photo editing application for Mac and mobile that competes directly on AI-powered features like sky replacement, portrait enhancement, and one-click edits. Both target enthusiast and prosumer photographers seeking AI-assisted workflows with less manual complexity than Adobe.
- DxO PhotoLab: DxO PhotoLab is a professional RAW photo processing and image editing application for Mac and Windows. Both serve serious photographers with advanced editing tools, with Pixelmator and DxO overlapping on RAW processing, denoising, and non-destructive workflows at similar prosumer price points.
- Corel PaintShop Pro: Corel PaintShop Pro is a long-standing professional image editing application with AI features and one-time purchase licensing. Both target the prosumer and SMB creative market seeking alternatives to Adobe subscriptions, with similar feature scopes including layer editing, effects, and AI-assisted tools.
Emerging players
- Canva: Canva is a web-based design platform with rapidly expanding AI image editing capabilities (Magic Studio, background removal, generative fill). Both serve creators making visual content, but Canva is more template/graphic-design oriented while Pixelmator targets deeper image manipulation. Convergence in AI features makes them increasingly competitive.
- VSCO: VSCO is a mobile-first photo and video editing app popular with creators and prosumer photographers. Both target creators seeking stylish edits with subscription pricing, though VSCO focuses on filters/presets while Pixelmator Pro offers deeper layer-based editing and AI features for serious creative work.
- GIMP: GIMP is a free, open-source image editing application available across Mac, Windows, and Linux. Both offer layer-based editing, effects, and file format support, but GIMP is free while Pixelmator Pro is commercial. GIMP represents the low-cost alternative that Pixelmator must differentiate against on usability, AI features, and Apple ecosystem integration.
Broad incumbents
- Apple Photos: Apple Photos is Apple's built-in photo management and editing application that ships with every Mac, iPad, and iPhone. It overlaps with Pixelmator's basic editing (color, cropping, filters) and increasingly on AI features (background removal, memory creation). As Apple's own ecosystem product, it is now a sibling post-acquisition but historically competed with Pixelmator at the consumer level.
- Figma: Figma is a collaborative design platform widely used by UI/UX and graphic designers. While primarily a vector design tool rather than raster image editor, Figma overlaps with Pixelmator on design workflows, vector graphics, and serves the same prosumer/creative professional audience that Pixelmator targets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pixelmator social profiles
Digital presencePixelmator financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pixelmator leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Pixelmator funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pixelmator M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pixelmator
What does Pixelmator do?
Pixelmator develops and sells professional image editing software for Apple platforms, with Pixelmator Pro as the flagship product available on Mac and iPad. The software provides AI-powered creative imaging tools, layer-based nondestructive editing, intelligent masking, Super Resolution upscaling, background removal, generative fill, and broad file format compatibility, distributed via the Mac App Store as a one-time purchase and through the Apple Creator Studio subscription bundle. Photomator is maintained as a separate standalone photo editing application.
Is Pixelmator a public or private company?
Pixelmator is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Pixelmator founded?
Pixelmator was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pixelmator based?
Pixelmator is headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania, in the Europe region.
How does Pixelmator make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Apple Creator Studio Subscription is the primary driver. The others are one-time Purchase.
Who are Pixelmator's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Adobe Photoshop, Affinity Photo (Serif), Skylum Luminar, DxO PhotoLab and Corel PaintShop Pro. Emerging players are Canva, VSCO and GIMP. Broad incumbents are Apple Photos and Figma.
Does Pixelmator have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pixelmator.
What industry is Pixelmator in?
Pixelmator's product category is Image Editing Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAEAH, Medical Imaging AI, with a secondary code of HDAEANAG, Responsible AI, Security & Privacy Platforms (Safety, Guardrails, PII). Its NAICS code is 541921 and its SIC code is 3861.