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After backlash from customers, Adobe said it would not discontinue Adobe Animate entirely, as planned. The company announced this week that it is shutting down its 2D animation software, Adobe Animate, amid a surge in animation to focus on that it Investments in Amnesty International.
On Monday, February 2, 2026, the company released an update to the company’s support website and sent emails to existing customers announcing that Adobe Animate will be discontinued on March 1, 2026.
Enterprise customers can continue to receive technical support until March 1, 2029, to ease the transition, the company said at the time. Other customers will get support until March next year.
It was the decision meet with Doubt, 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 position on Wednesday, saying there will be “no deadline or date by which Animate will no longer be available.”
“We are not discontinuing or removing access to Adobe Animate. Animate will remain available to both existing and new customers, and we will ensure you continue to have access to your content,” The ad was published on February 4, 2026, male.
“Adobe Animate is in maintenance mode for all customers. This applies to individual customers, small businesses, and enterprises. Maintenance mode means we will continue to support the app and provide ongoing security and bug fixes, but we are no longer adding new features. Animate will remain available to new and existing users alike — we will not stop or remove access to Adobe Animate.” He said.
1 customer, Posting on Ximplored Adobe to at least open source the software instead of abandoning it. Commenters responded to the thread with concern, saying things He loves “This is legit going to ruin my life.” and “Literally, what the hell are they doing? Animation is the reason a large number of Adobe users sign up in the first place.
Adobe explained its decision to discontinue the program in Instructions“Animate has been a product that has been around for over 25 years and has served its purpose well in creating, nurturing, and evolving the animation ecosystem. As technologies evolve, new platforms and models emerge that better serve users’ needs. Recognizing this change, we plan to stop supporting Animate,” he said.
Reading between the lines, it seems as if Adobe was saying that Animate no longer represents the current direction of the company, which is now more focused on products incorporating AI technologies.
What’s surprising is that Adobe hasn’t even been able to recommend software that would fully replace what customers lose 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, suggest 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 images, videos, text, shapes, and other design elements.
There were hints that Adobe was heading in this direction after Animate was snubbed at the company’s annual Adobe Max conference. Additionally, a 2025 version of the software has not been released.
Before switching to Maintenance Mode, Abode only intended for the software to continue working for those who downloaded it. Normally, Adobe was charging $34.49 per month for the software, which dropped to $22.99 with a 12-month commitment. The prepaid annual plan was available for $263.88. And now the company says it will be available to new users as well.
Some users have recommended other animation software to use as an alternative, 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 rather than being discontinued.