If you are thinking about buying Lightroom and trying to decide if you can still buy a standalone copy (like in the old days) read on. We've got some vital information and tips for you. Buying Lightroom isn't like it used to be!

How to purchase Lightroom:

Let's be clear. Whether you think it's easy or complicated to buy Lightroom, it's THE editing software pros, and serious amateur photographers turn to when they want to edit and organize their images. There is no comparable software available today.

Now, let's talk about buying...

You can buy Lightroom Classic CC through its subscription plan. You'll need to choose between its various options depending on what you plan on doing with it. It's important to read through the options very carefully before you select one. Some of the available options aren't relevant to some photographers.

Here are some of the options they offer:

1. Photography Plan + 1TB of Cloud Storage:

If your work requires only Lightroom and Photoshop, this is probably the best plan for you.

It includes:

Lightroom CC
Lightroom Classic CC
Photoshop CC
Full Lightroom mobile functionality, including the eight premium features
1TB of cloud storage (that's about 200,000 or so JPEGS or 20,000 raw DSLR images)
Portfolio website
Social media tools
One month of free Adobe Stock

2. Photography Plan + 20GB of Cloud Storage:

If you don't typically need or use all of Lightroom CC features (including syncing), this plan is right for you. Its 20GB allows for about 400 RAWs or 4,000 JPEGs. You also can opt for the basic Creative Cloud Photography plan with 20GB of storage, but it doesn't allow you access to Lightroom CC's cloud syncing features. Most photographers would likely shy away from this option.

It includes:

Lightroom CC
Lightroom Classic CC
Photoshop CC
Full Lightroom Mobile Functionality (including the eight premium features)
Portfolio website
Social media tools
20GB of cloud storage (about 400 raw DSLR images or 4,000 JPEGs)
One month of free Adobe Stock

3. Creative Cloud, All Apps

This is an ideal option, and Adobe's most popular plan option, for photographers who want access to Adobe's apps. Teachers and students can get the CC All Apps plan for a 70% discount using this link.

It includes:

100GB of cloud storage
Portfolio website
Premium fonts
Social media tools
Adobe's entire collection of 20+ creative desktop and mobile apps including Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, Illustrator CC, and XD CC
Up to 10TB of cloud storage
One month of free Adobe Stock

Why Buy a Subscription? Five Reasons.

Now that you've read through the three above options, you might be asking yourself why should you buy Lightroom as a subscription plan. The primary reason to buy a subscription is that as of April 2019, Adobe Lightroom is only available as part of the Creative Cloud subscription. Lightroom 6 is no longer available as a standalone. However, Lightroom's new Creative Profiles, along with many other things, make it worth buying a subscription.

The subscription plan supports any camera released after December 2017.
The subscription plan gives you access to the best, most recent version of Lightroom. This means faster previews, imports, and exports, as well as faster launches.
The plan also gives you access to the latest features only available through the plan: Creative Profiles, Profile Management, Folder Search, Expanded Tone Curve, Coloured Labeling, Range Masking, Boundary Warp.
Sync and backup photos to the cloud, then use a mobile device to cull, rate, and edit photos.
As of June 2019, Lightroom Mobile can save you loads of time by directly importing images from your camera to your Lightroom app, bypassing the camera roll.

Cons of Buying a Lightroom Classic CC Subscription:

Honestly, the most significant negative to buying a subscription is its cost. However, many photographers feel that given how much time they save using the plan, it's a worthy investment for them. Even if you're an amateur photographer, you might agree.

Should Take On the Subscription Cost?

If you're a professional photographer (or a budding professional) and you can afford the plan, the answer is YES; you should take on the cost (assuming you can afford it). Having access to the best quality software available makes an enormous difference to your work, including the quality of the images and the time you'll save editing. It's difficult to NOT have access to its broad range of features as a professional today. The benefits make the cost of the plan a worthwhile investment.

If you're not a professional but more of a hobby or budding photographer, you might be hesitant to pay for the subscription, and we can certainly understand that. Only you can answer whether you can afford the price tag, but if you're serious about the quality of your images, then it's probably worth it.

Discounts on Cost:

Adobe offers discounts to students and teachers and occasionally offers temporary discounts/sales as well. The cheapest discount (up to 60%) they offer is to students. You can check their website for any available discounts they're offering. If you've never used Lightroom before, you can download a free trial to try it out before you buy it.