I purchased ON1 because I wanted access to some specific features. (On 1 Resize, which used to be genuine fractals is the best resizing program available in my opinion and I occasionally need ON 1's portrait software) But, there is no way I would replace Adobe with On 1.
The reality is that if you want to keep On 1 current, you need to pay for regular updates. And, in your case, it sounds like you are paying for two software programs from two companies, when you could have it all from Adobe. Yes you can let the software get out of date, but with Adobe I know that I'm always getting the latest version with consistent and useful upgrades for the industry standard and in my view, best overall software available. I also know that 5-10 years down the road, I'll still be able to open and edit an image created in an Adobe program.
Oh, and by the way, no matter what software you are using, you are renting it.
Well, I think back to my Adobe days....I didn't need to buy the upgraded version of PS or LR every year.
There simply wasn't that much they did or features they added that were do or die for me or my work flows.
I would buy every few years IF they got a feature I really needed, or if the OS I used might not run the old ones (say with OS X and I think soon possibly windows not running 32 bit programs anymore)....
But no, I never bought each time. I need a compelling reason to have the "latest and greatest" in some things....and frankly, I rarely see the end al be all feature that comes out that I need really.
I don't need or use a cloud storage feature.
IN many ways PS still suffers from being built and run on such an OLD code base, having to support many tools that are old but they won't be phased out.
In this manner I find that Affinity Photo is superior, especially in SPEED due to it being a new code base with a more modern and faster engine.
Other Adobe products need improvement in this department too, I think (and I may be wrong) that Premier still uses way too much CPU and not enough GPU and misses out on speed, or perhaps it doesn't multi-thread well/. Please forgive me on that one, I don't know the exact complaints , but I read about this a year or so ago..when comparing Premier vs FCPX and Davinci Resolve.
Right now On1 RAW is like $50....
On1 Prices
These are covid half prices I think....but upgrades if you CHOOSE to do them, are usually this half price or near it.
And you do get free updates on it throughout the year...
I found I bought the Affinity Suite (photo, designer and soon to get publisher)....they keep giving free updates so far in perpetuity.....they are also selling half price.
Right nw Affinity Photo is $25.....
Affinity PHoto Pricing
And there are free trials...so, if while you have time during the whole lockdown thing, you might give them a try.
With AP I find many of the keyboard shortcuts are the same, and you can customize others as needed.
There is a slight learning curve as with any new software...they do have some things I'd do in PS with a different name and different in the work flow that I'd expect and while rare, I DO come across some things I wish they'd do or do different. I will say, however that both companies are very responsive to user requests, etc....I even had ON1 send me a in house pre-prod version that addressed a need I had to use till they had the official update out a few months later.
I was impressed by that.
One thing you ended with:
"
I also know that 5-10 years down the road, I'll still be able to open and edit an image created in an Adobe program."
Well, I dunno about that. If you quit paying your rent, or their ID servers go down....you won't be able to open and edit those images with an Adobe program.
They can hold them hostage, willfully or not.
But like you said....choices ARE a great thing to have....
C
