Ava AbbottAdobe is a creative software company based in San Jose, California. It was founded in 1982 by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in Warnock’s garage and expanded to become the leading creative software developer. Adobe’s products include Adobe Illustrator, PDF, Acrobat Reader, Flash, Photoshop, and Adobe Creative Cloud.
The company has expanded its portfolio through acquisition, including Magento Commerce for $1.68 billion, Marketo, Allegorithmic, and Workfront for $1.5 billion. Its revenue has nearly tripled from around $4 billion in 2013 to $12.87 billion in 2020. [1]
Since its founding, Adobe has evolved with emerging trends through innovation and acquisitions. This strategy guaranteed its leadership in the creative software market for over 35 years. From desktop publishing in the ‘80s to animation and multi-media, video editing, web development, and Adobe Creative Suite recently evolved into Adobe Creative Cloud, a SaaS subscription. In Jul 2021, Adobe introduced Speech to Text on its Creative Cloud platform.
This feature allows content creators to add captions to their videos using speech and save time by up to 75%. As the leader in creative software, Adobe has to innovate continuously to stay ahead of its top competitors and alternatives like Google, Salesforce, SAP, IBM, Autodesk, and others. [2]
Here is an in-depth analysis of top Adobe’s competitors and alternatives:
1. Autodesk
Year founded: 1982
Headquarter: San Rafael, California
Autodesk is a tech company that develops software products, including AutoCAD, Revit, Fusion 360, Maya, Civil 3D, Sketchbook, and Motionbuilder. The company groups its software portfolio into AEC, AutoCAD, MFG, and M&E. In 2020, Autodesk’s revenue increased 15.76% to $3.79 billion. The company has around 9,500 employees.
Adobe and Autodesk have been competing for about 39 years. Like Adobe, Autodesk’s products cater to different industries, including architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC), media and entertainment (M&E), and manufacturing (MFG).
AEC accounts for 44% of its revenue, 30% comes from AutoCAD, 20% from MFG and 6% from M&E. Both rivals have transformed from desktop-based to subscription-based cloud services, but Adobe’s subscription is cheaper than Autodesk’s offering.
But AutoCAD is still the most popular software for architectural designs and blueprints, which increases Autodesk’s competitive edge. Autodesk is Adobe’s top competitor and alternative across the board. [3]
2. Google
Year founded: 1998
Headquarter: Mountain View, California
Google is one of the most iconic tech companies specializing in Internet-related products and services. The tech giant has over 120,000 employees, about six times more than Adobe’s 22,516-workforce. For fiscal 2020, Google’s revenue increased by 12.89% to $182.5 billion. Its annual turnover is around fifteen times more than Adobe’s $12 billion.
Google Analytics is the top competitor for Adobe Analytics. Both tools allow users to conduct in-depth website data analysis and improves visitors’ experience. They are highly competitive. But Google Analytics is free to use, while Adobe Analytics costs around $500/month. With Google Search Engine, businesses can find and use free online tools similar to Adobe’s products. In the cloud, Google Cloud Platform offers an alternative to Adobe Marketing Cloud. Google’s comprehensive ecosystem makes it Adobe’s top competitor in the digital experience segment. [4]
3. Salesforce
Year founded: 1999
Headquarter: San Francisco, California
Salesforce is one of the leading cloud-based software companies that provide CRM in the SaaS market. The CRM platform offers cloud-based applications like Salesforce Customer 360 to help businesses build and maintain customer relationships.
In 2020, Salesforce had more than 60,000 employees and generated $21.25 billion in revenues.
Adobe expanded into customer experience management (CXM), which overlaps and competes with CRM for marketing dollars. These two enterprise software giants are now competitors. Salesforce expanded its platform through acquisitions, including MuleSoft for $6.5 billion, Tableau for $15.7 billion, and Slack for $27.7 billion.
These solutions are enticing new customers to Salesforce’s platform, which now has more than 150,000 businesses. Statistics indicate that Salesforce has a CAGR of 26% versus 22% for Adobe. Salesforce CRM is the best alternative to Adobe CXM. [5]
4. SAP
Year founded: 1972
Headquarter: Walldorf, Germany
SAP is a German ERP software company with a brand value of $57.58 billion. It has over 102,000 employees and more than 440,000 customers in 180 countries. In 2020, SAP generated $32 billion in revenues.
Adobe was the first integrated digital marketing platform in 2009. Six years later, SAP launched S/4HANA and started offering Hybris Marketing. SAP came after Adobe but surpassed it within after a few years. According to Cloud Wars Top 10 rankings, SAP is #5, and Adobe is #10.
In the recent IDC Marketscape report on B2B platforms, SAP is #1 ahead of Adobe, Salesforce, IBM, and Oracle. SAP is one of Adobe’s top competitors and alternatives for many reasons. [6]
5. Microsoft
Year founded: 1975
Headquarter: Redmond, Washington
Microsoft is a multinational tech company that offers consumer electronics, PCs, and software. The company’s diversified portfolio includes Windows OS, Microsoft 365 suite, and Azure. In 2020, Microsoft had over 144,000 employees and generated $125.8 billion in revenues. 14% year-over-year revenue increase in its 2020 fiscal year.
Microsoft and Adobe engage and compete in publishing, enterprise cloud services, and other segments. In 2020, both competitors benefited from increased demand for software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscriptions.
Adobe’s SaaS includes its e-signature product that grew by 200% y-o-y in 2020. But Adobe Sign is integrated into Microsoft 365 applications, which undercuts Adobe’s competitive edge. Microsoft Azure competes with Adobe Marketing Cloud. Azure is the world’s second most popular cloud computing service, with around 17% market share. With Office 365 and Azure, Microsoft is a formidable competitor for Adobe. [7]
6. DocuSign
Year founded: 2011
Headquarter: Redwood City, California
DocuSign is a tech company that automates document signing and management of agreements. Its eSignature is the world’s leading e-sign solution and competes with Adobe Sign. This product is part of the DocuSign Agreement Cloud, with more than 890,000 customers in over 180 countries. DocuSign’s revenue has been increasing by over 35% annually in the past three years. For fiscal 2021, DocuSign saw a 49% surge in revenue to $1.5 billion. Its subscription revenue was $1.4 billion, an increase of 50% from FY 2020. [8]
Both DocuSign and Adobe Sign offer electronic signatures and accelerate the signing process. But Adobe Sign is designed for private users and SMBs, while DocuSign has powerful integrations and analytics to meet the needs of large companies.
DocuSign’s business plans start at $24.99 per month per user, and Adobe Sign’s pricing starts at $34.99 per user per month. According to the G2 ranking, DocuSign has 4.5 out of 5 stars, and Adobe Sign has 4.3 out of 5 stars. DocuSign is the best alternative to Adobe Sign. [9]
7. Oracle
Year founded: 2011
Headquarter: Redwood City, California
Oracle is a multinational company specializing in enterprise software products and cloud-based business solutions. With 136,000 employees worldwide, Oracle is about six times larger than Adobe. For the fiscal year ended May 2021, Oracle’s revenue was $40.5 billion.
Oracle and Adobe offer competing B2B cloud transformation platforms for digital experience. Businesses can use Oracle CX Marketing or Adobe Experience Cloud. Oracle Cloud controls 10% of the enterprise public cloud market, making it the sixth-largest provider in this niche.
It has 14% of the CX market versus Adobe’s 11%. But Oracle’s growth rate is around 2% per year, lower than Adobe’s double-digit growth. Oracle Cloud is more scalable than Adobe Marketing Cloud, making it one of the best alternatives in the enterprise cloud market. [10]
8. Avid
Year founded: 2011
Headquarter: Redwood City, California
Avid is a tech company that provides video and audio editing software products. It also offers Enterprise Software solutions and business management and distribution services. In 2020, Avid had 1446 employees across 37 locations and generated $360.47 million in revenues.
In 2020, Avid added more than 108,000 new paid subscriptions to its Pro Tools, Media Composer, and Sibelius. As a result, its subscription revenue grew 61% in 2020 and now contributes 20% of total revenue. [11]
Avid’s digital non-linear editing (NLE) system rivals Adobe’s Premiere Pro. Avid was the leading NLE for Hollywood video editors, but it lost market share to Premiere Pro. Editors pay $999/year to access Avid’s Media Composer, FX from BorisFX, Sorenson Squeeze, and AvidDVD. Adobe’s Premiere Pro costs only $20.99/month, making it a cheaper and better alternative to Avid. [12]
9. IBM
Year founded: 2011
Headquarter: Redwood City, California
IBM is one of the oldest tech companies globally, with more than 350,000 employees. The company competes with Adobe in enterprise cloud and digital experience segments. For fiscal 2020, IBM’s annual revenue was $73.6 billion.
IBM Cloud includes Red Hat, data platforms, cognitive apps, and transaction processing systems. Its IBM Campaign competes with Adobe Marketing Cloud, IBM Digital Analytics vs. Adobe Analytics, and IBM Cognos Analytics vs. Adobe Experience Manager.
The main advantage for IBM over Adobe is its fast-growing cloud revenues. In 2020, IBM’s cloud earnings increased by 19% to $25.1 billion. This segment alone generates more than double Adobe’s total revenue. IBM has over 100 years of experience, making it a worthy Adobe competitor. [13]
10. Corel Corporation
Year founded: 2011
Headquarter: Redwood City, California
Corel is a Canadian software company that offers products for graphic design professionals. The company’s graphics processing tools include CorelDRAW, CorelCAD, PaintShop Pro, AfterShot, and MotionStudio 3D. Corel has more than 700 employees and generates around $100 million in revenues annually.
Corel’s CorelDRAW allows graphic designers to create media content like signs, flyers, and photo composites. It competes with Adobe Illustrator, the leading graphic design software. The main advantage of using CorelDRAW is its user-friendly features.
Adobe Illustrator offers complicated features suitable for advanced designers, while CorelDRAW’s easy-to-use features make it ideal for beginners, intermediate, and veterans. CorelDRAW’s annual subscription costs $249.00, and Adobe Illustrator’s full creative suite goes for $635/year. Corel is a worthy Adobe competitor and offers a cheaper alternative to Adobe Illustrator. [14]
References & more information
- Liu, S. (2021, Mar 22). Adobe Inc.: global revenue 2004-2020. Statista
- FP Trending (2021, Jul 26). Adobe Creative Cloud’s Update Brings Speech to Text in Premiere Pro. First Post
- Sun, L. (2021, Jan 28). Better Buy: Adobe vs. Autodesk. The Motley Fool
- Jalil, M. (2021, Feb 10). Adobe Analytics vs. Google Analytics: A complete comparison. Lucrative
- Jennewine, T. (2021, May 26). Better Buy: Adobe vs. Salesforce. The Motley Fool
- Evans, B. (2020, Oct 6). SAP Thumps Salesforce, Oracle, Adobe in B2B Digital Commerce: IDC. Cloud Wars
- Izquierdo, R. (2020, Sept 22). Better Buy: Adobe vs. Microsoft. The Motley Fool
- DocuSign, Inc. (2021, Mar 11). DocuSign Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2021 Financial Results. PR Newswire
- Cannon, W. (2020, Oct 24). DocuSign vs. Adobe Sign: How to choose the best option. Signaturely
- Great Speculations (2021, Jun 10). Oracle’s Stock to Weaken due to Mixed FY 2021 Results? Forbes
- MF Transcribers (2021, Mar 9). Avid Technology Inc (AVID) Q4 2020 Earnings Call Transcript. The Motley Fool
- Arango, B. (2021, Jun 25). Avid Vs. Premiere, Which One is Better. Filmora Wondershare
- Fadilpašić, S. (2021, Jan 22). IBM profits slashed almost in half in 2020, despite cloud growth. IT Portal
- DB Editor (2021, Jun 23). Adobe Illustrator vs. CorelDRAW: Who Wins & Why? Design Buckle
- Featured Image by Szabo Viktor
Kevin Johnson
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