Adobe made Premiere entirely free on Android to compete with Canva — and it’s a smart way to evade its hefty subscription fees

• September 24, 2026

• Adobe Premiere is now free on Android, following its earlier roll-out to iPhone
• Premiere offers everything you can get on Canva, and more, without the subscription fees
• Compatible with Android 13 and later and requiring 5GB of RAM, it is unlikely to run on most Chromebooks, and is without advanced desktop features

Adobe has launched its flagship Adobe Premiere software as a mobile app on Android, and has made it free to use. After its previous release on iPhone in 2025, the stripped down take on Premiere has proved to be a smart move from Adobe, attracting users away from upstart competitor Canva.

Like Canva, Adobe Premiere for mobile has AI features. While free to download and use the app, you’ll still need to pay for the AI credits to use those features, but this will likely prove more affordable than the monthly plan of the desktop version.

A standard Adobe Premiere Pro subscription on desktop will typically cost £21.98/$22.99 a month with an annual plan, which makes the new Adobe Premiere for Android an attractive option if you don’t need the full set of features. There’s a bonus, too: if you use a modern Chromebook with Google Play installed, you should be able to use this version of Adobe Premiere.

Is it really Adobe Premiere?

While Adobe Premiere Rush is already available on Android, this is a pretty basic take on the video editing tools now in demand by content creators. This new free Adobe Premiere – which doesn’t have the same features as the desktop original – is a more accomplished version than Adobe Premiere Rush, with multi-track timeline, audio enhancements, 4K video, and more.

Adobe is generally better value than Canva, and the company’s decision to release feature-packed mobile versions of Adobe Premiere on iPhone and now Android underlines how seriously it takes the competition. While Adobe has a massive market share in the creative software market, Canva’s small 4% is backed by a more active user base.

Both tools offer creative AI, but Adobe has a legacy of providing audio and video editing software. The free Adobe Premiere app offers access to the Adobe Stock and support for creator assets, too – and unlike Canva, doesn’t demand a login to start using it.

To install Adobe Premiere on Android, you’ll need Android 13 or later, with 5GB of RAM. The first release has a download of just under 60MB, and Firefly-powered generative AI features will require an active internet connection. Modern Chromebooks with over 4GB of RAM should be able to run the software, although there is every chance that Adobe removes that option.

Other Adobe tools are also available on Android. Aside from Adobe Premiere Rush (which would seem to be heading to retirement), Adobe Lightroom Mobile, Adobe Photoshop Express, and Adobe Express are among the most popular, offering mobile takes on the desktop Photoshop experience. These also provide an alternative to Canva’s monthly subscription, and again are free to use but have some paid features.

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Adobe Premiere is now free on Android, following its earlier roll-out to iPhone Premiere offers everything you can get on Canva, and more, without the subscription fees Compatible with Android 13 and later and requiring 5GB of RAM, it is unlikely to run on most Chromebooks, and is without advanced…