In November 2024, Pixelmator Team announced that it was going to join Apple. Now the company has confirmed that the process has been completed.
Pixelmator is a series of image editing apps developed by the Lithuanian company Pixelmator Team. The original Pixelmator app is a layer-based image editor designed exclusively for iOS. You can use it on your iPad and iPhone to sketch, paint and enhance images. In addition, Pixelmator Pro is an image editor for Mac-based computers. It’s an award-winning app that you can use to create designs, edit photos, draw illustrations, and paint digital paintings. Pixelmator Team also made a photo editing app called Photomator for Mac and iOS.
What was announced?
On November 1, 2024, Pixelmator Team posted on the company’s blog site. Titled “A new home for Pixelmator,” the post explained that Pixelmator had signed an agreement to be acquired by Apple.
Also, Pixelmator Team stated, “We’ve been inspired by Apple since day one, crafting our products with the same razor-sharp focus on design, ease of use, and performance. Now, we’ll have the ability to reach an even wider audience and make an even bigger impact on the lives of creative people around the world.”
What has been confirmed?
On February 11, the Pixelmator, Pixelmator Pro and Photomator apps were updated with a splash screen confirming that the deal had been completed. The message for Pixelmator Pro stated, “We are excited to announce that Pixelmator Pro is now part of Apple.”
Additionally, a banner on the Pixelmator website reads, “We have some important news to share: the Pixelmator Team has joined Apple. If you need product support please contact us here.” Currently, the link takes you to Pixelmator’s own support page.
What next?
In the original blog post back in November 2024, Pixelmator stated, “There will be no material changes to the Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps at this time. Stay tuned for exciting updates to come.”
At the time of writing, the Apple app store still credits Pixelmator, Pixelmator Pro and Photomator to Pixelmator Team. However, the Wikipedia page for Pixelmator has been updated already. It reads “Pixelmator is a series of graphics editors developed by Apple Inc. for macOS and iOS. It was created by the Lithuanian company Pixelmator Team, based in Vilnius, and has been owned by Apple since 2025.”
What we think
Apple’s Photos app has some editing tools. However, the company discontinued its popular Aperture photo editing app back in 2015. Perhaps Apple sees the acquisition of the Pixelmator Team apps as a way to fill that gap in its software arsenal. As such, the company could integrate a version of Pixelmator or Photomator into its standard suite of iOS and Mac OS in the future. Given how quickly the Wikipedia page was updated, Apple clearly wants to take credit for the apps as soon as possible.
