Apple Might Release iPad Apps for Pixelmator Pro, MainStage, and More - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Might Release iPad Apps for Pixelmator Pro, MainStage, and More

Apple might be preparing iPad apps for Pixelmator Pro, Compressor, Motion, and MainStage, according to new App Store IDs uncovered by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. All four of the apps are currently available on the Mac only.

pixelmator pro
A quick overview of each app:

  • Pixelmator Pro: Professional image editing app acquired by Apple earlier this year
  • Compressor: Final Cut Pro companion app for compressing audio and video files
  • Motion: Final Cut Pro companion app for creating 2D/3D titles, transitions, and effects
  • MainStage: Logic Pro companion app for live performances

There is already a less-capable Pixelmator app available for the iPad and iPhone.

Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro have been available on select iPad models since May 2023, but Apple's companion apps have remained limited to the Mac.

A subscription is required to use Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro on the iPad. In the U.S., the iPad versions of both apps cost $4.99 per month, or $49 per year.

Pixelmator Pro, Compressor, Motion, and MainStage are available for one-time purchase on the Mac, with prices ranging from $29.99 to $49.99. It is unclear if Apple would make the iPad versions of these apps require a subscription too.

It is also unclear when Apple would announce these iPad apps. The annual Final Cut Pro Creative Summit is typically held in November, and Apple occasionally times these sorts of announcements with the conference, but the next edition of the event is postponed until spring 2026. However, an announcement could still happen at any time.

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Wednesday March 18, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another six months or so, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component...
ios 26 4 yellow

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for iOS 26.4

Wednesday March 18, 2026 11:56 am PDT by
Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, which means we're going to see a public launch as soon as next week. The RC versions of the software include Apple's official release notes, giving us final details on what's included in the update. Apple Music - Playlist Playground (beta) generates a playlist from your...
imac video apple feature

Apple Released Yet Another New Product Today

Friday March 20, 2026 2:39 pm PDT by
Apple has unveiled a whopping nine new products so far this March, including an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the all-new MacBook Neo, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, AirPods Max 2, and Nike Powerbeats Pro 2. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as the...

Top Rated Comments

Selena Agna Avatar
21 weeks ago

Name one app that Apple has left in the cobwebs.
Aperture
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
21 weeks ago
Uh-oh… Sounds like more additions to Apples ‘release and don’t update category’
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
21 weeks ago

Aperture
I do hope they make a return to the name and logo.
I miss those days of Aperture. What an intuitive UI it had back then....

OMG..... I sound like a grandpa! :eek:
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
21 weeks ago
I missed my chance to buy Pixelmator Pro at a Discount years ago, hopefully they won’t switch to a subscription model
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sputnikv Avatar
21 weeks ago
the pixelmator team had already announced they were working on an ipad app before apple acquired them. it stands to reason that they would be continuing to do so
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
21 weeks ago

Pixelmator Pro is compatible with macOS Tahoe very well!

Same with the iWork apps ... not even dark mode icons yet on macOS.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)