Adobe Partners with Airtel to Offer Free Adobe Express Premium With AI Tools to Millions of Indian Users
Airtel users can now access Adobe Express Premium free for a year, unlocking powerful AI-driven design and editing tools.
Adobe is stepping up its push into India’s fast-growing digital creativity market through a new partnership with telecom major Airtel, aimed at making advanced creative tools more accessible to everyday users. The collaboration will provide Airtel customers free access to Adobe Express Premium for 12 months, a subscription normally priced at Rs 4,000.
The move comes at a time when Adobe faces increasing competition from low-cost, AI-powered editing platforms. By bundling its premium service at no extra cost, the company hopes to widen its reach and strengthen its foothold among students, small businesses, and casual creators.
Through the Airtel Thanks app, eligible users can unlock Adobe Express Premium and gain access to a suite of professional-grade design and editing features. These include premium templates, AI-powered image generation, background removal, one-tap video editing tools, Adobe Stock assets, fonts, and cloud storage.
Speaking to a famous publication ahead of the official announcement, Govind Balakrishnan, SVP and GM at Adobe Express, explained that the initiative is focused on democratising creativity by putting AI-powered tools into more hands.
“We’ve brought key capabilities from Photoshop, Premiere, and After Effects into one easy-to-use app. This doesn’t replace professional tools, it complements them. All these tools coexist within the Adobe ecosystem,” says Balakrishnan.
Adobe Express, launched roughly two years ago, has already seen steady adoption among users who want fast, simple editing without the complexity of professional software. The app targets those creating quick social media posts, marketing material, and short videos without needing advanced technical skills.
Balakrishnan noted that the platform is especially popular among India’s small and medium businesses and student community.
“For small and medium businesses, use cases include product photography, social media campaigns, flyers, posters, and banners. Among students, adoption has been very strong. They’re using Express for presentations, posters, assignments, projects, and hobbies. They’re also learning digital and AI creative skills through the app,” he says.
Adobe believes Airtel’s massive subscriber base presents an opportunity to accelerate adoption even further.
“This partnership gives us a massive opportunity to expand access and adoption, and more importantly, to make creativity accessible to every Airtel subscriber in India,” Balakrishnan says.
This is not Adobe’s first effort to broaden Express’s reach. The company has previously integrated the app with platforms like ChatGPT, Slack, and Miro to meet users where they already work and collaborate.
In addition to editing features, the Premium version includes Adobe’s Firefly AI tools, which power generative design capabilities such as text-to-image creation and automated enhancements.
With India emerging as one of the world’s largest creator economies, Adobe’s latest partnership signals a clear strategy: make professional-grade creativity simpler, smarter, and free to try for millions.
