Apple is giving its iWork apps a pretty major refresh this week, with updates rolling out for Keynote, Numbers, and Pages across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
But there’s a twist this time around.
Some of the best new additions are tied directly to Apple’s newly launched Apple Creator Studio subscription bundle, meaning the updates are now split between free improvements for everyone and premium features reserved for paying subscribers.
A quick refresher on Apple Creator Studio
Apple Creator Studio is Apple’s new subscription bundle for creators, priced at $12.99/month or $129/year in the U.S. It includes access to apps like:
Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage.
And now, it also unlocks what Apple calls “intelligent features” and “premium content” inside iWork apps like Keynote, Pages, and Numbers.
The Mac situation is… a little messy
On iPhone and iPad, the updates work as you’d expect. Everyone gets the latest version, with both free and paid features included depending on your subscription.
On the Mac, though, Apple has taken a different approach.
The existing versions of Keynote, Numbers, and Pages were updated only to notify users that they will no longer receive new features. To actually get future updates, including free ones, you now need to download separate Apple Creator Studio editions of the apps.
That’s a pretty big shift, and one Mac users will definitely notice.
What’s new in Keynote
Apple says all users will get improvements like:
- Experience a new, more fluid way to work on your presentations with Liquid Glass
- Access the full set of advanced options and controls right from the new menu bar in iPadOS 26
- Make text and other objects pop with extra brightness and vibrant color using HDR on supported displays
- Add personality to your work with new editable shapes
Creator Studio subscribers, meanwhile, unlock a much longer list of upgrades, including:
- Make your work stand out with an exclusive new collection of professionally-designed themes
- Explore high-quality photos, graphics, and illustrations… in the all-new Content Hub
- Create stunning images and graphics right in your document… using AI
- Increase the clarity and detail… using Super Resolution
- Transform a text outline into a first draft of slides… (beta)
- Automatically generate presenter notes… (beta)
- Collaborate on larger files shared via iCloud–now up to 4GB
In other words, Keynote is getting a serious AI and content boost, but only if you subscribe.
What’s new in Numbers
For free users, Apple highlights:
- Experience a new, more fluid way to work on your spreadsheets with Liquid Glass
- Access the full set of advanced options… from the new menu bar in iPadOS 26
- Add personality to your work with new editable shapes
Creator Studio subscribers get premium additions like:
- An exclusive new collection of professionally-designed templates
- Explore high-quality photos, graphics, and illustrations… in the all-new Content Hub
- Increase the clarity and detail… using Super Resolution
- Use Magic Fill to suggest data or generate formulas based on pattern recognition
- Collaborate on larger files… now up to 4GB
Magic Fill alone sounds like something spreadsheet power users are going to love.
What’s new in Pages
Pages is also getting similar free upgrades:
- Experience a new, more fluid way to work on your documents with Liquid Glass
- Access the full set of advanced options… in iPadOS 26
- Add personality to your work with new editable shapes
Subscribers unlock:
- An exclusive new collection of professionally-designed templates
- Explore high-quality photos, graphics, and illustrations… in the all-new Content Hub
- Create stunning images and graphics… using AI
- Increase the clarity and detail… using Super Resolution
- Collaborate on larger files… now up to 4GB
So yes, Pages is quietly becoming a lot more powerful, especially for people building documents and designs regularly.
The 404 take
This update is a big step forward for iWork, but it also marks a shift in how Apple wants these apps to evolve.
Keynote, Numbers, and Pages are still free, but more of the exciting features are now being positioned as Creator Studio perks.
If you just want smoother design tools and Liquid Glass polish, you’re covered. But if you want AI creation tools, premium templates, and the new Content Hub, Apple would really like you to subscribe.
