Is developing Adobe illustrator Plugins profitable?

[Dunnie7]

Hi,

I love illustrator and have C++ coding skills and was wondering if developing illustrator Plugins profitable?

Thank you,

Keith

[LeoTaro]

Developing Illustrator plugins can be profitable. There are some companies that solely develop Illustrator plugins. If you want to make a living from developing plugins then working for a company that develops plugins is probably the most reliable way.

If you are thinking of developing and selling plugins on your own then it is more difficult. You will probably be more likely to make some money developing Illustrator plugins than you would be developing mobile phone apps because it is a more specialised market and Illustrator users are more likely to pay for plugins than phone users are likely to pay for apps. Very few individual app developers make any significant amounts of money. I know a couple of plugin developers working on their own who make a couple of hundred dollars a month.

I think it would be difficult to make a living developing plugins on your own. Also the amount of money you make will not be related to your level of C++ coding skills. The most important thing is identifying a gap in the market, and then your design and marketing skills (and luck) will be at least as important as your coding skills.

[Rick E Johnson]

I'll second what LeoTaro said. It's a small and specialized market, and you have to really know your potential customers well to find opportunities for new and popular products. Sometimes businesses need a specialized custom plugin written and this can bring a fair income for a short time. At worst case, if you need a tool yourself that's not available, you can make your own -- that's how I got started.

Best of luck!

Rick

[Dunnie7]

Thank you for the replies!

Yeah im gonna make a couple that I would like to use and see where that takes me.

Thanks again.