'The creatives are about to become more powerful than anyone expected': Freepik's relaunch marks a wider industry shift to all-in-one AI-driven content creator software — and lowering the barrier of creativity means beginners have never had it so good

• Freepik rebrands to Magnific
• It marks a shift to a more integrated creative platform
• The company is the latest to aim for more accessible all-in-one creator apps

So, farewell then, Freepik. The creative platform has now rebranded to Magnific as CEO Joaquín Cuenca Abela seeks to turn the one-time free stock image site into a single production platform.

I'm not surprised by the change, given that the original name had that stock image heritage at its heart. A heritage it's long-since expanded past with the introduction of AI tools and products like Spaces. And for existing users, it appears there's no major changes to the service itself, with the company confirming that plans will run until current subscriptions expires.

But it's not the rebrand that's interesting - it's that Freepik's relaunch is another display of a wider industry trend towards all-in-one AI platforms for creators.

A full creative stack for the "no-collar economy"

It's been almost two years since Freepik acquired upscaling tool Magnific as part of its wide-reaching expansion into AI, which later also saw the introduction of the then-titled Freepik Spaces.

Now, Magnific is billing itself as "a full AI creative platform for images, video, audio, 3D, collaborative tools, and 250M+ assets," in a shift towards a more integrated system of tools.

Discussing the launch, Cuenca Abela said: “The industrial revolution created the blue-collar economy. The digital revolution created the white-collar economy. The creatives, the dreamers, are about to become more powerful than anyone expected. That’s the no-collar economy. And it’s already underway.”

Freepik is far from alone in this space. In recent months, I've seen Canva make design software Affinity and pro-motion tool Cavalry free for all users, merge productivity and creativity tools together, and launch Canva AI 2.0, bringing photo, layout, vector, and motion tools to a single ecosystem.

And Blackmagic Design recently unveiled its new RAW photo tool, effectively bringing Lightroom-like capabilities to its video editing software, which draws all the tools its users need into one space.

Like many in the creative software arena - one that frankly continues to be dominated by Adobe - lowering the barrier to entry is a core principle. That's made easier, of course, with the advancement of new AI tools.

The company boasts of getting over 1000 subscriptions in just six weeks, and over with more than 50% of new users deploying AI-driven workflows across sectors including film studios, agencies, and global brands.

But the number that interested me most was that "72% of new creators joining the platform identify as beginners," according to Magnific.

Like many competitors in the space, Magnific clearly recognizes that the cost and experience required to create professional-level content is dramatically lower now. What used to be the preserve of design studios and creative agencies is now accessible on phones and laptops. That's opening up new opportunities and new markets.

Back in November 2025, I interviewed Cuenca Abela, asking for his thoughts on the importance of lowering the barrier entry. He told me:

"Is it a good thing that it is opening creativity to more people? My opinion is absolutely. Just like a camera. You know, cameras were opening creativity to new people, making it easier, and that was good. I think that everything that allows people to create things that are locked in their heads is good."

Magnific hopes the result will be a redefinition of value. Where labor and knowledge defined the industrial and digital economies respectively, the AI economy will be one driven by creativity.

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