The Best Adobe Lightroom AlternativesTop Photo Managers & Image Editors like Adobe Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom is described as 'Powerful photo editing and organizing with cloud backup, available on multiple devices including mobile, web, and desktop' and is a very popular Photo Manager in the photos & graphics category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Adobe Lightroom for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android apps. The best Adobe Lightroom alternative is darktable, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Adobe Lightroom are RawTherapee, digiKam, RapidRAW and Sly.

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Adobe Lightroom alternatives are mainly Photo Editors, but if you're looking for Photo Managers or Image Editors you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Mac, Linux, Android, Free, Photo Organization and Online. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Adobe Lightroom.
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Alternatives list

  1. darktable icon

    darktable

     336 likes
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    Open source non-destructive RAW editor and virtual darkroom with zoomable lighttable, database-driven organization, HDR and EXR support, floating-point workflow, batch exporting, and advanced editing for photography and scientific imaging across platforms.

    70 darktable alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Darktable’s lighttable mode showing a collection
     
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    14
    255
    Comments about darktable as an Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
    Comment summary: Darktable is praised for being faster and potentially more powerful than Lightroom, offering similar features including improved denoise capabilities. However, some users note a significant drawback in its lack of robust photo organization functions, a key feature of Lightroom. Despite this, as a free open-source solution, darktable remains a strong contender as a Lightroom alternative, especially for those prioritizing cost and development features.
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    14

    Complete Raw processing suite. Best free open source solution

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Roman
    Positive
    0

    The general approach, workflow and selection of tools for RAW development is a close match to Lightroom, but it's free and works on Linux

    bolude
    Positive
    0

    FOSS and does everything Lightroom does

    Show more comments
    3 of 14 comments
    Adobe Lightroom Icon
    darktable icon

    • Almost everyone thinks darktable is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative.

    • darktable is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Adobe Lightroom.

    • darktable is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Adobe Lightroom.

    • darktable is Free and Open SourceAdobe Lightroom is Paid and Proprietary
    • darktable is Privacy focusedAdobe Lightroom is not according to our users
  2. RawTherapee icon

    RawTherapee

     232 likes
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    Raw photo processing software with advanced control over demosaicing. Ideal for newcomers, semi-professionals, and professionals. Supports HDR DNGs, JPGs, and TIFFs, with in-house enhancements for some camera models. Open-source, lacks digital asset management.

    58 RawTherapee alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flatpak
    RawTherapee screenshot 1
     
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    111
    Comments about RawTherapee as an Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
    MercuryHero
    Positive
    3

    Fairly advanced control over RAW processing including demosaicing algorithm, gamma curves, etc. Supports its own profiles and presets.

    Adobe Lightroom Icon
    RawTherapee icon

    • Almost everyone thinks RawTherapee is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative.

    • RawTherapee is Free and Open SourceAdobe Lightroom is Paid and Proprietary
    • RawTherapee is Privacy focusedAdobe Lightroom is not according to our users
  4. digiKam icon

    digiKam

     350 likes
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    digiKam is an advanced digital photo management tool that simplifies importing and organizing photos into albums. It supports various formats including RAW, features tagging, metadata management, duplicate finder, photo editing, sharing, GPS data handling, and has cross-platform compatibility.

    104 digiKam alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Qt
    Image editor
     
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    3
    75
    Comments about digiKam as an Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
    Guest
    Positive
    6

    Database functionality - Lots of other pieces of software mentioned are good at RAW processing but few, if any, have a good, structured back-end to organise photos.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    digiKam is good at organizing photos but has nothing to edit or adjust photos and RAW files. It only covers half of the features of Lightroom

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    -35

    digiKam is a photo management while lightroom is a raw photo editor, they have nothing in common

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Adobe Lightroom Icon
    digiKam icon

    • Most users think digiKam is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative.

    • digiKam is Free and Open SourceAdobe Lightroom is Paid and Proprietary
    • digiKam is Privacy focusedAdobe Lightroom is not according to our users
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    PhotoPad icon
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  7. Sly icon

    Sly

     50 likes
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    Sly is a user-friendly, offline image editor requiring no expertise; adjust brightness, contrast, apply effects, and export in JPEG or PNG formats with control over metadata.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Online
    Sly screenshot 1
     

    • Sly is the most popular Web-based & Android alternative to Adobe Lightroom.

    • Sly is Free and Open SourceAdobe Lightroom is Paid and Proprietary
    • Sly is Privacy focused and LightweightAdobe Lightroom is not according to our users
  8. Capture One icon

    Capture One

     35 likes
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    Capture One is a leading raw converter and workflow software which enables photographers to reduce the time and effort required to deliver astounding ready-to-use images with excellent color and detail.

    54 Capture One alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Capture One screenshot 1
     
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    6
    41
    Comments about Capture One as an Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    3

    Same professional RAW editing results. Perpetual license option.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    DalsPhotography
    Positive
    0

    Quite pricey, but very capable. Excellent for tethering in studio photography. Heavy on mac older machines, and builds catalogs as LR does which overtime can become a huge file catalog. NOT an easy importing option. To my personal opinion that is what really bothers most compared to other available programs. It's easy to work with but different in many aspects to LR. Many tutorials online and a good post sale service, much better than Adobe's in general.

    Gev X
    Positive
    0

    Speed edit feature

    Uncrop ability (some wide-angle lens has hidden crop)

    Overexposing areas (e.g. bright color LED-lights) looks nicer in C1

    More customizable interface

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 6 comments
    Adobe Lightroom Icon
    Capture One icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Capture One is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative.

    • Capture One is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to Adobe Lightroom.

    • Capture One is the most popular commercial alternative to Adobe Lightroom.

    • Capture One is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe Lightroom is also Paid and Proprietary
  10. Luminar Neo icon

    Luminar Neo

     81 likes
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    Advanced RAW photo editing software equipped with AI-driven features like GenErase, GenExpand, and GenSwap. Enhances portraits and landscapes using Sky AI and Atmosphere AI. Compatible with Adobe and Apple products, supports multiple formats, and offers panorama stitching, noise reduction, and more.

    84 Luminar Neo alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • iPad
    • Apple Photos
    • Adobe Photoshop
    • visionOS
    • Adobe Lightroom
    Luminar Neo screenshot 1
     
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    23
    Comments about Luminar Neo as an Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
    BJ
    Positive
    0

    Skylum's business model is to overpromise and under-deliver. Learned that the hard way. Maybe they'll actually enable GPU processing before the next decade.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    It's slow on my old Mac, but it's «easy to understand»!

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Adobe Lightroom Icon
    Luminar Neo icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Luminar Neo is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative.

    • Luminar Neo is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe Lightroom is also Paid and Proprietary
  11. Snapseed icon

    Snapseed

     87 likes
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    Snapseed is a photo enhancement and sharing app with a powerful suite of imaging filters and tools for anyone, anywhere, to transform any image into an extraordinary photo.

    74 Snapseed alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Snapseed screenshot 1
     
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    5
    26
    Comments about Snapseed as an Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    2

    Really good tool, but make sure you don't push the adjustments too far, or it'll ruin the photo.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    0

    Missing a lot of Lightroom's features, most notably, it's not a photo manager. It's nice for quick edits on the go, but it was bought by Google a while ago, so assume no privacy.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    Snapseed is an image editor, not organizer.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 5 comments
    Adobe Lightroom Icon
    Snapseed icon

    • Most users think Snapseed is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative.

    • Snapseed is the most popular Android Tablet alternative to Adobe Lightroom.

    • Snapseed is Free and ProprietaryAdobe Lightroom is Paid and Proprietary
    • Snapseed is LightweightAdobe Lightroom is not according to our users
  12. QuickEdit icon

    QuickEdit

     21 likes
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    Lightweight photo editor where you can crop your images, paint over them, add text and even add exciting filters to make it stand out on social media. Save the edited images locally or share them directly to your friends through any other social media app.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
    QuickEdit screenshot 1
    QuickEdit screenshot 2
    QuickEdit screenshot 3
     
  13. Polarr icon

    Polarr

     119 likes
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    Offers advanced filters, high-precision color and light tools, clarity, dehaze, batch export, watermarking, custom filter creation, touch and mouse access, infinite undo, HSL/RGB curves, blending, and workspace customization for versatile editing needs.

    139 Polarr alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Polarr screenshot 1
     
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    1
    23
    Comments about Polarr as an Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Very flexible and can handle bulk applications of filters, fixes and adjustments. Cross-platform, even on the web when you can't install it on a local machine.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Adobe Lightroom Icon
    Polarr icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Polarr is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative.

    • Polarr is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Lightroom is Paid and Proprietary
  15. Apple Photos icon

    Apple Photos

     57 likes
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    Photos is a digital photograph manipulation application developed by Apple, intended to be less complex than its predecessor iPhoto .

    119 Apple Photos alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Online
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Apple Photos screenshot 1
     
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    5
    21
    Comments about Apple Photos as an Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
    Top Positive Comment
    jamiegray
    1

    Improved editing tools, thanks to the merging of Apple Aperture and Apple Photos. Nice to sync between all devices. Certainly not as robust as Lightroom, but very convenient.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    0

    No adjustment brushes in Photo

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    -3

    Insufficient editing toolset, clumsy facial recognition, requires iCloud subscription for some features.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 5 comments
    Adobe Lightroom Icon
    Apple Photos icon

    • Some users think Apple Photos is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative, some don't.

    • Apple Photos is Free and ProprietaryAdobe Lightroom is Paid and Proprietary
12 of 125 Adobe Lightroom alternatives