Adobe Lightroom AlternativesOnly Free apps categorised as Photo Editors

The best free Photo Editor alternative to Adobe Lightroom is darktable, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Adobe Lightroom and many of them are free Photo Editors so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free Photo Editor alternatives to 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 Image Editors or Raw Photo Editorss you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Mac, Linux, Android, Online, Android + Free and iPad. 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

     342 likes

    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

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Darktable’s lighttable mode showing a collection
     
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    14
    darktable vs Adobe Lightroom Comments
    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

    3 of 14 comments
    • 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

     234 likes

    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

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flatpak
    RawTherapee screenshot 1
     
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    1
    RawTherapee vs Adobe Lightroom Comments
    MercuryHero
    Positive
    3

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

    • 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

     357 likes

    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.

    106 digiKam alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Qt
    Image editor
     
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    3
    digiKam vs Adobe Lightroom Comments
    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
    -1

    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.
    • digiKam is Free and Open SourceAdobe Lightroom is Paid and Proprietary
    • digiKam is Privacy focusedAdobe Lightroom is not according to our users
  5. Ad
  6. RapidRAW icon

    RapidRAW

     58 likes

    GPU-accelerated RAW photo editor for Windows, macOS, and Linux featuring non-destructive workflow, AI-driven masking tools, 32-bit precision, advanced color grading, tonal controls, batch operations, preset system, customizable interface, and comprehensive export options.

    54 RapidRAW alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    RapidRAW screenshot 1
     
  7. Sly icon

    Sly

     52 likes

    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.

    36 Sly alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Online
    Sly screenshot 1
     
  8. QuickEdit icon

    QuickEdit

     21 likes

    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

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
    QuickEdit screenshot 1
     
  10. Snapseed icon

    Snapseed

     88 likes

    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
    Snapseed vs Adobe Lightroom Comments
    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
    1

    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.
    3 of 5 comments
    • Snapseed is Free and ProprietaryAdobe Lightroom is Paid and Proprietary
    • Snapseed is LightweightAdobe Lightroom is not according to our users
  11. Polarr icon

    Polarr

     119 likes

    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.

    140 Polarr alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Polarr screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Polarr vs Adobe Lightroom Comments
    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.
    • Polarr is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Lightroom is Paid and Proprietary
  12. Apple Photos icon

    Apple Photos

     57 likes

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

    120 Apple Photos alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Online
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Apple Photos screenshot 1
     
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    5
    Apple Photos vs Adobe Lightroom Comments
    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.
    3 of 5 comments
    • Apple Photos is Free and ProprietaryAdobe Lightroom is Paid and Proprietary
  13. Adobe Photoshop Express icon

    Adobe Photoshop Express

     118 likes

    Adobe's mobile photo-editing app lets you edit, share, and upload photos across devices. With features like free 2 GB storage, original size backup, and extra tools for advanced editing, it enhances your images for social media without reducing file quality.

    167 Adobe Photoshop Express alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • Windows Phone
    • iPad
    Adobe Photoshop Express screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Adobe Photoshop Express vs Adobe Lightroom Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Amazing mobile app for edit pictures!

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Adobe Photoshop Express is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Lightroom is Paid and Proprietary
  15. Diffractor icon

    Diffractor

     14 likes

    Diffractor unifies managing photo, video and audio files. If you centralize media on that trusty old PC; let Diffractor do the heavy lifting.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Diffractor screenshot 1
     
12 of 31 Adobe Lightroom alternatives