The Best Free Adobe Lightroom AlternativesTop Raw Photo Editors & Photo Managers like Adobe Lightroom

The best free 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 loads of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Adobe Lightroom are RawTherapee, digiKam, Simple Gallery and ACDSee Photo Studio.

Adobe Lightroom alternatives are mainly Photo Editors but may also be Raw Photo Editorss or Photo Managers. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Adobe Lightroom.

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darktable
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Photo Editor
Raw Photo Editors
Image Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
57 darktable alternatives
darktable is a virtual lighttable and darkroom for photographers: it manages your digital negatives in a database and lets you view them through a zoomable lighttable. it also enables you to develop raw images and enhance them.
- - darktable is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Adobe Lightroom.
- - darktable is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Adobe Lightroom.
Suggest and vote on features
darktable Features
1. RAW Photo Editorsdarktable supports viewing and editing of uncompressed data images (RAW).
2. No Coding Requireddarktable can be used without an coding or programming skills.
3. Non Destructive Editingdarktable can make changes to a file without overwriting the original data, which remains available in case you want to revert to it.
4. Built-in viewerdarktable shows you a quick preview of an image, page or file in supported formats.
5. Dark Modedarktable supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
6. No registration requiredYou can use most of the features in darktable without registration.
7. Ad-freedarktable doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
8. Works Offlinedarktable can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
9. Hardware Accelerateddarktable can use the GPU and CPU to speed up rendering, conversion, and overall performance.
Advanced retouching
Multiple languages
Watermark images
Geotagged Photos
Photographic filters
Support for scripting
Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
Batch Editing
Live Preview
No Tracking
Comments about darktable as a Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
Almost everyone thinks darktable is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative.
all • positive • negative relevance • date
dedev12992
Seems to still be actively developed as of this comment
Top positive comment •
0

Guest
Wow this is a slick pony! So much faster and much more graceful than Leadroom.
Top positive comment •
0

lkszhdnvch
its probably the best free alternative for Lr rn. RawTherapee is also a very good one but it stopped getting updates since 2020 :'(
Positive comment •
-3

Guest
Far more powerful and with a bit of practice and reading, Lightroom would be a thing of the past. It is under active development. The unofficial facebook group can provide you with the best help and some very wonderful photo enthusiasts
Positive comment •
0

Guest
Well thought RAW-Suite with every Feature Lightroom has.
Positive comment •
-2

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5 of 12 comments
RawTherapee
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Raw Photo Editors
Photo Editor
Image Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
PortableApps.com
49 RawTherapee alternatives
RawTherapee is a free RAW converter and digital photo processing software. All changes can be applied and batch processed at a convenient time.
Suggest and vote on features
RawTherapee Features
1. RAW Photo EditorsRawTherapee supports viewing and editing of uncompressed data images (RAW).
2. Non Destructive EditingRawTherapee can make changes to a file without overwriting the original data, which remains available in case you want to revert to it.
3. PortableRawTherapee can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Raw converter
Batch processing
Image Processing
Batch conversion
Multiple languages
Curve Manipulation
Comments about RawTherapee as a Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
Almost everyone thinks RawTherapee is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative.
MercuryHero
Fairly advanced control over RAW processing including demosaicing algorithm, gamma curves, etc. Supports its own profiles and presets.
Positive comment •
3
digiKam
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Photo Manager
Image Viewer
Image Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
KDE
Qt
85 digiKam alternatives
digiKam is an advanced digital photo management application which makes importing and organizing digital photos a "snap". The photos are organized in albums which can be sorted chronologically, by folder layout or by custom collections.
Suggest and vote on features
digiKam Features
1. Facial RecognitiondigiKam can register a biometric facial pattern to identify or verify the identity of a subject through an image or video.
2. File TaggingdigiKam can organize and highlight your files with tags and labels.
3. Ad-freedigiKam doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
4. Works OfflinedigiKam can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
5. No registration requiredYou can use most of the features in digiKam without registration.
6. No TrackingdigiKam will not track you or use your personal data.
7. Photo RecoverydigiKam can recover photos from damaged, failed, corrupted, or inaccessible storage.
8. RAW Photo EditorsdigiKam supports viewing and editing of uncompressed data images (RAW).
9. Dark ModedigiKam supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
Tag based
Geotagged Photos
Raw editing
Tagging
Built-in Photo editor
Image stacking
Workflow
Raw View
Privacy focused
Multiplatform Export
Comments about digiKam as a Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
Most users think digiKam is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative.
Guest
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.
Positive comment •
6

Guest
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
Negative comment •
-1

Guest
digiKam is a photo management while lightroom is a raw photo editor, they have nothing in common
Negative comment •
-36
Simple Gallery
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Photo Manager
Raw Photo Editors
Android
Android Tablet
F-Droid
52 Simple Gallery alternatives
Simple Gallery is a highly customizable offline gallery. Organize & edit your photos, recover deleted files with the recycle bin, protect & hide files and view a huge variety of different photo & video formats including RAW, SVG and much more.
- - Simple Gallery is the most popular Android & Android Tablet alternative to Adobe Lightroom.
Suggest and vote on features
Simple Gallery Features
1. Ad-freeSimple Gallery doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
2. LightweightSimple Gallery consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
3. Works OfflineSimple Gallery can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
4. Dark ModeSimple Gallery supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
5. Privacy focusedSimple Gallery is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
6. RAW Photo EditorsSimple Gallery supports viewing and editing of uncompressed data images (RAW).
7. No registration requiredYou can use most of the features in Simple Gallery without registration.
8. No TrackingSimple Gallery will not track you or use your personal data.
9. Batch EditingSimple Gallery allows you to select multiple items (tasks, files, images etc) and edit their properties all at once.
Photo Gallery
Hidden Photo Album
Built-in editor
Customizable
Protected by Password
Batch Rename Files
Support for Themes
Wallpaper Cycling
Comments about Simple Gallery as a Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
Most users think Simple Gallery is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative.
anselmus
No google makes me happy. It does what it should do. It is open source. It has no adds.
Positive comment •
0
ACDSee Photo Studio
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Image Viewer
Photo Manager
Photo Sharing App
Mac
Windows
iPhone
iPad
157 ACDSee Photo Studio alternatives
ACDSee is a complex, multi-purpose application that serves for viewing, organizing and editing digital photos. Furthermore, images can be shared on social websites or your own space on the developer’s website.
- - ACDSee Photo Studio is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to Adobe Lightroom.
Suggest and vote on features
ACDSee Photo Studio Features
1. Facial RecognitionACDSee Photo Studio can register a biometric facial pattern to identify or verify the identity of a subject through an image or video.
2. RAW Photo EditorsACDSee Photo Studio supports viewing and editing of uncompressed data images (RAW).
3. Works OfflineACDSee Photo Studio can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
4. Support for 4KACDSee Photo Studio supports watching, rendering or exporting 4K content (also know as UHD or Ultra HD).
5. Support for LayersACDSee Photo Studio supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
6. Batch Rename FilesACDSee Photo Studio supports renaming of different types of files or data in large batches.
7. Batch EditingACDSee Photo Studio allows you to select multiple items (tasks, files, images etc) and edit their properties all at once.
8. GeotaggingACDSee Photo Studio can add geographical metadata details to an image, file or data.
9. Dark ModeACDSee Photo Studio supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
Photo effects
Built-in Image editor
Find similar images
RAW-Conversion
Built-in Image viewer
Built-in archiver
Tree structure
Color Picker
Ad-free
Onedrive integration
Opinions about ACDSee Photo Studio as a Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
Most users think ACDSee Photo Studio is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative.
Polarr
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Photo Editor
Raw Photo Editors
Mac
Windows
Online
Android
iPhone
Chrome OS
Android Tablet
iPad
148 Polarr alternatives
From high-precision light and color tools, to advanced clarity and dehaze settings, to the ability to create and save your own filters. Polarr is the ideal photo editor for bloggers, students, and photo professionals alike.
- - Polarr is the most popular Web-based alternative to Adobe Lightroom.
Suggest and vote on features
Polarr Features
1. RAW Photo EditorsPolarr supports viewing and editing of uncompressed data images (RAW).
Hidden Photo Album
Photographic filters
Retouch photos
Watermark images
Comments about Polarr as a Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
Almost everyone thinks Polarr is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative.
Guest
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.
Positive comment •
1
Snapseed
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
Photo Editor
Raw Photo Editors
Photo Sharing App
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
60 Snapseed alternatives
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.
Suggest and vote on features
Snapseed Features
1. RAW Photo EditorsSnapseed supports viewing and editing of uncompressed data images (RAW).
2. LightweightSnapseed consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
Healing brush
Noise Reduction
Photo effects
Retouch photos
Photobooth
Comments about Snapseed as a Alternative to Adobe Lightroom
Most users think Snapseed is a great Adobe Lightroom alternative.
Guest
Snapseed is an image editor, not organizer.
Negative comment •
1

Guest
Really good tool, but make sure you don't push the adjustments too far, or it'll ruin the photo.
Positive comment •
2

Guest
Simple ui and light weight than lightroom
Positive comment •
-1

Guest
It's only for smartphones and tablets.
Negative comment •
-3