Ansel AlternativesRaw Photo Editors & Image Editors like Ansel

Ansel is described as 'Open-source photo-editing software for digital artists, designed to help you achieve your own interpretation of raw digital photographs' and is a raw photo editors in the photos & graphics category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Ansel for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and iPad apps. The best Ansel alternative is GIMP, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Ansel are digiKam, darktable, RawTherapee and Adobe Lightroom.

Ansel iconAnsel
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Ansel is an open-source photo-editing software for digital artists, designed to help you achieve your own interpretation of...

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Ansel alternatives page was last updated May 1, 2025
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  1. GIMP icon

    GIMP

     4657 likes
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    GIMP delivers powerful functionalities for photo retouching, image composition, and format conversion. As a versatile tool, it serves as both a simple paint program and a high-end retouching suite, and offers batch processing for mass image tasks in an accessible open-source platform.

    182 GIMP alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • AmigaOS
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    Properties

    1.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Support for Layers
    2.  Photo effects
    3.  DRM Free
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    6.  High-resolution images
    7.  Retouch photos
    8.  Open PSD files
    9.  Image Processing
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Color to Alpha
    12.  Works Offline

    GIMP VS Ansel

     

    • GIMP is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Ansel.

    • GIMP is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Ansel.

    • GIMP is Free and Open SourceAnsel is also Free and Open Source
    • GIMP is CustomizableAnsel is not according to our users
  2. digiKam icon

    digiKam

     337 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.

    96 digiKam alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Qt
    Image editor

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Tag based
    2.  Geotagged Photos
    3.  Facial Recognition
    4.  Tagging
    5.  Raw editing
    6.  File Tagging
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  RAW Photo Editors
    9.  Works Offline
    10.  No registration required
    11.  No Tracking
    12.  Photo Recovery

    digiKam VS Ansel

     
  4. darktable icon

    darktable

     315 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.

    63 darktable alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Darktable’s lighttable mode showing a collection

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  RAW Photo Editors
    2.  Advanced retouching
    3.  No Coding Required
    4.  Non Destructive Editing
    5.  Multiple languages
    6.  Watermark images
    7.  Hardware Accelerated
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  Built-in viewer
    11.  Dark Mode
    12.  No registration required

    darktable VS Ansel

     
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    Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic icon
    Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic

    Desktop photo editing software optimized with advanced controls for enhancing and organizing photos. Features include new masking tools, Content-Aware Remove for unwanted objects, Adaptive Presets, denoise and Generative Remove, ...

    https://www.adobe.com
    Learn More
  6. RawTherapee icon

    RawTherapee

     225 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.

    53 RawTherapee alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flatpak
    RawTherapee screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  RAW Photo Editors
    2.  Image Optimizer
    3.  Non Destructive Editing
    4.  Raw converter
    5.  Dark Mode
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Batch Rename Files
    10.  File Tagging
    11.  WYSIWYG Support
    12.  Drawing Tablet Support

    RawTherapee VS Ansel

     
  7. Adobe Lightroom icon

    Adobe Lightroom

     466 likes
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    Maximize your photo editing and organizing abilities across platforms with non-destructive editing in high resolution and 1 TB of cloud storage. Harness simple tools like sliders to achieve your ideal image and automatically apply tags. Access and utilize Lightroom on mobile, web, or desktop.

    118 Adobe Lightroom alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Adobe Lightroom screenshot 1

    Top Adobe Lightroom Features

    1.  RAW Photo Editors
    2.  Nested Folders
    3.  Slideshow Maker
    4.  Built-in Photo editor
    5.  Facial Recognition
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Batch Editing
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Non Destructive Editing
    10.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    11.  File Tagging
    12.  Cloud Sync

    Adobe Lightroom VS Ansel

     

    • Adobe Lightroom is the most popular Web-based, Android, iPhone, iPad & Android Tablet alternative to Ansel.

    • Adobe Lightroom is the most popular commercial alternative to Ansel.

    • Adobe Lightroom is Paid and ProprietaryAnsel is Free and Open Source
  8. ACDSee Photo Studio icon

    ACDSee Photo Studio

     145 likes
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    Comprehensive software for viewing, organizing, and editing digital photos, offering advanced category and keyword filtering, two-way IPTC metadata sync, support for over 700 RAW file formats, and streamlined sharing on social platforms and websites.

    158 ACDSee Photo Studio alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • CA flagCanada

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    ACDSee Photo Studio screenshot 1

    Top ACDSee Photo Studio Features

    1.  Facial Recognition
    2.  Built-in Image editor
    3.  RAW Photo Editors
    4.  Find similar images
    5.  Dark Mode
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Geotagging
    8.  Batch Editing
    9.  Support for 4K
    10.  Support for Layers
    11.  Batch Rename Files
    12.  Works Offline

    ACDSee Photo Studio VS Ansel

     
  10. Shotwell icon

    Shotwell

     185 likes
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    Shotwell is an open source photo organizer designed for the GNOME desktop environment.

    92 Shotwell alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flatpak
    • Flathub
    Shotwell screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  File Tagging
    2.  Works Offline
    3.  No Tracking
    4.  Dark Mode
    5.  Facial Recognition
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Collection Management
    8.  Collections
    9.  Media library

    Shotwell VS Ansel

     
  11. PhotoSort icon

    PhotoSort

     7 likes
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    Desktop app for photo sorting on Windows & Mac, managing JPG+RAW files. Sort photos into folders using keys, providing easy navigation and clean interface without deletion, ensuring a focused experience with flexible viewing, safe storage, and no fluff.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    PhotoSort screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Dark Mode
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  Works Offline
    4.  No Tracking
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Image sorting
    7.  Image Manager

    PhotoSort VS Ansel

     
  12. Snapseed icon

    Snapseed

     80 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.

    68 Snapseed alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Snapseed screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  RAW Photo Editors
    2.  Healing brush
    3.  Photo effects
    4.  Noise Reduction
    5.  Works Offline
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Retouch photos
    8.  Photobooth

    Snapseed VS Ansel

     
  13. Polarr icon

    Polarr

     115 likes
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    From advanced image filters to professional local adjustments, Polarr Photo Editor is the most versatile and powerful online photo editor in the web.

    135 Polarr alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Polarr screenshot 1

    Polarr Features

    1.  RAW Photo Editors
    2.  Hidden Photo Album
    3.  Photographic filters
    4.  Retouch photos
    5.  Watermark images

    Polarr VS Ansel

     
  14. PhotoFiltre icon

    PhotoFiltre

     108 likes
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    PhotoFiltre 7 is a complete image retouching program. It allows you to do simple or advanced adjustments to an image and apply a vast range of filters on it. It is simple and intuitive to use, and has an easy learning curve.

    125 PhotoFiltre alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    PhotoFiltre screenshot 1

    PhotoFiltre Features

    1.  Support for Layers
    2.  Portable
    3.  Special effects
    4.  Retouch photos
    5.  Multiple languages

    PhotoFiltre VS Ansel

     
  15. 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.

    52 Capture One alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DK flagDenmark
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Capture One screenshot 1

    Top Capture One Features

    1.  RAW Photo Editors
    2.  Raw editing
    3.  Non Destructive Editing
    4.  Batch Editing
    5.  Raw converter
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Batch Rename Files
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Support for Layers
    11.  Catalogue local images

    Capture One VS Ansel

     
12 of 55 Ansel alternatives