Alternatives to Adobe Lightroom
Adobe's photo organizer and RAW editor with a library synced across desktop, web and mobile. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe's photo organizer and RAW editor with a library synced across desktop, web and mobile.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Adobe Lightroom.
Capture One
Professional RAW photo editor and tethering tool used by studio photographers.
Capture One is a paid RAW editor for Windows and macOS with tethered shooting and precise color handling, but it has no mobile or web library sync.
darktable
A non-destructive raw developer and photo workflow application: a virtual lighttable and darkroom for photographers.
darktable is free, open source under GPL-3.0 and runs on Linux too, with a database-backed library, though it has a steep learning curve and no mobile sync.
Luminar Neo
A desktop photo editor for Windows and Mac built around AI tools for skies, portraits and relighting.
Luminar Neo offers a one-time purchase on Windows and macOS and focuses on AI tools for skies, portraits and relighting, with less manual control than traditional editors.
Photomator
RAW photo editor from the Pixelmator team with ML enhancements and color grading.
Photomator is a RAW editor for macOS and iOS with machine-learning enhancements and deep Apple integration, but it drops Windows, Android and web access.
RapidRAW
Develop camera RAW images in a GPU-accelerated editor.
RapidRAW is a free AGPL-3.0 RAW editor with GPU acceleration on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, processing locally instead of through a cloud-synced library.
RawTherapee
A raw processor built around demosaicing and colour accuracy, with a 32-bit floating point engine and unusually deep controls.
RawTherapee is a free GPL-3.0 raw processor with deep demosaicing and colour controls, but it has no library or catalogue management and is hard for beginners.
ART
Raw photo processor derived from RawTherapee with a simpler interface.
ART is a free GPL-3.0 raw processor derived from RawTherapee with a simpler interface, running on Linux too, but without any library or cataloguing features.
digiKam
A photo manager built for libraries of a hundred thousand images, with face recognition, batch processing and heavy metadata support.
digiKam is a free photo manager for very large local libraries with face recognition and metadata search, though its editor is not a dedicated raw developer.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Adobe Lightroom as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
ACDSee Photo Studio
Commercial photo manager and editor for organizing and editing large photo libraries on the desktop.
Adobe Lightroom also combines cataloging and RAW editing, adds a library synced across desktop, web, Android and iOS, but is subscription only and depends on Adobe's cloud.
Darkroom
Professional non-destructive photo and video editor for iPhone with RAW support.
Adobe Lightroom adds a library synced across desktop, web, Android and iOS, but it is subscription only and depends on Adobe's cloud service.
DxO PhotoLab
Desktop raw photo processing software known for its noise reduction and automatic optical corrections.
Adobe Lightroom combines cataloging and RAW editing with a library synced across desktop, web and mobile, but is subscription only.
Ente Photos
End-to-end encrypted photo storage, hosted or self-hosted.
Adobe Lightroom adds RAW editing to a cloud-synced library across desktop, web and mobile, but it is subscription only, closed source and lacks Linux support.
Excire Foto
An AI photo organizer for Windows and macOS that tags, searches and culls local photo libraries.
Adobe Lightroom combines cataloging with RAW editing and a library synced across desktop, web and mobile, but it is subscription only and depends on Adobe's cloud.
Exposure X7
Commercial RAW photo editor and organizer with film simulations, masking and layers.
Adobe Lightroom combines cataloging and RAW editing with a library synced across desktop, web and mobile, but is subscription only and lacks built-in film simulations.
Google Photos
Google's hosted photo and video service with automatic backup from Android and iOS and 15 GB of shared free storage.
Adobe Lightroom syncs a library across desktop, web and mobile with RAW editing, but it is subscription only with no free tier mentioned.
Imaging Edge Desktop
Sony's desktop software for developing RAW files, browsing images and tethered shooting with Sony cameras.
Adobe Lightroom is a subscription RAW editor and organizer that syncs a library across desktop, web and mobile, working with many cameras but without tethering noted.
Mylio Photos
A photo library app that organizes and syncs photos across your own devices without requiring cloud storage.
Adobe Lightroom adds RAW editing to a synced library across desktop, web and mobile, but it is subscription only and sync depends on Adobe's cloud.
ON1 Photo RAW
A raw photo editor and organizer with layers, masks, effects and AI tools, sold without subscription.
Adobe Lightroom combines cataloguing and RAW editing with a library synced across desktop, web and mobile, but it is subscription only instead of a one-time purchase.
Peakto
A macOS media manager that catalogs and searches photos and videos across photo apps and drives.
Adobe Lightroom combines cataloging with RAW editing and syncs the library across desktop, web and mobile, but it is subscription only and depends on Adobe's cloud.
Photo Supreme
Digital asset management software for cataloging and searching large photo archives on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Adobe Lightroom adds RAW editing and a library synced across desktop, web and mobile, but it is subscription only, relies on Adobe's cloud and has no Linux version.
Polarr
Photo and video editing apps with AI tools and a large library of creator-made filters.
Adobe Lightroom adds photo cataloging and RAW editing with a library synced across desktop, web and mobile, but it is subscription only.
Shotwell
A photo manager for the GNOME desktop that imports, organises and makes simple edits to photos.
Adobe Lightroom adds RAW editing and a library synced across desktop, web and mobile, but it is subscription only with no Linux version.
SILKYPIX Developer Studio
A Japanese RAW developer for desktop computers with detailed color, tone and noise reduction controls.
Adobe Lightroom is subscription-only but combines RAW editing with cataloging and syncs the library across desktop, web and mobile.
SmugMug
A paid photo hosting service for storing, sharing and selling photos, aimed at photographers.
Adobe Lightroom focuses on a synced library with RAW editing across desktop, web and mobile, under a subscription rather than hosted galleries for selling.
Snapseed
Free professional-grade photo editor with film filters and selective editing.
Adobe Lightroom adds RAW editing, cataloging and a library synced across phone, desktop and web, but is subscription only rather than free.
Tonfotos
A desktop photo organizer for family archives with face recognition, duplicate finding and phone import.
Adobe Lightroom adds RAW editing and a cloud-synced library across desktop, web and mobile, but it is subscription only and has no Linux version.
VSCO
Photo editing app with film-quality presets that look more natural than typical filters.
Adobe Lightroom adds RAW editing, cataloging and a library synced across mobile, desktop and web, but is subscription only with no free tier.
Zoner Studio
A Windows program for managing, editing and retouching photos and videos in one application.
Adobe Lightroom adds macOS, mobile and web versions with a synced library and RAW editing, but it is subscription only and does not edit video.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe's raster image editor for photo retouching, compositing, painting and generative AI edits.
Topaz Photo
Desktop image enhancement software that uses AI models to sharpen, denoise, unblur and upscale photos.
Affinity Photo 2
Raster photo editor for retouching, compositing and RAW processing.
XnView MP
Views, converts and organises images in more than five hundred formats, free for personal use.
ExifTool
Reads, writes and edits metadata in almost every image, audio and video format there is, and is the reference tool for the job.
