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Adobe Lightroom vs darktable: catalog facts
Adobe Lightroom	darktable
Paid Sold through Adobe subscription plans.	Free Free and open source, funded by donations.
Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Web	Windows, macOS, Linux
Combines photo cataloging and RAW editing Library synced across desktop, web and mobile	Fully non-destructive: your original raw file is never modified Professional colour management maintained all the way through to print
Subscription only Sync depends on Adobe's cloud service	The project itself says it is not a free Adobe Lightroom replacement A steep learning curve; the module list assumes you know the underlying concepts
Downloadable app, Web application, Hosted service	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-3.0
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.