# Alternatives to Lightroom Adobe's RAW workflow standard. Lightroom ranks #5 of 8 in RAW photo editors, with an Alt Score of 82. It is proprietary, sold by subscription from US$14.99/month and available on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Web. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/lightroom/ Category: RAW photo editors ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Photographers and photo enthusiasts, from casual mobile shooters to professionals with RAW camera files, who want to edit and organize photos across phone, tablet, and desktop. - **What you get**: Non-destructive editing tools for exposure, color, detail, and RAW processing, plus AI-assisted tools like Denoise, subject/sky masking, and generative remove. Presets let you apply and reuse a consistent look across images. Built-in organization uses albums, keywords, and searchable metadata, with all originals and edits stored in the cloud and synced across devices. - **How it works**: Import or capture photos into Lightroom, where edits are applied non-destructively via sliders, masks, and presets. Cloud sync keeps the full-resolution library and edit history consistent across desktop, mobile, and web, and finished photos can be exported or shared directly from any device. ## Profile - **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-10) - **Pricing model**: Subscription (verified 2026-07-10) - **Starts at**: US$14.99/month (verified 2026-07-10) - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web - **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-10) ## Ranked alternatives | # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms | |---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------| | 1 | [Capture One](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/capture-one.md) | 91 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS | | 2 | [Darktable](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/darktable.md) | 91 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 3 | [ON1 Photo RAW](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/on1-photo-raw.md) | 91 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS | | 4 | [ACDSee](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/acdsee.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS | | 5 | [DxO PhotoLab](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/dxo-photolab.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS | | 6 | [digiKam](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/digikam.md) | 64 | GPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 7 | [RawTherapee](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/rawtherapee.md) | 60 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux | Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/ ## Feature comparison Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified). | RAW photo editors checklist | Lightroom | Capture One | Darktable | ON1 Photo RAW | ACDSee | DxO PhotoLab | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Subscription | Subscription | Free | One-time | One-time | One-time | | Starts at | US$14.99/month | $18.00/month | Free | $99.99 | $39.95 | €149.99 | | License | Proprietary | Proprietary | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | | Platforms | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS | | RAW format coverage | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Non-destructive editing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Lens corrections | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | AI denoising | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Local adjustments (masks) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Tethered shooting | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | No | | Catalog / library management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | One-time purchase option | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Open source | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | | Plugins | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ## Sources Sources for Lightroom. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **Pricing model**: Subscription — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “the price of the Lightroom plan with (1TB) plan (including the following storage bundles: 3TB,10TB, 20TB) will increase for existing subscribers at the next subscription renewal date.” - **License**: Proprietary — (verified 2026-07-10) - Note: EULA + activation/validation; closed source. - Quote: “Internet connection, Adobe ID, and acceptance of license agreement required to activate and use this product; the application attempts to validate your software every 30 days.” - **Starts at**: US$14.99/month — (verified 2026-07-10) - Note: Cheapest individual plan (Lightroom 1TB); Photography 20GB plan discontinued for new subscribers. - Quote: “Annual billed monthly: Increase of USD$3, from USD$11.99 to USD$14.99 per month.” - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web — (verified 2026-07-10) - Note: Web confirmed via product page ('desktop, web, and mobile'). - Quote: “Minimum and recommended system requirements for Lightroom on desktop - Windows Minimum and recommended system requirements for Lightroom on desktop - macOS Minimum and recommended system requireme” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Applicable for October 2025 release (desktop version 9.0 and mobile version 11.0) and later” - **RAW format coverage**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Camera raw file formats contain unprocessed data from a digital camera's sensor. ... Lightroom reads the data from most cameras and processes it into a full-color photo.” - **Non-destructive editing**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “As with all other adjustments applied in the Develop module in Lightroom Classic, adjustments made using the Masking tool are non-destructive and do not permanently affect the photo.” - **Lens corrections**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Apply lens correction profiles for your camera and lens combination before you correct perspective using the Upright feature.” - **AI denoising**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Denoise helps remove noise easily from an image. Using artificial intelligence, you can reduce noise without losing the image's fine details.” - **Local adjustments (masks)**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “You can apply color and tonal adjustments using the Masking tool to make local corrections in Lightroom Classic.” - **Tethered shooting**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Note: Tethered capture is Lightroom Classic (desktop) only. - Quote: “you can import photos directly into a Lightroom Classic catalogue. You can bypass the camera's capture software and import directly from a camera.” - **Catalog / library management**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “A catalog is a database that stores a record for each of your photos.” - **One-time purchase option**: No — (verified 2026-07-10) - Note: All billing options are recurring subscriptions; no perpetual license. - Quote: “Annual billed monthly: ... Annual prepaid: ... Month to month: ...” - **Open source**: No — (verified 2026-07-10) - Note: Proprietary; EULA + online validation; no OSS. - Quote: “Internet connection, Adobe ID, and acceptance of license agreement required to activate and use this product; the application attempts to validate your software every 30 days.” - **Plugins**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-10) - Quote: “Lightroom Classic supports plug-ins from third parties that add functionality to the Export dialog box.” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/