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Indie alternatives to Lightroom
8 products made by independent developers and small teams that do what Lightroom does, 4 of them with a free plan. Free and open-source options come first.
At a glance
| Product | Price | Open source | Self-host | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| darktable | Free | Yes | – | Mac, Windows, Linux |
| digiKam | Free | Yes | – | Mac, Windows, Linux |
| RawTherapee | Free | Yes | – | Mac, Windows, Linux |
| Mylio Photos | Free plan | – | – | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Capture One | Paid | – | – | Mac, Windows, iOS |
| DxO PhotoLab | Paid | – | – | Mac, Windows |
| Luminar Neo | Paid | – | – | Mac, Windows |
| ON1 Photo RAW | Paid | – | – | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android |
The alternatives
3. RawTherapee
Free cross-platform RAW image processing
Open-source RAW photo processing program with advanced demosaicing, color and detail tools.
Free · Mac, Windows, Linux · Website ↗
4. Mylio Photos
Organize photos across your devices
Photo organizer that catalogs and syncs photo libraries across devices without requiring cloud storage.
Free plan · Mac, Windows, iOS, Android · Website ↗
5. Capture One
Professional photo editing and tethered capture
Photo editing and RAW processing software with tethered shooting, used by professional photographers.
Paid · Mac, Windows, iOS · Website ↗
6. DxO PhotoLab
RAW photo editor with advanced denoising
RAW photo editing software known for lens corrections and AI-based noise reduction.
Paid · Mac, Windows · Website ↗
7. Luminar Neo
AI-powered photo editor
Photo editor from Skylum with AI tools for sky replacement, portrait retouching and quick enhancements.
Paid · Mac, Windows · Website ↗
8. ON1 Photo RAW
RAW editor, organizer and layered editing
Photo editing software that combines RAW processing, photo organization, layers and AI masking.
Paid · Mac, Windows, iOS, Android · Website ↗
Questions
Is there a free alternative to Lightroom?
Yes. 4 of the 8 indie alternatives listed here have a free plan or are free: darktable, digiKam, RawTherapee and Mylio Photos.
Is there an open-source alternative to Lightroom?
darktable, digiKam and RawTherapee are open source.
Which Lightroom alternatives work on Mac, Windows, iPhone or Android?
On Linux: darktable, digiKam and RawTherapee. On iPhone and iPad: Mylio Photos, Capture One and ON1 Photo RAW. On Android: Mylio Photos and ON1 Photo RAW.
What makes these alternatives to Lightroom “indie”?
They are built by independent developers or small teams rather than large companies. Each one is listed because it does the same core job as Lightroom.
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