10 Free Lightroom Alternatives For Powerful Editing (2021)
Maybe you’re frustrated by Adobe’s licensing rules.
Or you’re intimidated by Lightroom’s steep learning curve.
Or maybe, you just don’t want to spend a monthly subscription when there are tons of free options out there.
Whichever reason applies to you, this guide can help.
Today, we’ll explore ten free Lightroom alternatives and find the photo editor that best suits your needs.
Let’s dig in!
1. Pixlr
Pricing: Free. Paid plans start $4.90/month when billed annually. Grab the Pixlr lifetime deal on AppSumo today for $49.
Pixlr’s a no-brainer if you’re a photo-editing newbie.
This browser-based editing software offers powerful and simple-to-use tools (e.g., layer mask, gradient effect) to take your photos from meh to more.
But what makes this online photo editor unique is its AI cutout tool. Click the background or any unwanted object in your image, and the tool removes it in seconds!
Desktop/Mobile App: Both
Pros:
- AI cutout tool
- Intuitive user interface (no learning curve involved)
- Layers
- Attractive overlays
Cons:
- Pixlr doesn’t save your images on its server. This means you’ll have to use the same computer and browser to find the files you’ve saved in your account.
- Images are stored in the browser’s cache, and some browser or security configurations clear cache when you close the browser.
Best For: Removing background and unwanted objects.
2. ON1 Photo RAW
Pricing: Free (mobile app only). Paid plans for desktop start $5.99/month.
Meet ON1, a professional-grade photo organizer that takes your images to the next height.
ON1’s free mobile app is relatively new and doesn’t hold a candle to its desktop counterpart (i.e., certain features are missing).
But when used together via ON1 360, it’s powerful. You can easily edit on your phone and sync your photos, metadata, edits, and albums back to your desktop. Talk about an efficient way to speed up your workflow.
Desktop/Mobile App: Both
Pros:
- Clean and intuitive interface
- Healing brush
- Robust effects filters
Cons:
- Frequent app crashes reported by Android users
- Laggy performance when processing images
Best For: Organizing photos, enhancing photo quality, and syncing between computers and devices.
3. Capture One Express
Source: YouTube
Pricing: Free. Paid plans start $10.69/month.
If you’re a Fujifilm user, you’d know it’s hard to process X-Trans raw files on Lightroom. Remember the weird worm artifacts that always appeared all over your image? Yikes.
Well, you never have to go through that again with Capture One Express.
Known for its powerful processing tools and flexibility, this image editing software enhances your photos (worm-free!) and brings them to life.
Desktop/Mobile App: Both. For mobile app, only on the App Store (Apple).
Pros:
- Color correction tools
- Tethering functionality
- Customizable user interface
- Fujifilm Film Simulations (e.g., Fujifilm Provia, Fujifilm Velvia, etc.)
Con:
- Steep learning curve, given that it’s a much more high-end tool compared to Lightroom.
Best For: Raw processing for Fuji photographers.
4. Darktable
Source: GDQuest
Pricing: Free
An open-source photography workflow software? Sign us up!
Darktable is the ultimate sidekick of professional photographers who want to edit their images non-destructively.
Don’t be fooled by this free software. It has a ton of incredibly advanced features (e.g., excellent noise reduction techniques, multiple masking tools to edit specific parts of a photo while leaving other areas untouched).
Desktop/Mobile App: Desktop
Pros:
- Automatic processes (e.g., lens correction, sharpening, etc.)
- Advanced masking tools
Con:
- Clucky user interface. Users report feeling confused by the modules and navigation.
Best For: Image masking.
5. RawTherapee
Pricing: Free
If you find darktable unsuitable for your needs, then RawTherapee’s your next best choice.
This free raw photo processing system is a godsend when sharpening and color correcting your images.
Desktop/Mobile App: Desktop
Pros:
- Noise reduction
- Sharpening
- Color correction
- Demosaicing tools
- RL Deconvolution
Con:
- Batch image processing can be slow.
Best For: Light and color-correcting images.
6. Photo Lab
Pricing: Free
Turn your profile pic into a cartoon of yourself with a click of a button.
Thanks to advanced AI-driven technologies, Photo Lab generates an animated portrait in seconds. Other editing capabilities include photo montages, collages, and filters.
Desktop/Mobile App: Mobile app
Pros:
- AI Cartoon Portrait Maker
Con:
- Photo processing can take a long time.
Best For: Converting portraits and selfies to animated styles.
7. GIMP
Source: TechGumbo
Pricing: Free
Say hello to GIMP, a free and open-source image processing program.
Despite the outdated interface (it looks like it hasn’t been updated since the 90s), it remains a popular tool among professional photographers.
Desktop/Mobile App: Desktop
Pro:
- Highly customizable via many plugins
Cons:
- Unintuitive with a medium learning curve
- Minor lag issues (e.g., when loading extra fonts)
- Outdated interface
Best For: Extensive image manipulation for professional photographers.
8. PhotoScape X
Pricing: Free. Paid plans cost $39.99.
PhotoScape X, a lightweight photo editing software, is an ideal option for basic editing.
Whether it’s editing a screenshot for a tutorial blog post or designing a poster for an upcoming virtual webinar, this tool can do it all.
Desktop/Mobile App: Both. For mobile, only available for Apple products.
Pros:
- User-friendly
- Variety of simple-to-use editing tools (e.g., cropping, color picker, focus stacking)
Cons:
- Outdated interface
- Low quality of images after editing (Tip: Before saving, configure the compression level)
Best For: Basic image editing (e.g., resizing, cropping) for beginners.
9. VSCO
Source: Google Play
Pricing: Free. VSCO Membership costs $19.99/year.
With VSCO, anyone can create elegant photos. This mobile app’s presets pack is a fantastic feature. Just pick any of the filters (e.g., M5, T1) and you can immediately transform your ordinary picture into a work of art.
Desktop/Mobile App: Mobile app
Pros:
- User-friendly
- VSCO’s original presets
Con:
- Minor bug issues (i.e., app crashes at times).
Best For: Adding filters on the go.
10. Snapseed
Source: App Store
Pricing: Free
What if you can selectively adjust the brightness and saturation on any part of your photo… on mobile?
With Snapseed, you can make it happen. Simply position the points on the image and leave the algorithm to do the rest. #visualmagic
Desktop/Mobile App: Mobile app
Pros:
- Selective tool
- Curves tool
- White balance tool
Con:
- Prone to lagging.
Best For: Advanced photo editing on the go.
Which Lightroom Alternative Will You Use?
There’s no perfect tool.
If you’re a business owner who wants to edit your photos just a tad, go with Pixlr or PhotoScape X.
Want to edit on the go? Try mobile apps like VSCO or Snapseed.
If you’re a professional photographer who knows your way around photo editing platforms, you can’t go wrong with darktable, RawTherapee, or GIMP. Heck, you might even want to use all three together!
Let’s do a final recap:
- Pixlr: Removing background and unwanted objects. Grab the Pixlr lifetime deal on AppSumo today for $49.
- ON1 Phone RAW: Organizing photos, enhancing their quality, and syncing between computers and devices.
- Capture One Express: Raw processing for Fuji photographers.
- Darktable: Image masking for professional photographers.
- RawTherapee: Light and color-correcting images for professional photographers.
- Photo Lab: Converting portraits and selfies to animated styles.
- GIMP: Extensive image manipulation for professional photographers.
- PhotoScape X: Basic image editing (e.g., resizing, cropping) for beginners.
- VSCO: Adding filters on the go.
- Snapseed: Advanced photo editing on the go.
Let us know in the comments which Lightroom alternative works best for you.
Looking for more software tools to enhance your photos? Browse our lifetime deals on AppSumo. You’re sure to find what you need.
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