10 Best Lightroom Alternatives in 2024 [Free & Paid]
Ollie Mattison
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
We all know that in the world of video editing Lightroom is very popular and favorite among all the photographers but the pricing makes up think about lightroom alternatives. A few years back adobe introduced a monthly plan for all creative apps and due to that some of the users upgraded to the new plan while others looked for the best lightroom alternatives. So here this article would be summarizing about the adobe lightroom alternative such as free lightroom alternative and paid too.
So let us first talk about what lightroom is, so it is one of the most popular editing software used by photographers and it is the best tool for managing and processing the thousands of photos that live on your devices. This tool is the most powerful editor to empower your clicks and help you to capture and edit the best shots of yours.
Now it is necessary to find the reasons for picking adobe lightroom and some of the cons too.
1. Easy to use the tool
Most of the users find the interface of the tool easier and they can find a way of working simply.
2. Cloud storage
The storage of the adobe lightroom is very much handy for the users who are working on the go needed some extra space on the desktop.
3. Sliders
Here sliders make it easier to get simple visuals on mobile as well as a desktop too.
4. Mobile & Desktop balance
The tools easily work in both the tool mobile and a desktop having cloud storage to keep things all together.
The reasons why it is not worth pick
1. Some features are lacking
This tool still has to proceed with Lightroom Classic in some of the areas.
2. Lightroom classic vs. lightroom
Users still for the most advanced projects of editing need to pick the Classic version over the normal one.
3. Compositing
We find that currently, the capacity of compositing of the lightroom is a bit limited in merging the panoramic scenes.
Part 2: Best 12 Lightroom Alternatives in 2024
Now let us talk about each adobe lightroom alternative you could ever think of using to make your editing looks amazing.
So if you are wondering to know the best free alternative to lightroom then find the following list of options to make the best choice:
1.Lightzone
This tool is a simply amazing free alternative to lightroom which works on all devices such as Mac, Windows, and Linux. One of the best features of it is zone mapping where you can do selective adjustments. One other term where no other tool can beat this is in black and white photo processing. So it has fewer features than others but it is surely an effective choice for you.
Features
Contract Management
Image Editing
Output Formats
Import/ Export Functions
Bitmap to Vector Conversion
Layers
Magic Wand
Pros
Quick and efficient editing
Non-destructive work
Comes with a feature for photo organizing
Cons
May seem too
Asset management is basic
2.Capture One Express
This is one of the best lightroom alternatives you could ever think of trying for sure. The best thing about the tool is raw image rending among other tools. Here some basic tools such as HDR support and vignette tool are not found which is a bit weird. It creates a great color rendition same as the pro version which is better than the lightroom too.
This tool is the finest lightroom alternative mac and no one can deny the fact. Being an Apple user if you go ahead with this tool it would not ask much time for you to be pro in this. As you would everything is as an apple work system only. It can hide some random screenshots and receipts used by all in iPhone. This tool is considered a combination of simple and modern editing features for all photographers. So for all professional photographers using a free tool is a need then this is the best free alternative lightroom for sure.
Features
Always-On Sidebar
New Kinds of Memories
Better People Recognition
New Elegant Filters
AI-Powered Search
Curves and Other Deep Adjustments
Editing Features for Live Photos
Round-Trip Third-Party Editing
Pros
Easily “Sync” photos across devices
Optimized Storage
Edit Photos from any device
Backup
Access your photos from anywhere!
Cons
Storage cost
Bit confusing
Can’t choose which image to sync
3 Paid Adobe Lightroom Alternatives
1.ON1 Photo RAW
Source: shotkit.com
This tool comes with great features such as an image organizer, Raw processor, layered editor, effects and so many best things. It has amazing photo library management which would impress you so much. Here you can find images via searching simply with keywords such as date of capturing. It may seem a bit difficult for those who are new to this editing field.
Pricing: 30-day free trial and USD 99.99 purchase price
Features
Customize Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard Control of Tone & Color
Cloud Sync for Presets and Extras
Batch Processing for Adobe
Pros
Excellent photo organization and metadata tools
Full-fledged photo editing suite
Nice UI for intermediate and advanced users
Powerful Artificial Intelligence Portrait editing
Excellent Replace Color filter
ON1 Resize is included
Cons
Excellent photo organization and metadata tools
Full-fledged photo editing suite
Nice UI for intermediate and advanced users
Powerful Artificial Intelligence Portrait editing
Excellent Replace Color filter
ON1 Resize is included
2.Capture One Pro
Source: dpreview.com
This tool is developed by Phase One who are the makers of big cameras and it was designed for studio photographers and professionals. It is very similar to lightroom devices very much such as using layers, sharing in Facebook, organizing images, etc. It also offers high-end rendering quality. Here you can either pay for a subscription or purchase the software outright.
Pricing: $19/month.
3.Skylum Luminar
Source:macphun.com
This tool is the most affordable and effective choice in terms of photo editor for you. It also got launched at the right time when all were looking for the best alternative for the lightroom. This tool work as a standalone tool and also as a plugin for apple devices. It does lack in some of the good features than the other tools too in import options and focuses effects, etc.
Pricing: from $69.00
Features
Adaptive user interface that you can adjust to your workflow.
Workspaces that give quick access to the editing tools you need.
One-click presets to quickly enhance your images.
Dozens of photo filters to edit, enhance and fix your photos.
Polarr is an online available editor who is mainly to help semi photographers and beginners to learn editing in very little time. It has resizing, color correction, auto-enhance function, spot removal tool, etc. various filters and effects. Also, the tool is a bit intuitive which makes it a dedicating tool for editing. It is surely should be considered while looking for the best lightroom online alternative.
Features
Sophisticated masking tools
Advanced skin retouching
Text tools
Premium filters
Any future features
Pros
Accessibility for all kinds of platforms
Watermark support
There is a comparison mode “before” and “after”
Supports large JPEG images up to 30MP
Works offline, so no internet connection is required
Masks for precise color correction
Cons
Compared to alternatives, the subscription is expensive
This is a place where you can organize your image effectively. It is an all-in-one space for a simple, intuitive library to collect and you can find your all images in a single place. The file format it supports is SVG, JPEG, and PNG. It can find automatically specific information and recognize people who are known and successful. Also, the data is very much secured on the cloud and accessible at any time.
Features
All in one space
AI detection
Backup redundancy
Low latency
High throughput
Pros
Safety
No adv
UI responsive
Cons
Not found
Similar Apps Like Lightroom
1.Picsart
This editing application is very popular among all mobile users and surely the best tool to replace for lightroom. It has more than 150 million current users getting the best editing outcomes with PicsArt. It makes amazing collages, creative stickers, edit and swap backgrounds like a professional level editor. Even if you are new to editing content you would not find any difficulty in using this one.
Features
Photo editor
Video editor
Collage maker
Sticker maker
Photo effects & filters
Drawing tools
Pros
Easy to use
Range of effects
Really good “photoshop”
Cons
Too many ads
2.A Color Story
This tool comes with so many varieties of colors, themes and rather than focusing on a single look it has more than 400 filters, 120+ movable effects, grid view of Instagram, and viewing any many more. Also if you take the membership you would get unlimited access to filters, effects, color tools, and many more.
Features
400 carefully crafted filters, incl. purchases
Over 120 movable effects, incl. purchases
Over 20 FREE tools, including HSL + curves
Custom filters saved from your editing steps
Instagram grid preview + planning
Pros
Enhances Photos for Social Media Sharing
Includes Over 20 Free Tools
Offers Desktop Version with Lightroom Presents and Photoshop Actions
Cons
Requires a Purchase for Many Filters and Effects
Has a Somewhat Confusing User Interface
Thus we have found the best lightroom alternatives list each in detail step by step so that now you could make the right choice for you.
Part 3: FAQs about Adobe Lightroom and its Alternatives
1. What is the best alternative to Lightroom?
So finding the best alternative for the lightroom is not a hard thing to look for as you would get many better options. But first, you need to think about your core needs and objectives what you want to get fulfilled by the tool. So based on your needs and expectations you can list down and find the lightroom online alternative. There is no specific alternative of lightroom for each of us based on our requirement it would vary.
2. Can I buy Lightroom without a subscription?
No, currently you can’t get access to Lightroom without purchasing any plans. If you subscribe to the available plan you would access using and storing cloud images too.
3. Should I edit photos in Photoshop or Lightroom?
Initially, it is good to start photo editing with Lightroom as it is the best tool to proceed then you can switch to Photoshop later on for some achieving some expensive edits.
Conclusion
Thus we hope that the process of finding a lightroom online alternative is a bit easier now with the above-mentioned guide talking about the best lightroom alternative for your upcoming project ideas. So we could say that while searching for a lightroom alternative mac some here and their sacrifices would be needed because adobe is undoubtedly a standard tool in the industry for a long. Now the choice is yours!
Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Ollie Mattison
Ollie Mattison
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
We all know that in the world of video editing Lightroom is very popular and favorite among all the photographers but the pricing makes up think about lightroom alternatives. A few years back adobe introduced a monthly plan for all creative apps and due to that some of the users upgraded to the new plan while others looked for the best lightroom alternatives. So here this article would be summarizing about the adobe lightroom alternative such as free lightroom alternative and paid too.
So let us first talk about what lightroom is, so it is one of the most popular editing software used by photographers and it is the best tool for managing and processing the thousands of photos that live on your devices. This tool is the most powerful editor to empower your clicks and help you to capture and edit the best shots of yours.
Now it is necessary to find the reasons for picking adobe lightroom and some of the cons too.
1. Easy to use the tool
Most of the users find the interface of the tool easier and they can find a way of working simply.
2. Cloud storage
The storage of the adobe lightroom is very much handy for the users who are working on the go needed some extra space on the desktop.
3. Sliders
Here sliders make it easier to get simple visuals on mobile as well as a desktop too.
4. Mobile & Desktop balance
The tools easily work in both the tool mobile and a desktop having cloud storage to keep things all together.
The reasons why it is not worth pick
1. Some features are lacking
This tool still has to proceed with Lightroom Classic in some of the areas.
2. Lightroom classic vs. lightroom
Users still for the most advanced projects of editing need to pick the Classic version over the normal one.
3. Compositing
We find that currently, the capacity of compositing of the lightroom is a bit limited in merging the panoramic scenes.
Title: In 2024, LuminousLabs Top 10 Free & Paid Filters Compare