Free alternatives
5 free Adobe Lightroom alternatives
Lightroom and Lightroom Classic do two jobs: they develop raw photos and organise your library. These free, open-source apps cover one or both jobs on your own computer, with no subscription and no cloud, and darktable and digiKam work much like Lightroom Classic's local catalogue. If you develop raw files in Adobe Camera Raw inside Photoshop or Bridge, the raw editors here do the same job on their own.
Short answer
The best free Adobe Lightroom alternatives are darktable, digiKam, RawTherapee and 2 more. Adobe Lightroom has no full free plan, and each pick here is free or has a usable free plan.
Updated
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Is Adobe Lightroom free?
Adobe Lightroom pricing
Adobe Lightroom and Lightroom Classic are Adobe's apps for organising photo libraries and editing raw photos, sold together as a subscription.
Lightroom is subscription only: the Lightroom plan with 1 TB of cloud storage, or the Photography plan that adds Photoshop. Both are paid monthly on a yearly plan, and prices vary by country.
Free plan
No. Adobe's plans page lists only paid plans, each with a 7-day free trial that turns into a paid plan unless you cancel.
Checked on Adobe Lightroom's official pricing page on . Prices change, so check before you buy.
The 5 best free Adobe Lightroom alternatives
Every pick is free or has a usable free plan, and is listed in our directory. Free-plan limits change, so check each tool's site before you switch.
Why switch: The closest free match: a photo library plus a non-destructive raw darkroom.
A free, open-source raw photo workflow and developer.
Works on Windows, macOS, Linux
Why switch: Lightroom-style library with albums, tags, search and face recognition, plus raw editing.
Free, open-source photo management with raw editing and face recognition.
Works on Windows, macOS, Linux
Why switch: A free raw developer with very precise colour, detail and lens tools.
A free, open-source raw photo processor with precise colour and detail tools.
Works on Windows, macOS, Linux
Why switch: A leaner darktable-based raw editor that reads darktable libraries.
A leaner, open-source raw photo editor based on darktable.
Works on Windows, macOS, Linux
Why switch: Professional photo editing, free for individuals, for retouching beyond raw development.
Pro photo editing, vector design and page layout in one app, free for individuals.
Works on Windows, macOS
Frequently asked questions
- Is Adobe Lightroom free?
- No. Adobe's plans page lists only paid plans, each with a 7-day free trial that turns into a paid plan unless you cancel.
- How much does Adobe Lightroom cost?
- Lightroom is subscription only: the Lightroom plan with 1 TB of cloud storage, or the Photography plan that adds Photoshop. Both are paid monthly on a yearly plan, and prices vary by country. Checked on Adobe Lightroom's own pricing page in October 2026; prices can change.
- What is the best free alternative to Adobe Lightroom?
- darktable is our top pick, followed by digiKam and RawTherapee. Each one is free or has a usable free plan.
- Are these Adobe Lightroom alternatives really free?
- Yes. Every tool on this page is either completely free or has a free plan you can keep using. Paid upgrades exist on some of them, and free-plan limits change, so check each tool's site.
Keep exploring
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