6 Best Lightroom Alternatives for Perfecting Photos in 2024 (Free and Paid)

Are you a professional photographer looking for a tool for pro-level image editing or just a hobbyist with a knack for photography who does not want to spend money on paid editing tools? No matter the scenario, I have got you covered because, in this article, I have listed the best paid and free Lightroom alternatives for all your photo editing needs. 

1. PhotoDirector Essential: Best Free for Beginners

Pros 

• Free access to amazing tools 
• Easy-to-use Interface
• Incredible lens correction 
• Auto-facial recognition 
• Even the premium version is cheaper than most competitors 

Cons 

• Additional AI cost 
• Some operations feel slow

Reasons to use:

I will not argue that PhotoDirector Essential is the best alternative to Adobe Lightroom, but it certainly brings many useful features for quick edits for both pros and casual editors for free. The biggest perk of PhotoDirectory is it is a free Lightroom alternative. 

You can use excellent tools like color adjustments, object removal, and skin editing without paying anything. You can also access the stock library, use layer effects, and use FaceMe technology to tag faces. However, one of the things I noticed while editing my Instagram photos is it can get slow sometimes, but it is merely an issue if you want to access great image editing tools without spending a penny. Moreover, you can enlarge images without any quality loss, which is a rare attribute in free editing tools. 

2. Capture One Pro: For Professionals 

Pros 

• Remarkable image quality 
• Customizable Interface 
• Better organization 

Cons 

• Expensive 

Why It’s better than Lightroom?

If you are looking for editing and want to try something different, Capture One Pro is the way to go. It not only offers high-quality image processing but also helps you better organize your photo library. Capture One Pro has been associated with studio-level photographers for years, and It perfectly captures the essence of natural images with more than 500 camera profiles that render accurate skin color with Tone Editor. 

Moreover, Capture One’s latest version offers free access to photographers who use Phase One cameras (digital backs), allowing convenience and quality. Another significant difference between Capture One Pro and Adobe Lightroom is customization. 

While LR is easy to use and offers a seamless workflow, In Capture One, you can add, remove, and rearrange every tab and window, allowing more control over the tools. Lastly, Capture One excels at tethering and data transfer, while LR’s tethering option is almost useless, which is why it is the best Lightroom alternative for professionals.

3. Darktable: Open-source Lightroom Alternative

Pros 

• Great color tools
• Easy photo management 
• Geotagging 
• Supports Tethering 

Cons 

• Not for professionals 
• Limited Editing Tools 

Why choose this Lightroom alternative? 

Darktable is not for professionals and lacks many advanced features that you can find on LR and Capture One. However, it suits the needs of beginners and hobbyists. It offers decent color correction tools, reduces noise for natural final results, and pixel fixes. You can easily organize your photos with management tools and process raw images for over 400 cameras. However, one feature that gives it an edge over Adobe Lightroom is tethering for real-time transfer. 

4. Polarr: Best Online Adobe Lightroom Replacement

Pros 

• Decent editing tools
• easy to use 
• Available as both mobile and web-based app 

Cons 

• No raw editing 
• Some tools require a subscription 

Why choose Polarr? 

Polarr is the best-known online Lightroom alternative. It offers an easy-to-use interface so anyone can edit images. You can also get your hands on great color fixes, but that’s not all. You can also adjust vibrance, tone highlights, and shadows. The feature to reduce haze works like magic and renders more detailed and beautiful images.

However, if you want more advanced adjustments like distortion reduction tools ( HSL and LUTs), and overlays, you have to get a paid subscription. I used this tool a few months back when I returned from a conference in Japan, and it works fine. Anyhow, you don’t get Lightroom-like excellence, but it’s great for quick edits if you are using the free version. 

5. RAW Therapee: Best for Linux 

Pros 

• Straightforward to use 
• Raw processing 
• Use tools for better results 

Cons 

• Limited tools compared to rivals 

Why use RAW Therapee? 

If you want to use an Adobe Lightroom-like interface but on Linux, this one can work just fine. You get access to multiple color correction tools, demosaicing, and high-quality raw processing. The best feature of RAW Therapee is it offers non-destructive editing, which keeps the original files intact. However, it lacks organizational features and state-of-the-art editing tools. If you are a beginner and a Linux user, you can do great with RAW Therapee.

6. Exposure X7: Best for Fun Editing 

Pros 

• Cool effects and filters 
• Great adjustment tools
• Good for Printing 

Cons 

• Limited advanced tools 
• No face tagging

Reasons to use: 

Exposure X7 might not be the best alternative to Lightroom, but it does offer some nifty tools for editing. There are plenty of filters and effects like film grain, bokeh, and vignettes that can make your next upload a success. Moreover, there are options for dehazing, layering, masking, and more. 

You can also sort the images according to color labels, star ratings, and flags. The raw editing support is there, and you can work on pictures from various camera models, such as Canon EOS R, Nikon Z 7, FujiFilm X-T4, etc. However, auto-correction is not as great as Lightroom. 

Bottom Line

All these Lightroom alternatives are amazing at what they do. Some have excellent organization tools, and some provide high-quality images. Professionals need more advanced editing tools and often need batch editing, so they might have to go for paid platforms. However, beginners and casual editors can do great with free tools. You can choose one according to your editing needs and budget. 

FAQs

1. Is Adobe Lightroom free? 

No, Adobe Lightroom is not free. It costs around $9.99/month. You can also buy a yearly plan for 119.88/year. However, you can try a 7-day free trial to see if it works. 

2. Which one is the best Adobe Lightroom alternative free? 

If you want to use photo editing tools without paying anything, you can try PhotoDirector Essential. It provides amazing editing and management tools without charging anything. 

3. Which Software is better than Lightroom? 

Capture One Pro is much better than Lightroom and is undoubtedly the best alternative. It has more comprehensive photo management tools, excellent tethering, and fantastic editing tools.