5 Best Free Alternatives to Adobe Lightroom (2026)

Last checked October 2026 · 11 alternatives to Adobe Lightroom in our catalog

Adobe Lightroom paid plans start at $14.99/month, which is why people look for a free alternative. Below are 5 options with a free plan or no price at all - 4 are completely free, 4 are open source, 3 run on Linux and 3 work in the browser.

Quick picks

No paid tier at all

darktable

Works in the browser

Polarr

Picked from listing data (price model, license, platforms, community votes), not hands-on testing.

Adobe Lightroom alternatives compared

Alternative	Price	Open source	Platforms	What it is
darktable	Free	Yes	Windows, Mac, Linux	A free, open-source RAW photo editor and workflow application built for photographers.
RawTherapee	Free	Yes	Windows, Mac, Linux	Free, open-source raw photo processing with a 32-bit non-destructive editing engine.
Polarr	Freemium	No	Web, Windows, Mac, iOS	AI-powered photo and video editor with millions of community-made filters and batch RAW editing.
immich	Free	Yes (AGPL-3.0)	Web	Self-hosted photo and video management
Photo Editor	Free	Yes (MIT)	Web, Windows, Mac, Linux	Edit photos with ease

darktable

FreeOpen sourceWindowsMacLinux

A free, open-source RAW photo editor and workflow application built for photographers.

Completely free and open source, no license fee ever
Genuinely non-destructive workflow like Lightroom
Active community and frequent releases

Steeper learning curve than commercial alternatives
Fewer AI-assisted tools than Luminar or Lightroom

Full details Adobe Lightroom vs darktable

RawTherapee

FreeOpen sourceWindowsMacLinux

Free, open-source raw photo processing with a 32-bit non-destructive editing engine.

Completely free and open source with no feature paywall
Extremely deep raw-processing controls for enthusiasts
Active development with frequent releases

Interface is dense and has a steep learning curve
No layer-based editing like Photoshop or GIMP

Full details Adobe Lightroom vs RawTherapee

Polarr

FreemiumWebWindowsMaciOS

AI-powered photo and video editor with millions of community-made filters and batch RAW editing.

Very large library of community-created filters
Available across mobile, desktop, and web
Dedicated batch RAW workflow via Polarr Next

Fragmented product lineup across several separate apps (Polarr, Polarr Pro, Polarr Next, 24FPS)
Not a full replacement for professional RAW workflows like Lightroom for complex catalogs

Full details Adobe Lightroom vs Polarr

immich

FreeOpen source · AGPL-3.0Web

Self-hosted photo and video management

Self-hosted and open-source, providing control and customization options
Supports various file formats and provides a simple interface
Allows for file sharing and collaboration features

May require technical expertise to set up and configure
Limited support for advanced media editing features

Full details

Photo Editor

FreeOpen source · MITWebWindowsMacLinux

Edit photos with ease

Free to use
Cross-platform compatibility
Advanced features and tools

Steep learning curve for beginners
Limited support for certain file formats

Full details

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to Adobe Lightroom?

darktable is the first free alternative we list for Adobe Lightroom and has no paid tier. Others worth a look: RawTherapee, Polarr and immich. Which one fits depends on what you use Adobe Lightroom for, so check the platform and free-plan details for each.

Is there a completely free alternative to Adobe Lightroom?

Yes. darktable, RawTherapee, immich and Photo Editor have no paid tier. The rest of the list are freemium: a free plan with paid upgrades.

Is there an open-source alternative to Adobe Lightroom?

Yes: darktable, RawTherapee, immich and Photo Editor. Open-source options can usually be inspected, modified and self-hosted.

Does Adobe Lightroom have a free plan?

We don't list a free plan for Adobe Lightroom; paid plans start at $14.99/month. That price is the main reason people look at the options on this page.

How this list is built: alternatives come from our catalog's curated alternative relationships; price model, license and platforms come from each product's listing; order is fully-free first, then community votes.