Compare
Adobe Lightroom vs RawTherapee
Adobe Lightroom is commercial and offers cloud sync and subscription pricing
Which to pick
Pick Adobe Lightroom if you want…
- Cloud-based photo editing and organization
- Paid RAW workflow with cloud services
Pick RawTherapee if you want…
- Non-destructive RAW development
- A free, open-source tool
Side by side
- What it is
- Adobe Lightroom:Adobe Lightroom is a cloud-based photo editing, organizing and storage tool for photographers.
- RawTherapee:RawTherapee is a free, cross-platform raw photo processor for high-quality image development.
- Best for
- Adobe Lightroom:Cloud-based photo editing and organization
- RawTherapee:Non-destructive RAW development
- Who it’s for
- Adobe Lightroom:Professional photographers and photo enthusiasts who need editing and workflow across devices.
- RawTherapee:Enthusiast to professional photographers who need advanced raw editing.
- Pricing
- Adobe Lightroom:Paid
- RawTherapee:Free
- Open source
- Adobe Lightroom:—
- RawTherapee:Yes
Adobe Lightroom features
- Generative Upscale. Upscales images up to 4× using AI-powered Topaz Gigapixel.
- Assisted Culling. Scores photos for sharpness, focus and open eyes to speed selection.
- Quick Actions. One-click portrait retouching like skin smoothing, blemish removal and teeth whitening.
- Dust Removal. AI detects and removes sensor dust from photos with high precision.
- AI Lens Blur. Creates custom portrait blur with one-tap presets powered by AI.
RawTherapee features
- 32-bit non-destructive editing. Processes images with a floating-point engine preserving original data.
- Advanced demosaicing. Offers multiple algorithms, including dual-algorithm compositing for better colour reconstruction.
- Pixel-shift and HDR support. Combines pixel-shift frames with ghost masking and handles high-dynamic-range DNG files.
- Raw correction tools. Provides dark frame subtraction, flat-field correction, and hot/dead pixel removal.
- Cross-platform. Runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows with installers and AppImage formats.
- Open-source GPLv3. Free to use, modify, and redistribute under a copyleft license.
Adobe Lightroom vs RawTherapee FAQ
Is Adobe Lightroom or RawTherapee free?+
Adobe Lightroom is paid, with a free trial. RawTherapee is free.
Is Adobe Lightroom or RawTherapee open source?+
RawTherapee is open source (Beep6581/RawTherapee on GitHub). DevHunt has no public source repository on record for Adobe Lightroom.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.