Photography · alternatives
Alternatives to ON1 Photo RAW
23 photography tools sit alongside ON1 Photo RAW in this directory. Below is what separates each from ON1 Photo RAW on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 23
- With a free tier
- 12
- Cheaper to start
- -
- ON1 Photo RAW starts at
- On request
Why people look past ON1 Photo RAW
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the ON1 Photo RAW entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is no free tier
The record for ON1 Photo RAW carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 12 of the 23 alternatives below can be used without paying.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Photo editing and organization software for photographers
- Can be used without paying; ON1 Photo RAW cannot.
- Publishes an entry price of $11.99/month, where ON1 Photo RAW does not.
- 2 tiers to ON1 Photo RAW's 3.
Professional RAW photo editing and tethered capture software
- Sold on a subscription model rather than one-time.
- 4 tiers to ON1 Photo RAW's 3.
AI-powered photo editor with generative tools and one-time or subscription licensing
- Publishes an entry price of $129/month, where ON1 Photo RAW does not.
Selfie and portrait retouching app from Lightricks, sold on a subscription with a short free trial
- Can be used without paying; ON1 Photo RAW cannot.
- Sold on a Free download with a short free trial, most tools require a Facetune Pro subscription that auto-renews annually model rather than one-time.
- 2 tiers to ON1 Photo RAW's 3.
AI photo and design editing app combining Photoshop-style tools, templates and a paid Gold subscription
- Can be used without paying; ON1 Photo RAW cannot.
- Sold on a Free with a watermark on export and limited AI credits; paid Gold subscription removes both model rather than one-time.
- 2 tiers to ON1 Photo RAW's 3.
Google's photo backup and organisation app, now billed against shared Google account storage
- Can be used without paying; ON1 Photo RAW cannot.
- Sold on a Free tier plus paid storage add-on model rather than one-time.
Every ON1 Photo RAW alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ON1 Photo RAW (this page) | On request | One-time | 3 | |
| Adobe LightroomDirect competitor for RAW processing and photo organization, but subscription-based. | Free, then $11.99/month | - | 2 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Capture OneCompeting standalone RAW editor aimed at professional photographers. | On request | Subscription | 4 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Luminar NeoCompeting AI-driven photo editor offered as an Adobe alternative. | $129/month | One-time | 3 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Facetune | Free | Free download with a short free trial, most tools require a Facetune Pro subscription that auto-renews annually | 2 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Picsart | Free | Free with a watermark on export and limited AI credits; paid Gold subscription removes both | 2 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Google Photos | Free | Free tier plus paid storage add-on | 3 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Adobe Lightroom Mobile | Free | Free for local, single-device editing; cloud sync and some tools require a Creative Cloud Photography plan | 2 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| VSCO | Free | Free with a limited preset and tool set; paid annual membership unlocks the full library | 2 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Remini | Free | Free download with a short free trial, most features require a recurring subscription | 2 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Lensa | Free | Free download with a short free trial, Magic Avatars and most tools require payment | 2 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Snapseed | Free | Fully free with no ads, subscription or in-app purchases | 1 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| PhotoDirector | Free | Free tier, one-time purchase or annual subscription | 3 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| RawTherapee | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Aftershoot | On request | Per module per month, unlimited images | 4 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Exposure X | On request | One-time purchase | 2 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Corel PaintShop Pro | On request | One-time purchase, paid upgrades | 2 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| NightCap | On request | One-time purchase | 1 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Nik Collection | On request | One-time purchase | 1 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| ACDSee | On request | One-time purchase or per-user subscription | 2 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Narrative Select | On request | Per user per month, tiered by editing depth | 4 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Imagen AI | On request | Per image, with annual volume tiers | 3 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Photo Mechanic | $139/one-time | One-time purchase | 2 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
| Adobe Bridge | Free | Free with an Adobe account | 1 | vs ON1 Photo RAW |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the ON1 Photo RAW badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (12)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Adobe Lightroom , Free, then $11.99/month
- Facetune , Free
- Picsart , Free
- Google Photos , Free
- Adobe Lightroom Mobile , Free
- VSCO , Free
- Remini , Free
- Lensa , Free
What you would be giving up
ON1 Photo RAW is most often brought in for editing and organizing raw photos without a subscription, replacing a lightroom plus photoshop workflow with one application, applying ai noise reduction to high-iso images, upscaling images for large prints using ai, building composite edits with layers and masks. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If ON1 Photo RAW is broadly right and the question is cost, the ON1 Photo RAW pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Photography category lists everything the directory holds, and best photography tools ranks them.
ON1 Photo RAW runs on mac, windows. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about ON1 Photo RAW alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to ON1 Photo RAW?
- 23 other photography tools are listed in this directory, led by Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, Luminar Neo, Facetune. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to ON1 Photo RAW?
- 12 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Adobe Lightroom, Facetune, Picsart, Google Photos, Adobe Lightroom Mobile.
- Why do people look for an alternative to ON1 Photo RAW?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is no free tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from ON1 Photo RAW?
- ON1 Photo RAW is most often brought in for editing and organizing raw photos without a subscription, replacing a lightroom plus photoshop workflow with one application, applying ai noise reduction to high-iso images, upscaling images for large prints using ai, building composite edits with layers and masks. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to ON1 Photo RAW?
- None of the photography tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these ON1 Photo RAW alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Photography, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare ON1 Photo RAW against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against ON1 Photo RAW covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every photography tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Photography category, 23 tools beside ON1 Photo RAW. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.