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Design · head to head

Adobe Illustrator vs Adobe Lightroom Mobile

Adobe Illustrator logo

Adobe Illustrator

Design

Professional vector graphics software

From
$22.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Adobe Lightroom Mobile logo

Adobe Lightroom Mobile

Photography

Free mobile photo editing app with core Adobe Lightroom tools, full features tied to a Creative Cloud photography subscription

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Adobe Lightroom Mobile has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Adobe Illustrator listed on UK G-Cloud as part of Adobe Creative Cloud (which bundles Illustrator) at £58 to £80 per licence per month, via reseller ServiceKey; Adobe Lightroom Mobile cross-device cloud sync, the feature that makes editing consistent across phone, tablet and desktop, is entirely gated behind a Creative Cloud Photography plan subscription, so the free mobile app functions as an isolated single-device editor.
  • They diverge on capability: Adobe Illustrator covers Vector drawing, Adobe Lightroom Mobile covers RAW and JPEG editing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Lightroom Mobile actually diverge.

Attributes where Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Lightroom Mobile differ
AttributeAdobe IllustratorAdobe Lightroom Mobile
Starting price$22.99/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionFree for local, single-device editing; cloud sync and some tools require a Creative Cloud Photography plan
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Macos, IosiOS, Android
CategoryDesignPhotography
Founded1982Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Adobe Illustrator

  • Vector drawing
  • Bezier tools
  • Shape tools
  • Typography
  • Gradients & effects
  • Symbols & instances
  • Artboards
  • 3D capabilities

Only in Adobe Lightroom Mobile

  • RAW and JPEG editing
  • In-app RAW camera
  • Presets
  • Local editing without subscription
  • Cloud sync (subscription required)
  • AI-based masking and select tools (subscription required)

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Adobe Illustrator

  • Logo designnot Adobe Lightroom Mobile
  • Vector illustrationnot Adobe Lightroom Mobile
  • Icon designnot Adobe Lightroom Mobile
  • Print designnot Adobe Lightroom Mobile

Adobe Lightroom Mobile

  • A mobile photographer wanting RAW editing on a phone without paying for a subscription, and not needing cross-device syncnot Adobe Illustrator
  • An existing Creative Cloud Photography subscriber wanting their desktop Lightroom edits available on mobilenot Adobe Illustrator
  • Someone shooting RAW directly in the app for maximum editing latitude versus a standard JPEG capturenot Adobe Illustrator
  • A photographer testing Lightroom mobile tools before deciding whether to commit to the paid subscription for the full desktop and cloud workflownot Adobe Illustrator

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Adobe Illustrator

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud as part of Adobe Creative Cloud (which bundles Illustrator) at £58 to £80 per licence per month, via reseller ServiceKey

Adobe Lightroom Mobile

  • Cross-device cloud sync, the feature that makes editing consistent across phone, tablet and desktop, is entirely gated behind a Creative Cloud Photography plan subscription, so the free mobile app functions as an isolated single-device editor.
  • Free-tier cloud storage is limited to a small allotment, and photographers shooting in RAW will exhaust it quickly, pushing toward a paid plan sooner than the free label suggests.
  • Some newer AI-based tools, including certain masking and generative editing features, are subscription-gated, so the free app does not carry the full current tool set shown in Adobe marketing for Lightroom generally.
  • The subscription is billed through the same Creative Cloud Photography plan that covers desktop Lightroom, so this is not a separate cheaper mobile-only purchase, it is the same recurring cost whether used on one device or several.
  • Cancelling the Creative Cloud subscription can restrict access to cloud-synced photos and certain previously applied edits, so photos edited under a subscription are not fully portable if the subscription lapses.

Pricing, plan by plan

Adobe Illustrator

$22.99/month
  • Single App$22.99/month
    • Illustrator desktop app
    • 100GB cloud storage
    • Adobe Fonts
  • All Apps$59.99/month
    • All Creative Cloud apps
    • 100GB cloud storage
    • Adobe Stock trial

Adobe Lightroom Mobile

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Local RAW and JPEG editing on a single device
    • In-app RAW camera capture
    • No cross-device cloud sync
  • Creative Cloud Photography plan$9.99/month
    • Cross-device cloud sync of photos and edits
    • 20GB or 1TB of cloud storage depending on plan tier
    • Includes desktop Lightroom and Photoshop access

Which should you pick?

Choose Adobe Illustrator if

  • You need vector drawing.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Ios.
  • You also want bezier tools.
Adobe Illustrator review

Choose Adobe Lightroom Mobile if

  • You need raw and jpeg editing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want in-app raw camera.
Adobe Lightroom Mobile review

Questions people ask

Is Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Lightroom Mobile better?
Neither clearly leads. Adobe Illustrator starts at $22.99/month and Adobe Lightroom Mobile at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Lightroom Mobile?
Adobe Lightroom Mobile has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $22.99/month for Adobe Illustrator and Free for Adobe Lightroom Mobile.
Does Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Lightroom Mobile run on more platforms?
Adobe Illustrator runs on Windows, Macos, Ios. Adobe Lightroom Mobile runs on iOS, Android.
Can I use Adobe Lightroom Mobile for free?
Yes. Adobe Lightroom Mobile has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Adobe Illustrator starts at $22.99/month.
What is Adobe Illustrator best used for?
Adobe Illustrator is most often used for logo design, vector illustration, icon design, print design. Of those, logo design and vector illustration are not what Adobe Lightroom Mobile is typically brought in for.
What can Adobe Illustrator do that Adobe Lightroom Mobile cannot?
Adobe Illustrator covers Vector drawing, Bezier tools, Shape tools, Typography. Adobe Lightroom Mobile covers RAW and JPEG editing, In-app RAW camera, Presets, Local editing without subscription.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Adobe Lightroom Mobile: Is Lightroom Mobile free?

Core local RAW and JPEG editing on a single device is free; cross-device cloud sync and some advanced tools require a Creative Cloud Photography plan subscription.

Adobe Lightroom Mobile: Is this the same as the desktop Lightroom application?

It shares the Lightroom name and many editing tools, but it is the separate mobile application; desktop Lightroom is catalogued as its own entry in this directory.

Adobe Lightroom Mobile: Do I need a subscription to shoot RAW photos in the app?

No, in-app RAW capture works without a subscription; the subscription is required for cloud sync and certain advanced editing tools.

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