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Photography · head to head

Adobe Lightroom Mobile vs Nik Collection

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
Nik Collection logo

Nik Collection

Photography

Plugin suite of specialised editing tools, black and white, HDR, colour effects, sold as a one-time purchase by DxO

From
On request
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 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.; Nik Collection it is a finishing plugin suite, not a RAW editor, so it needs Photoshop, Lightroom Classic or DxO PhotoLab installed to use its full feature set.
  • They diverge on capability: Adobe Lightroom Mobile covers RAW and JPEG editing, Nik Collection covers Silver Efex Pro.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Adobe Lightroom Mobile and Nik Collection differ
AttributeAdobe Lightroom MobileNik Collection
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFree for local, single-device editing; cloud sync and some tools require a Creative Cloud Photography planOne-time purchase
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, AndroidWindows, macOS

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

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 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)

Only in Nik Collection

  • Silver Efex Pro
  • Color Efex Pro
  • HDR Efex Pro
  • Analog Efex Pro
  • Viveza
  • Host and standalone modes

What people use each for

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

Adobe Lightroom Mobile

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

Nik Collection

  • A Lightroom Classic user who wants Silver Efex specifically for black and white conversionnot Adobe Lightroom Mobile
  • A DxO PhotoLab user finishing landscape work with HDR Efex tone mappingnot Adobe Lightroom Mobile
  • A photographer building a vintage film look with Analog Efex on top of a standard RAW editnot Adobe Lightroom Mobile
  • Someone who wants a one-time purchase finishing toolkit rather than adding another subscription to an existing editing stacknot Adobe Lightroom Mobile

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Nik Collection

  • It is a finishing plugin suite, not a RAW editor, so it needs Photoshop, Lightroom Classic or DxO PhotoLab installed to use its full feature set.
  • Standalone mode has fewer capabilities than running it through a host application, which is not always obvious to a first-time buyer.
  • New major versions are paid upgrades, so the true multi-year cost is higher than the one-time headline price suggests for users who upgrade every release.
  • It does not integrate with Lightroom cloud-based (non-Classic) or with Capture One, narrowing which existing workflows can use it as a plugin.
  • Since DxO acquisition from Google, some of the individual Efex tools have seen slower feature development than dedicated competitors like Topaz for specific tasks such as noise reduction.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Nik Collection

On request
  • Nik Collection$159/one-time
    • Lifetime licence, no subscription
    • Runs as a plugin or standalone application
    • Upgrade pricing offered to existing owners for future versions

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Nik Collection if

  • You need silver efex pro.
  • You work on Windows, macOS.
  • You also want color efex pro.
Nik Collection review

Questions people ask

Is Adobe Lightroom Mobile or Nik Collection better?
Neither clearly leads. Adobe Lightroom Mobile starts at Free and Nik Collection at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Adobe Lightroom Mobile or Nik Collection?
Adobe Lightroom Mobile has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Adobe Lightroom Mobile and On request for Nik Collection.
Does Adobe Lightroom Mobile or Nik Collection run on more platforms?
Adobe Lightroom Mobile runs on iOS, Android. Nik Collection runs on Windows, macOS.
Can I use Adobe Lightroom Mobile for free?
Yes. Adobe Lightroom Mobile has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Nik Collection starts at On request.
What is Adobe Lightroom Mobile best used for?
Adobe Lightroom Mobile is most often used for a mobile photographer wanting raw editing on a phone without paying for a subscription, and not needing cross-device sync, an existing creative cloud photography subscriber wanting their desktop lightroom edits available on mobile, someone shooting raw directly in the app for maximum editing latitude versus a standard jpeg capture, a photographer testing lightroom mobile tools before deciding whether to commit to the paid subscription for the full desktop and cloud workflow. Of those, a mobile photographer wanting raw editing on a phone without paying for a subscription, and not needing cross-device sync and an existing creative cloud photography subscriber wanting their desktop lightroom edits available on mobile are not what Nik Collection is typically brought in for.
What can Adobe Lightroom Mobile do that Nik Collection cannot?
Adobe Lightroom Mobile covers RAW and JPEG editing, In-app RAW camera, Presets, Local editing without subscription. Nik Collection covers Silver Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, HDR Efex Pro, Analog Efex Pro.

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.

Nik Collection: Is Nik Collection a subscription?

No, DxO sells it as a lifetime licence with optional paid upgrades for future versions.

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.

Nik Collection: Do I need Photoshop or Lightroom to use it?

It works best as a plugin inside Photoshop, Lightroom Classic or DxO PhotoLab, but it also has a smaller-featured standalone mode.

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.

Nik Collection: What is Nik Collection best for specifically?

Black and white conversion through Silver Efex and HDR tone mapping through HDR Efex are its most distinctive tools.

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