Adobe Lightroomvs
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop: Offers advanced layer-based editing and complex retouching that Lightroom lacks, ideal for detailed manipulation work.
Adobe Lightroom
Photo editing and organization software for photographers
As of 30 August 2026, Adobe Lightroom has a free plan and paid plans start at $11.99/month. Adobe Lightroom is a powerful photo editing and organization software designed for photographers. Softwr lists it under Photography. Adobe Lightroom is made by Adobe Inc, launched in 1982, available on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS.
Overview
What Adobe Lightroom does
Adobe Lightroom is a powerful photo editing and organization software designed for photographers. It provides professional-grade tools for importing, organizing, editing, and sharing large volumes of digital photographs with non-destructive editing workflows and advanced color correction capabilities.
What people use it for
- Photo editing
- RAW processing
- Photo organization
- Client galleries
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Adobe Lightroom.
- No layer support for complex edits, requiring Photoshop for advanced manipulation
- Generative credits limited and require monthly replenishment, restricting AI features usage
- Cloud storage required for full functionality and syncing
- No dual monitor support within the application
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of Adobe Lightroom
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- Adobe LightroomvsAffinity Photo
Affinity Photo: Provides perpetual license option and non-destructive editing similar to Lightroom without subscription requirement.
- Adobe LightroomvsGIMP
GIMP: Free and open-source raster editor with layer support for those avoiding subscription costs.
Pricing
What Adobe Lightroom costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Lightroom Plan (1TB)
$11.99 /mo
- Lightroom cloud storage with 1TB
- 100 generative credits per month
Photography Plan
$19.99 /mo
- Lightroom and Lightroom Classic
- Photoshop
- 1TB cloud storage
- 500 generative credits per month
Capabilities
Features
RAW photo editing
Non-destructive editing
Batch processing
Color correction
Lens corrections
Adobe Creative Cloud
Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe Stock
Integration with Adobe Stock
Adobe Portfolio
Integration with Adobe Portfolio
Photoshop
Integration with Photoshop
Cloud sync encryption
Cloud sync encryption security feature
Version control
Version control security feature
Backup and restore
Backup and restore security feature
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Can I edit photos offline in Lightroom?
Yes, you can edit locally stored photos without syncing to the cloud. Lightroom lets you access photos from your device through the Local tab and edit them independently of cloud connectivity.
SourceWhat are generative credits and how many do I get?
Generative credits limit AI-powered edits like Generative Fill and Expand. Plans joined before June 17, 2025 receive 100 credits monthly; newer plans get 25 credits. The Photography Plan with 1TB includes 500 credits.
SourceCan I use Lightroom and Photoshop together?
Yes, you can open photos from Lightroom in Photoshop by right-clicking and selecting Edit in Photoshop. When saved from Photoshop, the edited image reappears in Lightroom automatically.
SourceWhat platforms does Lightroom support?
Lightroom is available on desktop (macOS and Windows), mobile (iOS and Android), web browser, and Apple TV, allowing access across devices.
SourceBehind it
Who makes Adobe Lightroom
- Company
- Adobe Inc
- Based in
- San Jose, CA
- Founders
- John Warnock, Charles Geschke
Timeline
Adobe Lightroom over time
Keep looking
Where to go from Adobe Lightroom
- Adobe Lightroom alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- Adobe Lightroom pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- Adobe Lightroom badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Photography softwareThe full category
- Best Photography softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Photography software for
Compare Adobe Lightroom with
- Affinity Photo
- ON1 Photo RAW
- Capture One
- Photo Mechanic
- Nik Collection
- Luminar Neo
- Picsart
- Snapseed
- ACDSee
- Aftershoot
- Imagen AI
- Pixelmator Pro
- Pixieset
- Remini
- Facetune
- ON1 Photo RAW
- Photo Mechanic
- DxO PhotoLab
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Free plan10 researched notesAll-in-one RAW photo editor and organizer, an alternative to Lightroom and Photoshop
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From $139/one-time13 researched notesRAW processor built around lab-measured lens corrections and DeepPRIME denoising
From $139/one-time13 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Adobe Lightroom, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Lightroom alternatives
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Adobe Lightroom pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare Adobe Lightroom
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Best Photography software alternatives
Selfie and portrait retouching app from Lightricks, sold on a subscription with a short free trial
Free download with a short free trial, most tools require a Facetune Pro subscription that auto-renews annually
Perpetual-licence RAW editor and cataloguer built around film-emulation presets, from a very small vendor
One-time purchase
Google's photo backup and organisation app, now billed against shared Google account storage
Free tier plus paid storage add-on
AI photo editing and avatar generation app from Prisma Labs, known for its viral Magic Avatars feature
Free download with a short free trial, Magic Avatars and most tools require paymentAI culling, editing and retouching for photographers, priced flat rate per month rather than per image
Per module per month, unlimited imagesAI photo culling and editing priced per image, with volume tiers that reward committing to a set annual number
Per image, with annual volume tiers
One-time purchase photo editor from Corel, positioned as a budget Photoshop alternative with no subscription
One-time purchase, paid upgradesPhoto cataloguing and RAW editing sold as a perpetual licence or as an ACDSee 365 subscription
One-time purchase or per-user subscription