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Design · 10 alternatives

Instead of darktable, try one of these 10.

Every alternative is lined up against darktable on what people actually switch for: price, open source, self-hosting, offline use and platforms. darktable sits in the first row, so you can see what you give up.

Show onlySorted by likes · 10 of 10
Alternative
Price
Open source
Self-host
Offline
Platforms
darktableWhat you have now
Non-destructive RAW photography workflow and darkroom toolkit.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
GIMP#1
Free, open-source image editor with layers, masks and plugins.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
digiKam#2
KDE photo library manager with tagging and RAW previews.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
RawTherapee#3
Open RAW converter with detailed color and detail controls.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
Shotwell#4
Simple GNOME photo organiser and viewer for Linux desktops.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Linux
ACDSee Photo Studio#5
Windows photo manager and editor with broad RAW format support.
PricePaid
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · iOS
Polarr#6
Cross-platform photo editor with filters and colour adjustments.
PriceFreemium
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflinePartial
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · iOS · Android
Affinity#7
Unified suite for photo, vector, and layout design.
PriceFreemium
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · iOS
Snapseed#8
Google's mobile photo enhancer with selective adjustment tools.
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
iOS · Android
RapidRAW#9
GPU-accelerated RAW developer with a non-destructive workflow.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux · Android
VectorCraft#10
Desktop vector editor with a tidy, distraction-free canvas.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux

How to read this. “Yes” means fully supported by the maker. “Partial” means it works with caveats. Likes reflect community popularity; vendors can’t pay for them or for placement. How we compare.

darktable alternatives at a glance

darktable is a free design app. We compared 10 alternatives: 6 are open source, 7 are completely free, 0 can be self-hosted and 9 work fully offline. The most popular is GIMP, with 3.1k likes.

Most liked overallGIMP

Free, open-source image editor with layers, masks and plugins.

Free · Open source · Works offline
Best free optiondigiKam

KDE photo library manager with tagging and RAW previews.

Free · Open source · Works offline
Best open-source optionRawTherapee

Open RAW converter with detailed color and detail controls.

Free · Open source · Works offline
Best for offline useShotwell

Simple GNOME photo organiser and viewer for Linux desktops.

Free · Open source · Works offline

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