Adobe's desktop-first RAW catalog and editor, the long-time standard for professional photo workflows.
Adobe's cloud-first photo app, syncing a full library across desktop, mobile, and web.
A professional RAW editor known for color grading and tethered shooting, popular with studio and fashion photographers.
An all-in-one RAW editor and organizer that bundles layers, effects, and presets into a single app.
An AI-effects-focused photo editor aimed at fast, dramatic edits for enthusiasts.
A RAW editor best known for optics-based lens correction and DeepPRIME noise reduction.
A free, open-source RAW editor with a non-destructive, darkroom-style workflow popular with Linux users.
A free, open-source RAW processor with a very deep manual editing toolset, popular with technically minded photographers.
A free, open-source photo management app with cataloging, tagging, and basic RAW editing built in.
An extremely fast photo ingest and culling tool built for photojournalists and high-volume shooters.
An AI culling specialist for wedding and portrait photographers that has grown into a full workflow platform, adding AI editing, retouching and client galleries.
An AI-assisted culling tool focused on fast focus and blink detection for photographers with high shot volumes.
A desktop AI culling and editing app aimed at high-volume event work, with the AI processing running in FilterPixel's cloud.
A long-running photo management and editing suite with cataloging, RAW editing, and layer-based tools.
A layers-based image editor for retouching and compositing, closer to Photoshop than a culling or batch RAW tool.
A cloud AI editing and culling service that learns your editing style, applies it inside your Lightroom Classic workflow, and is adding its own editor and export in a beta rolling out from September 2026.
A local AI photo and video management app for searching, rating and selecting large libraries, sold as a one-time licence.
A fast, local culling app for Mac, iPad and iPhone, sold as a one-time perpetual licence.
Pricing at a glance
Each figure comes from the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Prices change and vary by region; the linked page is the authority.
| Software | Model | Price as checked | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| imagic | One-time license | Lite EUR 19, Plus EUR 49, Max EUR 99, once; free 500-export trial, no card | 2026-10-01 |
| Lightroom Classic | Subscription | Adobe Photography plan (1TB), which includes Lightroom Classic, Lightroom and Photoshop: USD 19.99/month billed annually, as listed on Adobe's US plans page on 3 October 2026 (prices vary by region; check Adobe for current pricing) (source) | 2026-10-03 |
| Lightroom (CC) | Subscription | Lightroom plan (1TB): USD 11.99/month billed annually; the Photography plan (1TB) that adds Lightroom Classic and Photoshop is USD 19.99/month, as listed on Adobe's US plans page on 3 October 2026 (prices vary by region; check Adobe for current pricing) (source) | 2026-10-03 |
| Capture One | Subscription | As of 3 October 2026, EUR 20.50/month for Pro billed annually, EUR 28.00 for All in One, EUR 52.92 for Studio; a Capture One Pro perpetual license is still sold at EUR 391.00 one time (check vendor for current pricing and terms) (source) | 2026-10-03 |
| ON1 Photo RAW | One-time license | One-time purchase as of 21 October 2026: ON1 Photo RAW 2027 USD 99.99 (listed as reduced from 199.98) and ON1 Photo RAW MAX 2027 USD 149.99 (reduced from 339.98), with yearly subscription plans also offered (MAX USD 89.99/year) (check vendor for current pricing) (source) | 2026-11-04 |
| Luminar Neo | One-time license | One-time purchase as of 21 October 2026, shown at Black Friday promotional prices: Desktop Only EUR 89, All Platforms EUR 109, or Max EUR 129 (listed regular prices EUR 417 / 477 / 546); AI tools are included for 365 days, after which they need a Luminar Prime subscription (Max includes Prime); 30-day money-back guarantee (check vendor for current pricing and terms) (source) | 2026-10-21 |
| DxO PhotoLab | One-time license | As of 3 October 2026, DxO's shop lists a single DxO PhotoLab 10 edition (no separate Essential/Elite tiers shown): EUR 249.99 full licence or EUR 129.99 upgrade from an earlier owned version (USD pricing not shown on the EU shop page; check vendor for current pricing in your currency) (source) | 2026-10-04 |
| darktable | Free, open source | Free, no cost to download or use (open source, GPL-licensed) (source) | 2026-10-04 |
| RawTherapee | Free, open source | Free, no cost to download or use (open source, GPL-licensed) (source) | 2026-10-04 |
| digiKam | Free, open source | Free, no cost to download or use (open source, GPL-licensed) (source) | 2026-10-01 |
| Photo Mechanic | One-time license or subscription | As of 4 October 2026: Photo Mechanic USD 299 perpetual (one year of updates included), USD 14.99/month, or USD 149/year. Photo Mechanic Plus is listed at USD 399 perpetual, USD 24.99/month, or USD 249/year with working Add to Cart buttons, despite Camera Bits announcing on 2 March 2026 that Plus was no longer available for purchase (check vendor for current pricing) (source) | 2026-10-04 |
| Aftershoot | Subscription | As of 7 October 2026, billed yearly: Select USD 10/month, Retouch USD 20/month, Edit USD 30/month, or Complete (all three) USD 45/month, shown as USD 540/year; 30-day free trial (check vendor for current pricing) (source) | 2026-10-07 |
| Narrative Select | Subscription | Subscription only as of September 2026: Lite USD 15/month (USD 10 billed annually), Standard USD 29 (USD 20), Premium USD 59 (USD 40), Ultra USD 79 (USD 60); no lifetime licence is currently offered (check vendor for current pricing and terms) (source) | 2026-10-01 |
| FilterPixel | Subscription | From USD 14.99/month billed annually (Standard, USD 180/year, 20 DeepCull shoots) as of September 2026; Pro USD 34.99/month and Studio USD 64.99/month billed annually include more shoots and custom AI profiles; extra DeepCull shoots USD 7.99 each (check vendor for current pricing) (source) | 2026-10-04 |
| ACDSee Photo Studio | One-time license | One-time purchase as of 1 October 2026: Photo Studio Home 2027 USD 69.99, Professional 2027 USD 119.99, Ultimate 2027 USD 179.99; a subscription option is also offered (check vendor for current pricing) (source) | 2026-10-01 |
| Affinity Photo | Free + paid tiers | The Affinity app (photo, vector and layout in one) is free as of 1 October 2026; its AI tools need a paid Canva Premium plan (check current terms) (source) | 2026-10-04 |
| Imagen | Subscription or pay-per-photo | As of 7 October 2026 for individuals: pay-as-you-go from EUR 0.045 per photo, charged on export since 29 September 2026, with a EUR 7 monthly minimum that rolls over as editing credit (AI culling is a separate add-on from EUR 11/month), or Limitless at EUR 109/month billed annually with unlimited editing and culling; 1,000 free edits, no card (check vendor for current pricing) (source) | 2026-10-07 |
| Excire Foto | One-time license | Excire Foto 2027 lifetime licence USD 249 / EUR 229 as of September 2026 (USD 219 / EUR 199 during its launch promotion), with discounted upgrades from earlier versions and a 14-day free trial (check vendor for current pricing) (source) | 2026-09-30 |
| PhotoCuller | One-time license | As of September 2026: Standard USD 59 (2 devices, 1 year of updates) or Plus USD 79 (4 devices, 2 years of updates), perpetual Mac licence, extra update years USD 29; 30-day free trial with no card (check vendor for current pricing) (source) | 2026-09-30 |
Already decided you want to switch? The alternatives guides skip straight to what people like about each tool, where independent reviews say it falls short, and who should actually switch.
How these comparisons are written
Each page uses the same structure: an honest read on where the other tool stands, a factual side-by-side table, its genuine strengths, imagic's genuine advantages, explicit "choose them if" guidance, and the things imagic does not do. Competitor prices are quoted from the vendor's pricing page with the date we read it.
imagic's own numbers are simple: one-time licenses at €19 (Lite), €49 (Plus), and €99 (Max), a free 500-export trial with no card, and local-only processing on Windows and macOS. Everything else is on the imagic fact sheet.
Comparison tables don't cull shoots
Run your next job through imagic free for 500 exports and judge with your own files.