darktable
A free, open-source photography workflow app and RAW developer with a lighttable and darkroom.
- Verified facts
- 4 of 4
- Alternatives ranked
- 5
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- 0
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About darktable
darktable is the most complete open-source alternative to Lightroom. Like Lightroom it splits work into a lighttable for importing, rating and tagging, and a darkroom for non-destructive development, with a map view, tethered capture and slideshow modes alongside. Its processing pipeline is scene-referred and highly technical: modules such as filmic and sigmoid tone mapping, color calibration, and parametric and drawn masks give fine control, and you can stack many instances of a module. That depth comes with a learning curve, and defaults can feel unfamiliar to people coming from Adobe. Edits are stored in XMP sidecar files next to your images, so they are not locked into a proprietary catalogue. darktable is free under the GNU GPL and is built by volunteers. It runs on Linux, Windows and Apple silicon Macs.
Best for: Photographers who want a free Lightroom-style workflow and don't mind a technical learning curve.
Pros and cons
What works
- Free and open source, with no catalogue lock-in
- Powerful scene-referred tools and flexible masking
- Includes library, tethering and map views, not just editing
Why people leave
- Steep learning curve and unfamiliar defaults
- No official builds for Intel Macs
- Interface can feel cluttered with many modules
Top darktable alternatives
See all 5- 1
RawTherapee66.5Another free RAW processor, with a simpler file-browser approach and very fine detail controls.
- 2
Adobe Lightroom62.6Easier to learn, with cloud sync to phone and tablet, if you'll pay a subscription.
- 3
Capture One59.6Commercial alternative with polished colour tools and excellent tethering.
- 4
digiKam47.8Open-source photo manager that pairs well with darktable for larger libraries.
- 5
DxO PhotoLab46.7Paid once, with best-in-class lens corrections and noise reduction out of the box.
Why people left darktable
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darktable: common questions
Is darktable free?
Yes. darktable is free, open-source software.
Is darktable open source?
Yes. The source code is on GitHub at darktable-org/darktable.
What platforms does darktable run on?
darktable is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.
What are the best alternatives to darktable?
The highest-ranked darktable alternatives right now are RawTherapee, Adobe Lightroom and Capture One. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.