Adobe Lightroom Classic Competition 2021

Dedicated Digital Photography Workflow Software did not exist before Lightroom. Until then, most photographers worked on their images using Adobe Photoshop by opening, processing and then saving images over and over. This traditional process produces a huge volume of images since each variant occupies additional storage. Lightroom brought the non-destructive model used by video editing and special effects software to the world of images for the first time.

As of 2021, there are 9 Digital Photography Workflow Software:

• Adobe Lightroom Classic 10.1 - Windows & Mac OS
• Corel AfterShot Pro 3 (Formerly Bibble Pro) - Windows, Mac OS & Linux
• Phase One Capture One 20 - Windows & Mac OS
• IDimager Photo Supreme 5 - Windows & Mac OS
• Photools IMatch 2020 - Windows Only
• DxO PhotoLab 4 - Windows & Mac OS
• ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2021 - Windows Only
• ON1 PhotoRAW
• CameraBits Photo Mechanic Plus

These programs all offer a combination of DAM software features and image processing capabilities but tend to lean heavily towards one side or the other. Many can be complemented by another application that provides functionality not covered. While image processing applications can integrate well with Lightroom Classic, DAM software cannot because Lightroom only operates on images that are imported into its catalog.

Here is a comparison of the first 6 software listed above. Given that Lightroom Classic is the benchmark, all features and performance are quantified relative to this application, hence the middle 3 rating is set to level of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic. Unfortunately, ON1 PhotoRAW could not be tested due to its excessive demands on video memory (512MB minimum required). CameraBits Photo Mechanic Plus was tested but never managed to catalog anything. Although other software above failed certain tasks, none so epicly as Photo Mechanic Plus. Features compared in the table below are quantified relative to Lightroom.

	Lightroom Classic	AfterShot Pro	Capture One	Photo Supreme	IMatch	PhotoLab	Photo Studio
Catalog	TREE	TREE	FLAT	PARTIAL4	TREE	FLAT	TREE
Filesystem	NO	YES	YES	NO	NO	YES	YES
Import	3	2[1]	5	1	2	1	1
Search	3	4	4	5	5	1	2
Filter	3	2	1	2	5	1	3
Metadata	3	2	1	4	5	1	2
Process	3	2	5	2	N / A	26	03
Render	3	2	42	1	N / A	5	03
Usability	3	3	1	3	2	3	2
Speed	3	4	3	5	2	4	5
Price5	∞ $10/mo	$60	$395 $2637	$130	$130	$200	$90

Notes:

1. High-Resolution NOT supported.
2. Preview corruption.
3. Disabled in trial.
4. Views are arbitrarily flat or hierarchical.
5. Prices in USD [March 2021]
6. Significantly restricted to Bayer RAW files.
7. Restricted Sony or Fujifilm. version.

Adobe Lightroom Classic sets an extremely high bar for competitors. This is why the table above has so much red. Even though a number of software offer more features or better performance in some areas, Lightroom works flawlessly while a surprisingly high proportion of software tested experienced issues at some point. There really is no competing software that provides the same exceptional balance of features as Lightroom Classic. With that in mind, here are the best viable Digital Photography Workflow Software.

Best Overall Lightroom Alternative

After reviewing every DAM software available for months, one clearly delivered the most even coverage of the Digital Photography Workflow: Corel AfterShot Pro 3. This software works with cataloged and uncatalogued files, making it usable for culling which Lightroom does not directly support. It offers extensive image search features and offers a reasonably complete set of image processing tools.

One serious flaw exists in AfterShot Pro and that is its inability to recognize high-resolution images. Even Lightroom has a limit of 512 megapixels, but AfterShot Pro stops at a much lower limit. This is a problem for panoramic photography yet it can handle current camera resolutions.

Best Image Processing Lightroom Competitor

Most Lightroom Classic alternatives primarily focus on either Image Processing or Digital Asset Management. For photographers with limited management features and those already using another DAM software, the most capable contender is Capture One. This high-end image-processing application offers uneven DAM features, while making them completely optional.

Capture One evolved into a Digital Photography Workflow software aimed at professional photographers. Its import features are the most powerful around and support additional workflow steps, including image off-loading and backups. Search is extremely sophisticated and allows for complex queries. It is too bad that filtering and metadata indexing are so limited though.

Image processing by Capture One is stellar. Its numerous tools are highly sophisticated and produce excellent output. Despite occasional corruption in image previews, rendered image-quality is class-leading. Usability though is really mixed. On the image processing side, things are mostly intuitive but the interface is incredibly frustrating with Digital Asset Management features. Although available for a one-time fee, the $395 price tag places its practical price at a similar level to Lightroom. Those using a single brand of digital camera are able to save a little but, even so, Capture One remains the most expensive Lightroom Classic competitor.

Best Cataloging Lightroom Alternative

Tilting towards powerful Digital Asset Management features, while providing basic image-processing functions, Photo Supreme 5 offers a different balance than the previous two Lightroom competitors. It is a reasonable option to consider as a complement to stand-alone image-processing software.

Photo Supreme 5 provides an unusual feature-set. Despite being built as a DAM software, there are important-to-know gaps in its cataloging capabilities. Import is unusually limited but its search features are extremely sophisticated and it indexes a large amount of metadata. Its main limitation comes down to retrieval where it lacks proper hierarchical views and offers limited filters.

This Digital Photography Workflow software provides reasonable image processing functions for photographers that require minimal retouching, instead concentrating on simple correction of color and exposure. Rendering options are limited but could be sufficient for rapid workflow. Its speed is exactly what makes Photo Supreme 5 stand-out as this application delivers one of the fastest performance around.