darktable review

darktable is the free answer to Lightroom's desktop raw workflow. The project describes it as an open source photography workflow application and raw developer: a lighttable that manages your images in a database, and a darkroom for developing them. Editing is fully non-destructive, the processing core works in floating point, and modules range from crop and exposure to advanced effects. It is also one of the few open source tools that supports tethered shooting. Installers are published for Windows, macOS and Linux, and it is licensed under the GNU GPL, so there is no price and no paid tier. The cost is time. darktable's scene-referred approach and long module list are harder to learn than any commercial app here, and there is no phone version, cloud sync or vendor support desk. For a raw shooter who enjoys learning the craft and does not want a subscription, it is remarkable value.

Who it is for

Raw shooters who want a free, powerful desktop editor and are willing to learn it.

Price

Free and open source under the GNU GPL.

darktable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developer.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 10, 2026.

Key features

• Non-destructive raw development with a floating point core
• Lighttable and database for managing large libraries
• Tethered shooting
• Modular processing from crop and exposure to advanced effects
• Builds for Windows, macOS and Linux

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free with no paid tier
• Strength: Deep raw processing control
• Strength: Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux
• Weakness: Steepest learning curve on this list
• Weakness: No mobile app or cloud sync
• Weakness: No vendor support desk

Key facts

• Price: Free
• License: GNU GPL 3.0 or later
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
• Tethering: Yes

Where it ranks

darktable is No. 7 in our Best Photo Editing Apps verdict.