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the catalog · 📷 Photo editing

Darktable

★ 11k

RAW photo workflow and non-destructive editing — the open Lightroom.

Darktable does the job of Adobe Lightroom, self-hosted. It is GPL-3.0-licensed, a copyleft licence, and it installs in about one command. Adobe Lightroom bills $12 for it. 11k stars on GitHub.

Open-source replacement for Adobe Lightroom.

Licence
GPL-3.0
Self-hosting
Easy
The paid one costs
$12
GitHub stars
11k
view the code →official site →

Is it actually a replacement?

We have written a verdict on what it replaces — what you lose, and why people still pay:

How Darktable runs

Where it runs

Darktable runs on on your machine.

Installing it

Install the Windows executable, macOS disk image, Linux package, Flatpak, or AppImage.

Where your data lives

Original photos stay untouched; edits, ratings, tags, and history are stored in a local SQLite library and portable XMP sidecar files, with thumbnails and cache data in the user profile.

What setup takes

macOS may require a Gatekeeper right-click Open or xattr step; the larger obstacle is learning darktable's module-heavy workflow rather than installation.

The catch compared with Adobe Lightroom

It has the photographic depth, but not Lightroom's effortless Adobe cloud sync, mobile editing, shared albums, Discover ecosystem, or gentle learning curve.

Darktable questions

Is Darktable open source?

Yes — it is released under GPL-3.0.

Can Darktable replace Adobe Lightroom?

Our verdict on Adobe Lightroom is YES. darktable (13k stars), RapidRAW (9k stars), GIMP (5k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Adobe Lightroom — self-host in one command and stop paying $22.49/mo.

Can I self-host Darktable?

Yes — we rate it easy to self-host, and it runs on on your machine. Install the Windows executable, macOS disk image, Linux package, Flatpak, or AppImage.

Does Darktable run locally?

Yes — it runs on your own machine rather than on a server, so your data stays on your disk.

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