Compared with Lightroom
- Starts ₹1,000/mo higher (₹1,800/mo vs ₹800/mo)
Design tools · Alternatives
Best Lightroom alternatives in India (2026)
Lightroom is a design tools product from Adobe, San Jose, priced at ₹800/mo. We compared 20 alternatives on published price, free plan, platforms and made-in-India support: 5 have a free plan, 1 are built in India, and 5 start cheaper or free.
Quick answer
The closest alternatives to Lightroom are Capture One (₹1,800/mo), Affinity Photo (₹6,000/mo), Sketch (₹900/mo), Tailor Brands (₹800/mo) and Balsamiq (₹800/mo). GIMP is the top-ranked option with a free plan. Published prices in this list start at ₹800/month.
Why businesses look for a Lightroom alternative
There is no free plan
Lightroom has no free tier. 5 alternatives do, which lets you test with real data before you pay.
Cost
Lightroom starts at ₹800/mo. 5 alternatives start lower or have a free plan.
Indian support and GST
Lightroom is built in United States. 1 alternatives are made in India, where GST, TDS and UPI are usually handled natively and support runs on IST.
Lightroom alternatives compared
Ranked by how closely each product matches Lightroom's category, pricing model, platforms and business size, then by rating. Prices exclude GST.
| # | Software | Starting price | Free plan | Platforms | Made in India | Rating | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Lightroom (current) | ₹800/mo | No | Web | No | 4.3/5 | — |
| 1 |  Capture One | ₹1,800/mo | No | Web | No | 4.3/5 | |
| 2 |  Affinity Photo | ₹6,000/mo | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 3 |  Sketch | ₹900/mo | No | Web | No | 4.5/5 | |
| 4 |  Tailor Brands | ₹800/mo | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 5 |  Balsamiq | ₹800/mo | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 6 |  Luminar Neo | ₹1,000/mo | No | Web | No | 4.2/5 | |
| 7 |  Shutterstock | ₹2,500/mo | No | Web | No | 4.3/5 | |
| 8 |  Placeit | ₹800/mo | No | Web | No | 4.3/5 | |
| 9 |  CorelDRAW | ₹2,000/mo | No | Web | No | 4.5/5 | |
| 10 |  Axure RP | ₹2,000/mo | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 11 |  Proto.io | ₹2,000/mo | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 12 |  Envato Elements | ₹1,500/mo | No | Web | No | 4.2/5 | |
| 13 |  GIMP | Free | Yes | Web | No | 4.7/5 | |
| 14 |  Looka | ₹1,600/mo | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 15 |  Icons8 | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 16 |  Noun Project | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 17 |  Brandmark | ₹2,000/mo | No | Web | No | 4.3/5 | |
| 18 |  Designs.ai | ₹2,400/mo | No | Web | No | 4.3/5 | |
| 19 |  Erase.bg | Free plan | Yes | Web | Yes | 4.4/5 | |
| 20 |  Darktable | Free | Yes | Web | No | 4.4/5 |
Top 10 Lightroom alternatives in detail
₹6,000/mo
Free trial
Compared with Lightroom
- Starts ₹5,200/mo higher (₹6,000/mo vs ₹800/mo)
Compared with Lightroom
- Starts ₹100/mo higher (₹900/mo vs ₹800/mo)
₹800/mo
Free trial
Compared with Lightroom
- Starts ₹200/mo higher (₹1,000/mo vs ₹800/mo)
₹2,500/mo
Free trial
Compared with Lightroom
- Starts ₹1,700/mo higher (₹2,500/mo vs ₹800/mo)
9. CorelDRAW
Alludo · Ottawa · Design tools · 4.5/5
Vector illustration suite popular in Indian print shops.
₹2,000/mo
Free trial
Compared with Lightroom
- Starts ₹1,200/mo higher (₹2,000/mo vs ₹800/mo)
Compared with Lightroom
- Starts ₹1,200/mo higher (₹2,000/mo vs ₹800/mo)
Lightroom alternatives by what you need
Cheaper than Lightroom
Free Lightroom alternatives
Indian alternatives to Lightroom
How to choose a Lightroom alternative
- Match the tool to the user: Canva for marketers, Figma for product teams, Adobe for professional creatives.
- Check brand-kit and template governance for teams.
- AI features are now standard — compare quality, not presence.
Lightroom alternatives — FAQs
What is the best alternative to Lightroom in 2026?+
The closest matches to Lightroom on App Advisor are Capture One (₹1,800/mo), Affinity Photo (₹6,000/mo), Sketch (₹900/mo). They are ranked by how closely their category, pricing model, platforms and target business size match Lightroom, then by rating. The best choice depends on your team size and budget.
Is there a free alternative to Lightroom?+
Yes. 5 of the 20 alternatives listed have a free plan or are free: GIMP (Free), Icons8 (Free plan), Noun Project (Free plan). Free plans usually cap users, records or transactions, so check the limits against your monthly volume.
What is the cheapest alternative to Lightroom?+
Among alternatives that publish a price, Tailor Brands starts lowest at ₹800/mo, compared with ₹800/mo for Lightroom. GIMP also has a free plan. Prices are read from each vendor's website and exclude GST.
Is there an Indian alternative to Lightroom?+
Yes. 1 alternatives are built in India, including Erase.bg (Free plan). Indian products usually handle GST, TDS and UPI natively and bill in rupees.
Lightroom vs Capture One: which is better?+
Capture One is the closest match to Lightroom in our catalogue. Key differences: Starts ₹1,000/mo higher (₹1,800/mo vs ₹800/mo). Compare them side by side before you book a demo.
How were these Lightroom alternatives chosen?+
Every product listed sits in design tools or a category Lightroom also covers, and Adobe's own products are excluded. Prices, free plans and platforms come from each vendor's official website. App Advisor does not sell any of this software.
Free shortlist
Not sure which Lightroom alternative fits?
Tell us your team size and budget and we'll send a shortlist of three.
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