darktable vs ON1 Photo RAW

darktable is a free photography workflow application for organizing digital negatives and developing raw images. It stores images in a database and provides a zoomable lighttable, while its editing leaves original files unchanged. It imports standard, raw and high dynamic range formats such as JPEG, CR2, NEF, HDR, PFM and RAF. Color tools include automatic display-profile detection on most systems and built-in ICC profiles for sRGB, Adobe RGB, XYZ and linear RGB. Many operations can use OpenCL GPU acceleration, and tethered shooting with live view is supported for some camera brands. Exports include disk storage, email attachments, Piwigo webalbums and HTML-based galleries; many aspects can also be scripted in Lua. Optional AI tools cover object masking, denoising and upscaling, but the Flatpak release does not include them as of September 2026. Downloads are available for Windows, macOS and Linux/Unix options. macOS bundles require version 13.5 or later. The project notes that the learning curve can be steep.

ON1 Photo RAW is paid desktop software for photographers who want RAW processing, editing, organization and export in one application. It supports batch editing, layers, masking, AI retouching and cloud sync, and browses files where they are stored while providing tags, albums, stacking and AI keywording. Built-in AI tools include NoNoise AI, Resize AI, Generative Erase, Sky Swap AI, Restore AI and Brilliance AI. Super Select AI, subject and background masks and AI depth masks target specific areas. Optional connections are listed for Photoshop CC, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom Classic, Apple Photos and Affinity Photo; MAX adds Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom plugins. Restore AI uses cloud processing, and ON1 says submitted photos are not used to train models. The standard edition installs on two computers, MAX on three, and subscriptions on up to five, depending on plan. A 30-day trial is available, with no free plan.