Photomatix Pro vs SNS-HDR
Photomatix Pro
photomatix.comSNS-HDR
sns-hdr.comSide by side
| Figure | Photomatix Pro | SNS-HDR |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $19/mo | €30/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 3 | 5 |
| Spec score · HDR Software | 7.8 (#7) | 7.8 (#8) |
| Purpose | Photomatix merges bracketed photos into an HDR image that captures detail in both the darkest and brightest areas. | SNS-HDR processes images with HDR techniques, creating HDR images from photo sequences and processing single images. |
| Support | Support provides FAQs, technical support by email and a contact form, and says ordering or licensing questions receive a reply within 24 hours and other queries within two business days. | The maker provides a user forum with discussion, help, tutorials, and bug-report sections. |
Plans
Photomatix Pro
- Photomatix API & CLI$19 a month
- Photomatix Pro 7$99, paid once
- Photomatix Pro Plus Bundle$129, paid once
SNS-HDR
- SNS-HDR Home€30 a month
- SNS-HDR Professional€85 a month
- SNS-HDR LiteFree
- SNS-HDR Home€30, paid once
- SNS-HDR Professional€85, paid once
In their own words
Photomatix Pro
Photomatix Pro combines bracketed photos into HDR images, bringing out detail in both dark and bright areas. Version 7 offers six HDR methods, including Tone Mapping and Fusion, with advanced tone-mapping controls. Automatic alignment handles hand-held shots, and ghost-removal tools address movement between frames. Batch processing includes previews; presets and tools are also provided for real estate photography. Lightroom and Capture One plugins let users process photos and return the HDR image to those applications. The trial has no time limit, but trial-mode images carry a watermark. Photomatix Pro 7 costs $99, paid once; its license is a one-time purchase for one user and does not expire. The Pro Plus Bundle costs $129, paid once. PhotomatixCL offers command-line merging, processing, alignment, ghost removal, and JPG, TIFF, or EXR output; its free plan includes 100 credits per month. Photomatix Pro is listed for Windows and macOS, while the CLI runs on Linux and Windows.
SNS-HDR
SNS-HDR processes photo sequences into HDR images and can also process single images. It reads JPEG, TIFF, RAW files including DNG, OpenEXR, and Radiance HDR. For sequences, it can align source exposures and reduce ghosting and chromatic aberration. Editing tools include masks, presets, project saving and restoration, and batch processing; the software also supports 360° panorama processing. Its controls and presets are intended to produce natural-looking results. Listed outputs include JPEG, TIFF, TIFF-8, TIFF-16, SNSX, HEIC, and HEIC-10, with HEIC output available on macOS. It runs on Windows and macOS, requiring Windows 10 64-bit or newer, or macOS 14 or newer on Apple Silicon. It integrates with Adobe Lightroom Classic as a plug-in or external editor, but not cloud-based Lightroom. SNS-HDR Lite is freeware with a commercial license. Home costs €30 a month for a non-commercial license; Professional costs €85 a month for a commercial license. The Home Lightroom plug-in handles one series at a time, while Professional adds series splitting and quiet mode; batch processing is a Pro feature. A Pro demo is available to try before purchase.