# Adobe Photoshop vs darktable

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** darktable

| Attribute | Adobe Photoshop | darktable |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 27.9 (54% (medium)) | 52.4 (59% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 13,279 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A cloud-based application for photo editing and design work that combines advanced image manipulation capabilities with generative AI features for tasks like background composition, object removal, and image enhancement. It is indexed under Design & Creative Software.","source":"https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html","question":"What is Adobe Photoshop?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Adobe Photoshop. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html","question":"What platforms does Adobe Photoshop support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Adobe Photoshop, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html","question":"Can Adobe Photoshop be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6}]` | `[{"answer":"Darktable is a free, open-source photography application providing non-destructive raw image development and editing. It functions as a virtual darkroom and lighttable, managing photos in a database with professional color management, GPU acceleration, and optional AI-powered features. It is indexed under Design & Creative Software.","source":"https://www.darktable.org","question":"What is darktable?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"darktable is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the GPL-3.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.darktable.org","question":"Is darktable free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"darktable supports Windows, macOS and Linux. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.darktable.org","question":"What platforms does darktable support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. darktable can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.darktable.org","question":"Can darktable be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. darktable is published under the GPL-3.0 licence, a copyleft licence, so check its terms before embedding it in a closed-source product. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable","question":"Is darktable open source?","confidence":0.95}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A cloud-based application for photo editing and design work that combines advanced image manipulation capabilities with generative AI features for tasks like background composition, object removal, and image enhancement. | A digital photo management and editing application that organizes images in a database and enables non-destructive raw image processing and enhancement for photographers. |
| features.capabilities | `{"generative_ai":true,"raster_editing":true,"plugin_ecosystem":"Extensible via third-party integrations"}` | `{"cmyk_print":true,"dtp_layout":false,"generative_ai":true,"pricing_model":"open_source","free_available":true,"raster_editing":true,"digital_painting":false,"platform_breadth":"Linux, Windows (10+), macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD","plugin_ecosystem":"Lua API for scripting and extensibility","vector_illustration":false,"realtime_collaboration":false}` |
| integrations.count | 1 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Topaz Labs"},{"name":"Adobe Express"}]` | - |
| language.primary | - | C |
| license.spdx | - | GPL-3.0 |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T13:48:57.091Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"darktable","summary":"Free and open-source","features":["Non-destructive raw image editing","Virtual lighttable and darkroom interface","Digital negative database management","Professional color management for print output","GPU-accelerated processing","AI-powered features: denoise, upscale, object masking","Editing modules: local contrast, contrast equalizer, retouch, liquify","Lua scripting API for customization"],"contactSales":false}],"summary":"Free, open-source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.darktable.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-16T21:32:58.849Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | no | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | unknown | free |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 63 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/nightly","date":"2026-10-15T00:48:48Z","type":"prerelease","version":"nightly"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-5.6.2","date":"2026-10-04T16:36:31Z","type":"stable","version":"release-5.6.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-5.6.1","date":"2026-08-27T07:02:41Z","type":"stable","version":"release-5.6.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-5.6.0","date":"2026-06-21T09:18:30Z","type":"stable","version":"release-5.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-5.4.1","date":"2026-02-05T17:01:49Z","type":"stable","version":"release-5.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-5.4.0","date":"2025-12-21T08:46:44Z","type":"stable","version":"release-5.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-5.2.1","date":"2025-08-06T06:18:52Z","type":"stable","version":"release-5.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-5.2.0","date":"2025-06-21T10:50:55Z","type":"stable","version":"release-5.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-5.0.1","date":"2025-02-12T12:30:14Z","type":"stable","version":"release-5.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-5.0.0","date":"2024-12-21T18:04:40Z","type":"stable","version":"release-5.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-4.8.1","date":"2024-07-24T20:03:39Z","type":"stable","version":"release-4.8.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-4.8.0","date":"2024-06-21T15:51:19Z","type":"stable","version":"release-4.8.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-4.6.1","date":"2024-02-17T14:16:07Z","type":"stable","version":"release-4.6.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-4.6.0","date":"2023-12-21T18:18:49Z","type":"stable","version":"release-4.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-4.4.2","date":"2023-07-22T17:28:22Z","type":"stable","version":"release-4.4.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-4.4.1","date":"2023-07-01T06:18:27Z","type":"stable","version":"release-4.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-4.4.0","date":"2023-06-21T15:28:29Z","type":"stable","version":"release-4.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-4.2.1","date":"2023-02-22T18:45:50Z","type":"stable","version":"release-4.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-4.2.0","date":"2022-12-21T11:48:14Z","type":"stable","version":"release-4.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/tag/release-4.0.1","date":"2022-09-17T09:36:54Z","type":"stable","version":"release-4.0.1"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | - | 5.6 |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fdarktable-org%2Fdarktable&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Design & Creative Software)

| Capability | Adobe Photoshop | darktable |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Discipline** |  |  |
| Raster / photo editing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vector illustration | - | ✗ |
| DTP / page layout | - | ✗ |
| Digital painting | - | ✗ |
| **Platform** |  |  |
| Platform breadth | - | Linux, Windows (10+), macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD |
| **Output** |  |  |
| CMYK / print production | - | ✓ |
| **Interoperability** |  |  |
| PSD / AI import | - | - |
| **Collaboration** |  |  |
| Real-time collaboration / cloud | - | ✗ |
| **AI** |  |  |
| Generative AI features | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Plugin / template ecosystem | Extensible via third-party integrations | Lua API for scripting and extensibility |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pricing model | - | Open-source (free) |
| Free / open-source available | - | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:18:33.536Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*