The short answer. darktable and RawTherapee are the two serious open-source raw developers and they differ in philosophy: darktable keeps a database and a module pipeline, RawTherapee works from files with a processing profile. Nik Collection is the plug-in suite that adds local adjustments and film emulation to an existing editor, and Preset Brewery converts Lightroom presets into a format another raw converter can read. The dividing question is whether you want a workflow or a set of tools, because a developer owns the file from import to export and a plug-in suite assumes something else already does.
This guide covers 4 raw photo editors for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| darktable | photo management app | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 5.6.2 |
| Nik Collection | design tool | not published | not published | — |
| Preset Brewery | design tool | not published | not published | — |
| RawTherapee | design tool | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 5.13 |
What actually decides this
- A workflow or a plug-in. A raw developer opens the file, keeps the edit history and exports. A plug-in suite operates on an image another application has already developed. Installing the second without the first produces nothing.
- How the pipeline is organised. A module pipeline lets you reorder operations, which matters when a correction has to happen before a conversion. A fixed order is simpler and occasionally wrong in a way you cannot fix.
- What the colour management is. Input profiles, working space and output rendering decide whether a print matches the screen. A developer with proper colour management is worth more than one with more sliders.
- Whether presets can move. A preset is a set of parameter values tied to an engine. Converting between formats is lossy, and a preset that was tuned for one converter will not reproduce exactly in another.
- What the batch story is. One photograph is an edit. Five hundred from a shoot is a batch with consistent settings and a naming scheme. The tool that can apply and adjust a batch is the one that survives a wedding.
- Whether the edit history can be reopened. A raw file plus a sidecar is an editable record. A rendered TIFF is a decision. For work that might be reprinted in five years on a better screen, the ability to reopen the edit is the difference between an archive and a pile of exports.
- What the tool assumes about the camera. A profile for a specific sensor produces better colour than a generic one. A developer with a large profile library handles a new camera on day one; one without it makes every file look slightly wrong until an update arrives.
Our picks
- darktable — Its record describes an open-source photography workflow application and raw developer, which is the pipeline case. Choose it when you want a module pipeline with a database behind it.
- RawTherapee — Its record describes a powerful cross-platform raw photo processing program, which is the processor case. Choose it when you want a file-first processor with a strong engine.
- Nik Collection — Its record describes the Nik Collection, which is the plug-in case. Choose it when you already have an editor and want the plug-ins.
- Preset Brewery — Its record describes converting Lightroom presets to Adobe Camera Raw, which is the conversion case. Choose it when your presets are in Lightroom and the new tool cannot read them.
The apps
darktable
darktable is a photo management app for macOS. darktable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developer. It is released under GPL-3.0.
What it does. darktable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developer.
darktable is listed with current version 5.6.2.
Full profile and verified facts for darktable →
Nik Collection
Nik Collection is a design tool for macOS. Nik Collection by DxO. Its pricing is not published.
Full profile and verified facts for Nik Collection →
Preset Brewery
Preset Brewery is a design tool for macOS. Tool to convert Lightroom presets to Adobe Camera Raw. Its pricing is not published.
Full profile and verified facts for Preset Brewery →
RawTherapee
RawTherapee is a design tool for macOS. A powerful cross-platform raw photo processing program! It is released under GPL-3.0.
What it does. A powerful cross-platform raw photo processing program - RawTherapee/RawTherapee.
RawTherapee is listed with current version 5.13.
Full profile and verified facts for RawTherapee →
How to choose
- No licence fee, source available. darktable and RawTherapee — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. Nik Collection and Preset Brewery — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: darktable and RawTherapee (2 of 4).
Common mistakes
- Installing a plug-in suite with no host application.
- Expecting a converted preset to look identical to the original.
- Editing a batch one file at a time and losing consistency across a shoot.
- Working in a colour space the output device cannot show.
- Exporting every file to TIFF and deleting the raws to save space.
- Applying a preset tuned for one camera to files from another and blaming the engine.
- Shooting a new camera on launch day and assuming the software already knows it.
- Judging a raw developer by its default rendering. Every engine has a look, and the look is adjustable.
- Using a film emulation pack as a colour-management strategy.
- Exporting a batch with no naming rule and sorting it out afterwards.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these raw photo editors?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 4 raw photo editors: darktable, Nik Collection, Preset Brewery and RawTherapee. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these raw photo editors free?
Pricing across this group: open source (darktable and RawTherapee) and not published (Nik Collection and Preset Brewery). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these raw photo editors are open source?
darktable (GPL-3.0) and RawTherapee (GPL-3.0) are open source.
Do these raw photo editors support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
