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  1. Home
  2. Compare
  3. Adobe Lightroom vs Pixelmator Pro

Adobe LightroomvsPixelmator Pro

App
vs
App
ScoresSignalsPricingFeatures

Score Comparison

62
Overall
72
45
Pricing
90
75
Usability
75
55
Performance
88
60
Support
72
60
Reliability
70
60
Onboarding
78
70
Mobile
55
55
Security
85
85
Integrations
50
Adobe LightroomPixelmator Pro

Signals Comparison

Performance

Adobe Lightroom

  • Extreme slowness with large catalogs(9/10)
  • AI features consume excessive resources(7/10)

Pixelmator Pro

No signals

Pricing

Adobe Lightroom

  • Subscription model with no perpetual license(8/10)
  • 50% cancellation fee for annual plans(8/10)
  • Cloud storage runs out quickly(7/10)

Pixelmator Pro

  • Apple Creator Studio subscription concerns(6/10)
Reliability

Adobe Lightroom

  • Cloud sync issues between Classic and CC(7/10)
  • Catalog corruption causes data loss(10/10)
  • Frequent outages affect cloud users(6/10)

Pixelmator Pro

  • Warp reverts rotated objects(5/10)
Usability

Adobe Lightroom

  • Steep learning curve for beginners(6/10)
  • Confusing Lightroom vs Classic distinction(5/10)
  • Face recognition marks cats as people(3/10)
  • Missing features compared to Classic(5/10)

Pixelmator Pro

  • Text cannot retain editability after transforms(7/10)
  • Brush tapering issue with pressure sensitivity(7/10)
  • Feather tool requires mask workaround(5/10)
  • No native highlighted text feature(5/10)
  • Subject selection not always precise(4/10)
  • Missing panorama stitching(5/10)
Mobile

Adobe Lightroom

  • Mobile app laggy on budget phones(6/10)

Pixelmator Pro

  • iPad version has buggy UI and save issues(8/10)
Security

Adobe Lightroom

  • Photos used for AI training by default(6/10)

Pixelmator Pro

No signals

Integrations

Adobe Lightroom

  • Photoshop roundtrip breaks intermittently(6/10)

Pixelmator Pro

  • Cannot edit or import vector files (EPS/AI)(7/10)
  • Very limited plugin ecosystem(6/10)
Onboarding

Adobe Lightroom

No signals

Pixelmator Pro

  • Some features hard to find or use(4/10)

Pricing Comparison

Adobe Lightroom

Lightroom (1TB)
$9.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 1TB cloud

Limits: No Photoshop included; cloud-dependent for full functionality

Annual commitment required for monthly billing; 50% cancellation fee; additional storage costs extra
Photography Plan (20GB)
Popular
$9.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 20GB cloud

Limits: Very limited cloud storage; may not be available to new users

Being phased out for new subscribers Jan 2025; 20GB fills up fast with RAW files; annual commitment
Photography Plan (1TB)
Popular
$19.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 1TB cloud

Limits: Still limited for large professional libraries

Annual commitment ($239.88/year); 50% cancellation fee; extra storage beyond 1TB costs more
Creative Cloud All Apps
$59.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 100GB cloud

Limits: Overkill for photography-only users; less storage than dedicated photo plans

Annual commitment ($719.88/year); less cloud storage than Photography 1TB plan; 50% cancellation fee
Lightroom Mobile (Free)
Free

Users: 1 user

Storage: 2GB local

Limits: No cloud sync; missing key features; essentially a trial/demo

Premium features locked (Healing Brush, Selective Edits, Raw HDR); no cloud sync; limited presets

Pixelmator Pro

One-Time Purchase
Popular
$49.99/mo

Users: Up to 6 Macs (same Apple ID/Family Sharing)

Storage: Local storage only

Limits: Mac-only (macOS 13.0+), iPad version sold separately or via Apple Creator Studio

None - all features included
Apple Creator Studio
$29.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: iCloud integration

Limits: Subscription model - stops working if cancelled

Annual commitment may be required for discounts
iPad Version
Free

Users: Unlimited

Storage: Device storage + iCloud

Limits: iPad only, some stability issues reported

May require Apple Creator Studio subscription for full features

Feature Comparison

FeatureAdobe LightroomPixelmator Pro
Editing
Non-destructive RAW editing

Industry-standard XMP sidecar approach

AI-powered masking

Select Subject, Sky, Background automatically

AI Denoise

Excellent results but RAM-intensive

HDR panorama merge

Lightroom Classic only, not mobile

Layer-based editing

Requires Photoshop for layers

Video editing

Basic color/exposure only, no timeline

Core Features
RAW editing

Non-destructive

Panorama stitching

Not available

Focus stacking

Not available

HDR merge

Not available

AI Features
ML-powered enhancements

ML Enhance, Denoise, Super Resolution

Sync
Cloud sync across devices

Lightroom cloud version; Classic requires setup

File Formats
Vector file editing

Cannot edit EPS/AI

PSD compatibility

Basic support

Mobile
Mobile app

iOS and Android with most desktop features

Professional
Tethered capture

Lightroom Classic only

Extensibility
Plugin support

Very limited

Export
Print/Book modules

Lightroom Classic only

Platforms
Windows version

Mac-only

iPad version

Has stability issues

Organization
Face recognition

Works but accuracy issues reported

Usability
Offline editing

Classic fully offline; cloud version limited

Performance
Apple Silicon optimization

Excellent M-chip support

Pricing
Perpetual license option

Subscription only since Lightroom 6

Collaboration
Multi-user catalog

Single-user catalogs only