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  1. Home
  2. Compare
  3. Adobe Lightroom vs Procreate

Adobe LightroomvsProcreate

App
vs
App
ScoresSignalsPricingFeatures

Score Comparison

62
Overall
76
45
Pricing
95
75
Usability
88
55
Performance
75
60
Support
70
60
Reliability
80
60
Onboarding
80
70
Mobile
95
55
Security
85
85
Integrations
55
Adobe LightroomProcreate

Signals Comparison

Performance

Adobe Lightroom

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

Procreate

  • Layer limits based on iPad RAM frustrate complex projects(8/10)
  • Apple Pencil lag on some iPad models(7/10)
  • App crashes and freezes lose unsaved work(8/10)
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)

Procreate

  • Separate purchases required for iPad and iPhone versions(4/10)
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)

Procreate

No signals

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)

Procreate

  • PSD export loses layer masks entirely(7/10)
  • No undo history after closing artwork(6/10)
  • No vector graphics support limits scalability(7/10)
  • Missing paint bucket tool surprises users(5/10)
  • Text tool requires rasterization for effects(5/10)
Mobile

Adobe Lightroom

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

Procreate

No signals

Security

Adobe Lightroom

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

Procreate

No signals

Integrations

Adobe Lightroom

  • Photoshop roundtrip breaks intermittently(6/10)

Procreate

  • CMYK export is fake - files open as RGB in Photoshop(9/10)
Customization

Adobe Lightroom

No signals

Procreate

  • iPad-only app locks out Android and desktop users(9/10)
  • No adjustment layers like Photoshop(6/10)

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

Procreate

Procreate for iPad
Popular
$12.99/mo

Users: 1 device per purchase

Storage: Unlimited (device storage)

Limits: Layer count limited by iPad RAM. No CMYK export that works with Photoshop. iPad-only, no Android or desktop version.

Separate purchase needed for iPhone version ($5.99). Premium brush packs from creators cost $2-$25 each. Requires iPad purchase ($449+).
Procreate Pocket (iPhone)
$5.99/mo

Users: 1 device per purchase

Storage: Unlimited (device storage)

Limits: Smaller screen limits precision. Fewer layers than iPad due to less RAM. Some advanced features unavailable.

Not included with iPad version - separate purchase required. Some features reduced compared to iPad version.
Procreate Dreams
$19.99/mo

Users: 1 device per purchase

Storage: Unlimited (device storage)

Limits: Frame rate can only be changed when creating new project. Large animations may cause performance issues on older iPads.

Separate from main Procreate app. Full animation workflow may require both apps ($32.98 total).

Feature Comparison

FeatureAdobe LightroomProcreate
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

Pricing
One-time purchase

No subscription

Perpetual license option

Subscription only since Lightroom 6

Platform
iPad app

iPad only

iPhone app

Separate purchase ($5.99)

Android app

Not available

Desktop app

Not available

Sync
Cloud sync across devices

Lightroom cloud version; Classic requires setup

Mobile
Mobile app

iOS and Android with most desktop features

Professional
Tethered capture

Lightroom Classic only

Features
Vector graphics

Raster only

Animation

Basic, Dreams app for advanced

3D painting

3D model texturing

Time-lapse recording

Built-in

Brush customization

Extensive options

Cloud sync

Manual iCloud only

AI features

Committed to never adding

Export
Print/Book modules

Lightroom Classic only

CMYK export

Emulation only, opens as RGB

PSD export

Masks not preserved

Organization
Face recognition

Works but accuracy issues reported

Usability
Offline editing

Classic fully offline; cloud version limited

Collaboration
Multi-user catalog

Single-user catalogs only