Adobe Lightroom vs Luminar Neo
Adobe Lightroom scores 8.1 to Luminar Neo's 6.9 among the raw photo editors we rate, and is the better pick for 3 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.
Adobe Lightroom wins, 8.1 to 6.9
Luminar Neo sells one-time licences instead of a subscription, across three tiers from a desktop-only edition up to an all-platforms Max edition. Lightroom charges $11.99 a month billed yearly for Lightroom alone and never sells a licence you keep. Luminar Neo also lets you type a prompt to guide edits with its AI Assistant. Lightroom counters with cloud library sync across devices and a developer console for building on top of it.
Pick Adobe Lightroom if you want cloud library sync and a developer api.
Pick Luminar Neo if you want to own the software with a one-time payment.
Best for
Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.
- Shoots tethered to the computer: Adobe Lightroom yes, Luminar Neo no
- Every edit can be undone later: Adobe Lightroom yes, Luminar Neo does not say
- But Luminar Neo leads on generates from a prompt: Luminar Neo yes, Adobe Lightroom no
- Third-party plugins: Adobe Lightroom yes, Luminar Neo no
- Developer or scripting API: Adobe Lightroom yes, Luminar Neo no
- Where it runs: 5 platforms against 3 platforms
- Sells a licence you own outright: Luminar Neo yes, Adobe Lightroom no
- But Adobe Lightroom leads on free plan: Adobe Lightroom yes, Luminar Neo no
- Does not train AI on what you upload: Adobe Lightroom yes, Luminar Neo does not say
- SOC 2: Adobe Lightroom yes, Luminar Neo does not say
How they score
Both are scored the same way, against the other raw photo editors we rate, from facts on each vendor's own pages. Adobe Lightroom leads on 3 of 4 criteria.
Where they differ
Every point where the two vendors' published facts disagree, with a link to where each fact was read. "Not published" means the vendor does not say either way.
Published by only one of them
Where they match (7)
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Adobe Lightroom
Luminar Neo
For everything else about each tool, read the full Adobe Lightroom review and Luminar Neo review.
Adobe Lightroom vs Luminar Neo: common questions
Which is better, Adobe Lightroom or Luminar Neo?
Adobe Lightroom scores 8.1 and Luminar Neo 6.9 out of 10 among the raw photo editors we rate. Adobe Lightroom is ahead on what it adds beyond the basics, workflow and sharing and privacy and trust. Luminar Neo is ahead on pricing.
Is Adobe Lightroom or Luminar Neo cheaper?
Adobe Lightroom's cheapest paid plan is $11.99/mo billed yearly (Lightroom) and Luminar Neo's is $129 one-time (Desktop Only). Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
Do Adobe Lightroom and Luminar Neo have a free plan?
Adobe Lightroom does and Luminar Neo does not.
What can Adobe Lightroom do that Luminar Neo cannot?
What can Luminar Neo do that Adobe Lightroom cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: generates from a prompt and sells a licence you own outright.
