The best raw photo editors, according to hackers
4 raw photo editors were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 1 earns the Hacker Approved badge.
Top pick
The most recommended raw photo editor with the badge. Each figure is 2 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Covers everyday photo needs well
Free, open-source raw photo editor that covers most needs for many users. Main caveat: complex to learn and weaker denoising.
All 4 raw photo editors, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darktable | 77 | 49 | 61% | 10 | 9 yrs10 owners | — |
| 2 | Capture One | 33 | 18 | 65% | 9 | — | — |
| 3 | RawTherapee | 29 | 9 | 76% | 8 | — | Approved |
| 4 | Fujifilm X RAW STUDIO | 9 | 2 | 82% | 1 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same raw photo editor in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to raw photo editors that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.