# Capture One

33 Hacker News commenters recommended Capture One and 18 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 9 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Fast raw editor with strong Fuji and Sony colour and a workflow many prefer; praised for a buy-once licence option. Caveats: subscription pricing shifts and no Linux version.

## Why people recommend it

- Strong Fuji and Sony raw handling (4 comments): "The only reliable raw converter that can handle Fuji color is Capture One." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47464692)) "which (last I tested) has a deft touch with Sony files" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47826263)) "The out of box processing of raf is still top notch" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47762321))
- Better image quality than alternatives (3 comments): "Capture One in my opinion has much higher output quality, better defaults" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49103126)) "find C1 to be noticeably better than LR" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49671402)) "Capture one uses the right algorithms." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47825782))
- Perpetual licence option available (4 comments): "you can outright buy Capture One with no subscription. I am a fuji shooter and have been using C1 in this way for quite a while now." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47764389)) "you now have very good pay-once alternatives (e.g., Capture One instead of Lightroom)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47825095)) "Capture One might cost more, but it's a one off payment. I'm still happily using CO11" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47826196))
- Fast, efficient workflow (3 comments): "C1's workflow is incredible and fast and doesn't really leave me wanting anything else" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47780750)) "Good, ergonomic, efficient tools are worth their weight in gold. C1 is one of them." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49099375)) "To be honest I much prefer Capture One's workflow and tools" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47825571))

## What people warn about

- Subscription push and high pricing (6 comments): "It's 390 EUR / 450 USD for a software without updates that I use a couple of times privately per year." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49102738)) "You can only trade in your perpetual license for a discounted 'upgrade' to the subscription version." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48395185)) "at least offers perpetual licensing, but their pricing has become sufficiently annoying" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47826622))
- No Linux version (3 comments): "the excellent Capture One, but none available on Linux" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46484756)) "Linux unfortunately does not support my preferred" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46576467)) "I've had no luck getting either Capture One or DxO PhotoLab running on Linux" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49098486))
- Hard to use, slow (3 comments): "Capture One was one of the most horrendous usability experiences I have ever had in a creative tool" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48398278)) "Capture One has really not been innovating, is slow, the library can’t handle 40k raws" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47760973)) "I found both of them a lot harder to use and less feature-rich compared to Lightroom" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50055319))
- Ownership and new owner concerns (2 comments): "Capture One is a shitshow, however, and their new owner is actively trying to offload them, so a risk." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48391270)) "Private equity owed proprietary Mac and Windows exclusive." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49098416))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Darktable](https://hackerapproved.com/p/darktable.md): 77 recommend
- [RawTherapee](https://hackerapproved.com/p/rawtherapee.md): 29 recommend
- [Fujifilm X RAW STUDIO](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fujifilm-x-raw-studio.md): 9 recommend

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://www.captureone.com/en)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Capture One", https://hackerapproved.com/p/capture-one/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).