Photo apps for Mac and iPhoneHead to head

Pixelmator Pro vs Darkroom

Pixelmator Pro ranks #1 and Darkroom ranks #2 in our guide to the best photo apps for Mac and iPhone. Pixelmator Pro is our pick for most people, and Darkroom is the best free option.

The Useful TechResearched and written with AI under our rulesUpdated 14 Oct 2026

Our pickPixelmator Pro app iconPixelmator ProPick Pixelmator Pro if you edit photos and make graphics on a Mac and refuse to pay for Photoshop.$49.99 onceBest freeDarkroom app iconDarkroomPick Darkroom if you shoot on iPhone and want serious edits on your Photos library without paying up front.Free to start

What decides it

  • Pixelmator Pro costs less over 3 years: $49.99, against $99.99 for Darkroom.
  • Both run on Mac. Only Darkroom runs on iPhone and iPad.

Side by side

Prices are checked every day.

At a glancePixelmator Pro app iconPixelmator ProDarkroom app iconDarkroom
Price$49.99 once on the Mac App Store, or $12.99 a month with Apple Creator StudioFree to try every tool. Darkroom+ is $9.99 a month, $39.99 a year or $99.99 once
How you payPay onceFree, with paid upgrades
3 years of use$49.99 Cheaper$99.99
Free trialYesFree to start
Runs onMacMac, iPhone, iPad
Where to buyApp StoreApp Store
RatingToo few ratings4.8 29K ratings
FeaturesFamily Sharing, Free trialShortcuts, Family Sharing
Made byAppleBergen Co.
Last updated9 Apr 202630 Oct 2026

Who should get which

Get Pixelmator Pro if

You edit photos or make graphics on a Mac and don't want a Photoshop subscription.

Get Darkroom if

You shoot on an iPhone and want Lightroom-level control without importing photos anywhere.

Skip Pixelmator Pro if

You only crop and brighten the occasional photo; Photos on your Mac handles that free.

Skip Darkroom if

You crop and brighten a photo now and then; the editor inside Apple Photos does that free.

Our verdicts

Pixelmator Pro app iconPixelmator Pro

Apple owns this editor now, and for $49.99 once you get photo retouching, RAW editing for 750+ cameras, layered design, vector drawing and painting in a single Mac app. Its AI tools remove backgrounds, erase objects, upscale and denoise, and it opens and exports layered Photoshop files. The iPad version only comes with the $12.99-a-month Apple Creator Studio, and Affinity is the free alternative if you don't mind a Canva account.

Darkroom app iconDarkroom

Lightroom wants your photos in its own library, which is a hassle when everything already lives in Apple Photos. Darkroom edits that library directly on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and the free version covers RAW files, exposure, crop, presets and batch edits. AI masks, curves and color grading need Darkroom+, and the $99.99 lifetime option beats paying $39.99 every year if you keep editing.

What each one helps you do

Pixelmator Pro app iconPixelmator Pro

  • Remove backgrounds and objects from photos
  • Edit RAW photos from over 750 cameras
  • Design posters and social posts from templates
  • Open and edit layered Photoshop files

Darkroom app iconDarkroom

  • Edit RAW and ProRAW photos on your iPhone
  • Apply 1 edit to a whole shoot
  • Brighten only the sky or the subject
  • Color grade videos with the same tools

Where to get them

Pixelmator Pro

$49.99 once on the Mac App Store, or $12.99 a month with Apple Creator Studio

Darkroom

Free to try every tool. Darkroom+ is $9.99 a month, $39.99 a year or $99.99 once

  • App Store, every deviceWith in-app purchases
    Free downloadApp Store

Neither one quite right?

The other picks in our guide to the best photo apps for Mac and iPhone.

Read the full guideAll Pixelmator Pro alternativesAll Darkroom alternatives

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