Lightframes vs Lightroom
Choose Lightframes if you want a free, open-source editor in the browser that applies the .xmp presets and .cube LUTs you already have, without an account and without uploading the photos. Choose Lightroom if you want Adobe’s catalogue, cloud sync and the editing stack that those presets were built for, including features Adobe lists as paid. Lightframes does not replace a Creative Cloud library.
Free, no account, nothing uploaded
Lightroom and Camera Raw are trademarks of Adobe. Lightframes is an independent open-source project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Adobe.
Comparison
| Lightframes | Lightroom | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. No trial and no paid tier. | Subscription (Adobe plans). Desktop activation needs an internet connection and acceptance of the licence agreement (system requirements). |
| Licence | MIT. | Proprietary. The system requirements say the product may not be available in every country and can change. |
| Where it runs | The browser: Chrome, Edge, Brave, Firefox and Safari on computers, and mobile browsers. PWA. Editor UI in English. | Desktop system requirements list Windows and macOS (current notes: Windows 11 24H2 or later; macOS Sequoia 15 or Tahoe 26), not Linux. Mobile RAW editing for Creative Cloud members includes iPad, iPhone, Android and Chromebook (mobile FAQ). |
| RAW | LibRaw in WebAssembly for ARW, CR2, CR3, NEF, NRW, DNG, RAF, ORF, RW2, PEF and SRW. Free, in the browser. | The mobile FAQ lists raw editing as a premium feature. A Creative Cloud membership is what that FAQ requires to import and edit raw files on a phone, tablet or Chromebook. |
| Lightroom .xmp presets | Import a .xmp from disk. Profiles, lens corrections and masks in the file are skipped, so the look can differ. |
This is the app those presets are written for. The mobile FAQ’s free tier is not the same as syncing your preset library; cloud sync needs a membership. |
| .cube LUTs | Import as a preset with an intensity slider. | No documented .cube import. |
| AI features | On-device background removal, subject mask, object removal and export upscale. Models download once; photos are not sent with them. | The desktop system requirements name AI features such as Denoise, Lens Blur and Reflection Removal. The mobile FAQ lists Sensei-powered search under premium. |
| Privacy / uploads | Photos are not uploaded. The session stays in IndexedDB. Visits use cookieless analytics. | The mobile FAQ says photos are backed up to the cloud and originals are stored in Creative Cloud, and that you can keep working from other devices with an active subscription. |
| Batch | Copy/paste and preset on a selection, then one ZIP. No synced catalogue. | Batch editing is a premium feature in the mobile app (mobile FAQ). |
When Lightroom is the better choice
Use Lightroom when the preset, the camera profile and the lens correction have to match Adobe’s pipeline, or when the library has to follow you between phone, tablet and desktop. Adobe’s mobile FAQ describes cloud backup, sync and premium tools (raw editing, masking, batch, healing). The desktop app’s system requirements say the application tries to validate the subscription about every 30 days.
That is a different product from a free browser tab. If you already pay for Creative Cloud, Lightroom is the app your .xmp files were authored in. Lightframes will not reproduce profiles, masks or lens corrections it does not import.
When Lightframes is the better choice
Use Lightframes when you want those .xmp files, or a .cube LUT, on a computer that should not get a subscription or an install. Open the editor, import the preset and export JPEG, PNG or WebP. The file stays on the device. There is no Adobe ID.
It will not sync a catalogue or store originals in a cloud library. For a free installed raw library instead of a browser session, read Lightframes vs darktable. For layers and PSD, read Lightframes vs Photopea. The roundup of several free tools is free Lightroom alternatives.
For North American individual plans, Adobe lists Lightroom on the web apart from the free mobile tier (web and mobile access).
Questions
Is Lightframes affiliated with Adobe?
No. Lightroom and Camera Raw are Adobe trademarks. Lightframes is an independent MIT-licensed project. Importing an .xmp file does not make the result identical to Lightroom.
Can I use Lightroom .xmp presets in Lightframes?
Yes, when you have the .xmp file. Lightframes maps develop sliders, curves, HSL, colour grading, grain, sharpening and noise reduction. It does not import camera profiles, lens corrections, calibration or local masks.
What does Adobe’s free Lightroom app include?
The mobile FAQ says capture, organisation, sharing and most editing tools are free. Premium includes cloud storage, sync, the healing brush, masking, geometry, batch editing, raw editing and Sensei search. Desktop Lightroom requires an internet connection to activate the subscription.
Do my photos stay on my device in Lightroom?
Not when you use the cloud library. The mobile FAQ says Lightroom backs photos up to the cloud and stores originals in Creative Cloud. In Lightframes the photo is processed in the browser and is not uploaded.