LR Classic 6.14 alternative in 2026

[571514m3]

I still use my Macbook Pro with Mojave so I can continue to use LR6.14 Just a look o line to see what there is in terms of non-subscription file management. BTW: I am absolutely happy to buy software!

My question, since moving from Mojave can ultimately not be avoided (progress is such that somehow running virtual Mojave is not viable):
> Is there credible software (no subscription, no cloud storage!) that is worth the pain of abandoning LR6.14?

My wife has just bought a new Macbook. She keeps photos in a directory, does not much more that crop and adjust exposure. Uses her iPhone and Fuji x100
> Is there a simple, effective and efficient software (no subscription, no cloud storage!) to manage iPhone etc pics outside Apple Photo using a folder she has on her HD?

Our files will be in both cases on a local HD. I do the printing from LR6.14 on a A3 Epson ET8550 .... what a very nice printer and interfaces perfectly with LR6.14!

I know this question comes up every year, and that probably shows how stable and useful LR6.14 is. If only Adobe would simply sell it as a non-sub product I think there would be ongoing demand and upgraditis.

 

[Archiver]

I still wish I had bought LR6 when it was available standalone, I'd probably never have to buy raw processing software again.

Jaap recommended ON1 Photo Raw, which is pretty decent as a LR alternative. It is a standalone product and can be bought at discount at the right time. I do have to say that after extensive A/B testing, I still prefer the look/colours/noise handling of LR4 from 2012! Adobe DNG Converter is necessary to handle more recent camera models, and it lacks lens correction profiles for later lenses, but overall I prefer Lightroom over any other raw software I've tried so far.

 

[Timmyjoe]

I was a beta tester for the original Lightroom way back when, and though I thought it was decent, Apple came out with Aperture about the same time, and I was hooked on that. Unfortunately that's gone now as well.

But the developers of Aperture went off on their own (I think they're now called Gentlemen Coders) and developed a program very similar to Aperture called RAW Power. It's a non-subscription purchase software model and I've been using it for the last half a dozen years, you might want to try it.

There's also a program, again non-subscription, called Photomator that I've been playing around with a bit, not really sure if it's aimed at Lightroom or Photoshop.

But for my uses, RAW Power and Photoshop Elements does 99% of what I need to do with my photos (and neither are subscription models), and I still have a very old Mac running Photoshop 6 if I ever need to do more.

Best,
-Tim