best photo editing software with mobile apps

Adobe Lightroom

Adobe's photo editor and organiser, and the one most serious photographers reach for when they want the same catalogue and the same edits on a phone, a laptop and the web. The mobile app is free to download and does real work on its own; the US$11.99/mo Lightroom plan adds 1TB of storage, Lightroom Classic and the premium tools. Its 4.8 across 337K App Store ratings is unusually high for a pro-grade editor, and Android reviewers give it 4.5. If you only ever edit on a phone, a lot of what you are paying for is sync and storage.

Adobe Photoshop

The name that defines the category, and since 2025 a real phone app on iOS and Android rather than an iPad-only sideline. The mobile app is free to download, the full Photoshop plan is US$22.99/mo, and the App Store also lists a cheaper Photoshop Mobile & Web subscription at $7.99 a month. Layers, precise selections and generative fill are what you come here for. Its 4.5 App Store rating is the lowest of the three Adobe apps in this table: the mobile version is the newest and reviewers keep measuring it against the desktop original.

Adobe Photoshop Express

Adobe's simple editor, built for people who want a good-looking photo in a few taps rather than a layer stack. With 741K App Store ratings at a 4.7 average it is the most-rated Adobe photo app here, and Premium costs $4.99 a month through the App Store. It shares the Photoshop name but not the toolset: no layers, no fine selections. If that is what you need, Lightroom or Photoshop proper is the better spend.

Snapseed

Google's free editor, and the only app in this table with no subscription, no purchases, no ads and no watermarks. It carries 30+ tools including curves, selective adjustments, smart masking, batch editing and film simulations, and its 4.9 is the highest App Store rating here. The catch is that it is mobile only: no desktop app, no web version, no sync between your phone and your computer. For a lot of people it is still the best free answer, and it is the one to try before paying for anything else.

VSCO

Built around presets rather than sliders: 200+ film-style filters, plus the community and portfolio side that made VSCO a fixture with younger photographers. It is free to download, with Plus at $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year through the App Store. iPhone owners rate it 4.7; Android reviewers are much harsher, at 3.6 on Google Play. Wikipedia still describes it as a mobile app, and there is no desktop version, so treat it as a phone-first choice.

Picsart

An all-in-one editor, video editor and design studio with a very large AI toolset: background removal, object erase, generative fill, templates and collages. With 1.2M App Store ratings it is one of the most-used photo apps on either store, and it runs on iPhone, Android and in a web editor. Gold is $12.99 a month or $57 a year. It is broad rather than deep, and Android reviewers are notably cooler (4.0 on Google Play); photographers who want RAW precision will prefer Lightroom or Capture One.

Canva

Not a photographer's editor: Canva is a design platform where photo editing sits alongside presentations, social posts and print. Its background remover and photo tools are good enough for most everyday jobs, it has apps on every platform including Mac and Windows desktop apps, and its 4.9 across 3.5M App Store ratings is the largest pile of praise in this table. Pro is US$144 a year. Choose it if you are making content; choose something else if you are developing RAW files.

Affinity Photo 2 for iPad

A desktop-class editor running on an iPad, with layers, RAW development and retouching, and no subscription attached. Since Canva bought Serif the whole Affinity line is free for individuals, and the App Store now lists the Photo 2 for iPad licence in-app purchase at $0.00. Read the direction of travel before committing, though: Serif has replaced Photo 2 with one unified Affinity app that is Mac and Windows only, with the iPad version listed on their site as “Coming soon!”. It is also the only iPad-only option here, so there is nothing in it for Android or iPhone-first users.

Photomator

Apple owns it now (the App Store seller is Apple Inc.), and it behaves like an Apple app: native on Mac, iPhone and iPad, syncing edits through iCloud, reading over 750 RAW formats and using machine learning for selections and repairs. Apple lists it as a free download with in-app purchases, priced at $7.99 monthly, $29.99 yearly or $119.99 for a Lifetime unlock. Its 4.5 comes from a far smaller base (3.8K ratings) than the Adobe apps. There is no Windows or Android version and none is likely.

Darkroom

An Apple Design Award winner that edits straight out of your Photos library on iPhone, iPad and Mac, with curves, masks, AI selections and colour grading, all non-destructive. Its free tier is unusually honest: every tool is free to try and Darkroom+ is only required when you export. Paid is $9.99 a month, $39.99 a year, or $99.99 to unlock everything forever. It rates 4.8 across 29K App Store ratings. Apple-only, so it is out if you carry an Android phone.

Pixlr

A browser-first editor that has been the standard free Photoshop substitute for years, with iPhone and Android apps beside it and a downloadable desktop app. Its paid tier is the cheapest here by a distance: Pixlr Plus at $2.49 a month. The trade-off shows up in the ratings, 4.3 from only 5.1K App Store ratings and 3.6 on Google Play, the joint-lowest Android score in this table. Good for quick jobs and AI tools in a browser, weaker as a photo workflow you would live in.

Capture One

The professional RAW editor photographers use as the Lightroom alternative, prized for its colour rendering and tethered shooting, and now with an iPhone and iPad app that hands edits back to the desktop with ratings intact. It is the only app here with no free tier: a 7-day trial, then a subscription ($10.99 for mobile through the App Store, $18.00 a month for desktop Pro, or a $349 perpetual licence). Its 3.5 App Store rating is by far the lowest in this table, from just 325 ratings, and mobile reviewers have been rough on it. No Android version.

Photoroom

Built for selling things rather than for photography: remove and replace backgrounds, batch-edit a product catalogue, generate on-model and flat-lay shots from one photo, and publish straight to Shopify. It has iPhone, iPad, Android and web apps but no desktop app, and holds 4.8 across 229K App Store ratings with 4.7 on Google Play. Pro is $5.99 through the App Store. Wrong tool for family photos; the most focused one here if you are listing products.

CyberLink PhotoDirector

A Windows and macOS editor with matching iPhone and Android apps, leaning hard into generative AI: photo-to-video, virtual try-on, one-tap object removal and 4K enhancement. The mobile app is free with a $6.99 monthly or $39.99 yearly subscription, and the desktop side sells as PhotoDirector 365. It rates 4.5 on the App Store and 4.2 on Google Play, from a mid-sized base. For someone on Windows who does not want an Adobe subscription, it is the most complete option in this table.

Fotor

A browser editor with Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android apps, now positioned around AI and marketing visuals as much as straight photo editing. Fotor Pro is $8.99 a month or $47.99 a year through the App Store, and the free tier is generous. It rates 4.7 across 42K App Store ratings and 4.3 on Google Play. The recent turn towards AI product and brand imagery means parts of the interface are aimed at sellers rather than photographers, which is worth knowing before you install it.