darktable
Focus: photoshop alternative. Shares raw editor and photo workflow with Ansel. Rated 4.4 (Ansel: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.4Visit
Desktop App
Ansel
A leaner, open-source raw photo editor based on darktable.
Rating
4.2 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Advanced
Works on
Windows, macOS, Linux
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is Ansel?
Ansel is an open-source photo editor for managing photo collections and editing raw files and film scans non-destructively. It is based on darktable 4.0, rewritten to be leaner, and stays compatible with darktable 2.x to 4.0 databases and XMP files. It is released under the GNU GPL v3, with monthly builds for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Pros: what Ansel does well
- Free and open source (GPL v3)
- Simpler than darktable while keeping its raw engine
- Reads darktable libraries and edits
Cons: where it falls short
- Released as monthly builds rather than numbered versions
- Smaller community than darktable
Who Ansel is for
Raw shooters who find darktable too cluttered.
Who can skip it
Beginners who want a guided, simple editor.
Ansel alternatives
Not sold on Ansel? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
RawTherapee
Focus: photo editing. Shares raw editor and open source with Ansel. Rated 4.4 (Ansel: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.4Visit
digiKam
Focus: photo management and face recognition. Shares raw editor and open source with Ansel. Rated 4.4 (Ansel: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.4Visit
Atuin
Focus: shell history, terminal and command line. Shares open source with Ansel. Rated 4.7 (Ansel: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
btop
Focus: system monitor, terminal and processes. Shares open source with Ansel. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (Ansel: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
fd
Focus: file search, command line and developer tool. Shares open source with Ansel. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (Ansel: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
Free alternatives to Ansel
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
htop
Focus: process viewer, system monitor and terminal. Shares open source with Ansel. Rated 4.7 (Ansel: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
KeePassXC
Focus: password manager, security and offline. Shares open source with Ansel. Adds Chrome, Firefox and Offline. Rated 4.7 (Ansel: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.7Visit
restic
Focus: backup, encryption and snapshots. Shares open source with Ansel. Rated 4.7 (Ansel: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
BorgBackup
Focus: backup, encryption and deduplication. Shares open source with Ansel. Rated 4.6 (Ansel: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
Ditto
Focus: clipboard manager, snippets and windows. Shares open source with Ansel. Rated 4.6 (Ansel: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreeWindows
4.6Visit
dua-cli
Focus: disk usage, storage cleanup and terminal. Shares open source with Ansel. Rated 4.6 (Ansel: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
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