Raw SmithBlog
Photomator alternatives in 2026: a RAW editor for iPhone, iPad and Mac
Photomator still works and is still on the App Store, but Apple left it out of its new Creator Studio subscription and hasn't said where it's going. If you want a RAW editor with a clearer future, the realistic alternatives on iPhone, iPad and Mac are Lightroom, Darkroom, Capture One, Apple Photos and Raw Smith. None of them can read your Photomator edits, so plan to keep the edited photos you care about and start fresh from the RAWs.
What happened to Photomator?
Apple bought Pixelmator, the company behind Pixelmator Pro and Photomator, in late 2024. On 28 January 2026 it launched Apple Creator Studio, a subscription that bundles Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro and other apps, with a new Pixelmator Pro for iPad. Two weeks earlier Apple had confirmed to 9to5Mac that the old Pixelmator for iOS "remains a functional app but is no longer being updated".
Photomator was not in Creator Studio. Apple said it "remains available as a separate purchase from the App Store", but announced nothing about its future. heise noted that Photomator stayed on its own subscription, and Digitec called it a "Lightroom lite with an uncertain future".
Since then it has kept getting small updates. In April 2026 it gained the same new camera support as Pixelmator Pro (MacRumors), and the App Store listing shows a bug-fix release in late August. So it isn't dead. It just isn't clear whether it will grow again, fold into Photos or Creator Studio, or quietly stop.
Should you switch now?
Not necessarily. If Photomator does what you need, it will keep working, and a lifetime licence you already own doesn't expire. Reasons people are looking anyway:
- New features. Camera support has kept coming, but new tools depend on Apple choosing to invest in the app, and it hasn't said whether it will.
- Subscribers. If you pay monthly or yearly, each renewal is a fresh bet on an app with no public roadmap.
- Long-term libraries. If you edit thousands of photos a year, it's easier to change editors now than after another year of edits that won't transfer.
What to look for in a replacement
- All three devices. Photomator runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac with shared edits. Check that the replacement does too, and how it syncs.
- Where your photos live. Photomator edits photos in your Photos library. Some alternatives do the same; others keep their own library, or their own cloud.
- RAW from the RAW. You want every edit rendered from the original sensor data, not from a JPEG preview.
- How you pay. Subscription, one-time purchase, or both.
- Whether it also edits JPEG and HEIC. Photomator does. Not every RAW editor does.
The alternatives compared
| Devices | Library | How you pay | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightroom | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, Android, web | Adobe's cloud, or Lightroom Classic's catalogue on a computer | Subscription; the mobile app has a free tier |
| Darkroom | iPhone, iPad, Mac | Your Apple Photos library | Monthly, yearly or one-time "Forever" |
| Capture One | iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows | Its own catalogue or sessions | Subscription on iPad and iPhone; desktop also as a one-time licence |
| Apple Photos | iPhone, iPad, Mac | Your Photos library | Free, built in |
| Raw Smith | iPhone, iPad, Mac | Its own library, synced through your iCloud | Free tier and 14-day trial; Pro one-time or yearly |
Lightroom
The most complete toolset and the widest camera support, because Adobe writes its own RAW decoder. It runs everywhere, including Windows and the web. The trade-off is the subscription and Adobe's cloud: from 20 March 2026 the Lightroom (1TB) plan went from $119.88 to $149.99 a year in the US (Adobe's FAQ). See Lightroom without the subscription for that side of it.
Darkroom
Closest to Photomator in how it works: it edits the photos in your Apple Photos library, needs no account, and runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Darkroom+ comes as a monthly or yearly subscription or a one-time Forever purchase (Darkroom's membership page). If you liked Photomator because it lived inside Photos, start here.
Capture One
A professional tool with excellent colour and tethering. On iPad and iPhone it's a subscription; on the desktop Capture One Pro is also sold as a one-time licence (Capture One pricing). It's more than many Photomator users need, and the most expensive option here.
Apple Photos
Free and already on every device. It opens RAW, and its light, colour and retouch tools are fine for quick fixes; the Mac version adds curves and levels. It has no local masks, no presets of your own and little for culling beyond favourites. A reasonable fallback rather than a replacement for a dedicated editor.
Raw Smith
A RAW editor and library for iPhone, iPad and Mac, built on Apple's decoder like Photomator. It has Lightroom-order tools, on-device AI masks for subject, sky, people and objects, Heal and Clone, culling and Speed Edit, and syncs through your own iCloud with no account. It's in public beta. More on how it fits below.
Moving from Photomator: what comes with you
The honest answer is: your photos, not your edits.
- Edits don't transfer. Photomator's adjustments are its own, and no other editor reads them. That's true of every app on this list, including Raw Smith.
- Your originals are safe. Photomator is non-destructive, so the RAWs it edited are unchanged.
- Edited photos in Photos stay edited. For photos you edited in your Photos library, the edited version stays in Photos. A new editor that imports from Photos starts from the original RAW.
- Export what matters first. Before you cancel or delete Photomator, export full-size JPEG or 16-bit TIFF copies of the edits you'd hate to redo. A finished image is the only form of the edit that every app can open.
- Recreate your looks as presets. If you leaned on a few favourite looks, rebuild them once in the new editor and save them as presets.
How Raw Smith fits, if you're coming from Photomator
Raw Smith will feel familiar in some ways and different in others. What's similar: it runs natively on iPhone, iPad and Mac, uses Apple's RAW decoder (including Enhanced, Apple's machine-learning decoder, on supported cameras with iOS or macOS 27), keeps edits non-destructive, and syncs edits between your devices through iCloud.
What's different, so you can decide before you try it:
- It has its own library. It doesn't edit your Photos library in place. Import RAWs › From Photos… takes the original RAW behind each photo, including ProRAW. On iPhone and iPad RAWs are copied in; on the Mac, files and folders from Finder stay where they are.
- RAW only. It doesn't import JPEG or HEIC. From a RAW+JPEG pair it takes the RAW. If you edit a lot of phone HEICs, keep another editor for those.
- No generative remove. Remove has Heal and Clone spots made from the photo's own pixels.
- More of a library. Flags, ratings, colour labels, keywords, smart albums, Compare, Survey and Fast Cull swipes on iPhone and iPad, with keyboard shortcuts on iPad and Mac.
Raw Smith is a free download with a free tier and a 14-day trial; Pro is a one-time purchase or a yearly plan. The first-photo tutorial takes about ten minutes. It's in public beta on TestFlight now.
Questions
Is Photomator discontinued?
No. As of October 2026 Photomator is still on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and Mac and still gets updates, mostly bug fixes and new camera support. Apple left it out of its Creator Studio subscription and hasn't said what's next for it.
What happened to Pixelmator for iPhone?
Apple confirmed in January 2026 that Pixelmator for iOS, now called Pixelmator Classic, still works but is no longer updated. Pixelmator Pro moved into Apple Creator Studio, including a new iPad version.
Is Photomator part of Apple Creator Studio?
No. Creator Studio includes Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro and other apps, but not Photomator, which remains a separate purchase.
Can I move my Photomator edits to another app?
No. No other editor reads Photomator's adjustments. Your original RAW files are unaffected, and edits saved to your Photos library stay there as edited photos, but a new editor starts each photo from the original.
What is the closest alternative to Photomator?
It depends on what you used it for. Darkroom is closest in feel and works on your Photos library; Lightroom has the deepest toolset; Raw Smith is a RAW-first editor and library with no account that syncs through your own iCloud.