Adobe Lightroom vs Adobe Photoshop:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Adobe Photoshop had more branded searches than Adobe Lightroom among image editing software worldwide. Adobe Photoshop had about 2.4 million branded searches, while Adobe Lightroom had 1.2 million. Adobe Photoshop made up 21% of all image editing software searches we track, and Adobe Lightroom accounted for 10%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about image editing software, Adobe Photoshop appeared in all five answers and Adobe Lightroom in four. Adobe Photoshop was mentioned before Adobe Lightroom in four out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Adobe Photoshop, about 2 searches for every 1 for Adobe Lightroom
Who does AI mention more?
Adobe Photoshop, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Adobe Photoshop, named ahead of Adobe Lightroom in 4 of 5 answers
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Top image editing software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Adobe Photoshop appeared in all five answers. Adobe Lightroom was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Adobe Photoshop was listed before Adobe Lightroom in four out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
- Adobe Photoshop1st
- Adobe Lightroom2nd
Affinity3rd
Luminar Neo4th
GIMP5th
Photopea6th
Pixlr7th
Picsart–
Fotor–
Paint.NET–- +5 more
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Adobe Photoshop5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Affinity5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Adobe Lightroom4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- GIMP4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Luminar Neo4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Photopea3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Pixlr1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Picsart0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Fotor0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Paint.NET0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about image editing software
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which image editor should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best image editing software?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best image editor for photo retouching?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“image editing software”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“photo editing software”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.
Is Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Photoshop more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 15 image editing software we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Photopea | Adobe Photoshop | Picsart | Adobe Lightroom | Pixlr | GIMP | Fotor | Affinity | Paint.NET | PhotoScape | Luminar Neo | Pixelmator | PaintShop Pro | Xara | Acorn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 27.2% | 23% | 13.9% | 8.2% | 10.7% | 7.4% | 4% | 2.4% | 1.2% | 0.93% | 0.72% | 0.27% | 0.14% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Nov 2025 | 22.4% | 22.9% | 14.3% | 7.9% | 11% | 7.5% | 3.3% | 7.4% | 1.2% | 0.81% | 0.89% | 0.27% | 0.15% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Dec 2025 | 25.3% | 22.9% | 16% | 8.8% | 9.7% | 6.9% | 4.5% | 2.5% | 1.3% | 0.78% | 0.81% | 0.25% | 0.14% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Jan 2026 | 25.5% | 21.7% | 15.9% | 9.1% | 9.8% | 8.2% | 3% | 2.3% | 1.4% | 0.92% | 0.82% | 1.3% | 0.14% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Feb 2026 | 27.1% | 22.8% | 16.2% | 9.3% | 9.1% | 7.3% | 3% | 1.8% | 1.2% | 0.84% | 0.72% | 0.56% | 0.13% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Mar 2026 | 26.7% | 22% | 16.3% | 9.5% | 9.9% | 7.1% | 3.4% | 1.6% | 1.4% | 0.86% | 0.69% | 0.53% | 0.13% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Apr 2026 | 26.4% | 21.9% | 19% | 9.5% | 8.4% | 6.9% | 3.1% | 1.4% | 1.2% | 0.86% | 0.85% | 0.37% | 0.12% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| May 2026 | 27.7% | 21.6% | 19.3% | 9.5% | 9% | 6% | 2.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 0.86% | 0.73% | 0.38% | 0.11% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Jun 2026 | 29.5% | 20% | 19.6% | 9.9% | 8% | 6.4% | 2.3% | 1.6% | 0.87% | 0.75% | 0.64% | 0.33% | 0.11% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Jul 2026 | 30.2% | 20.3% | 19.5% | 8.6% | 8.4% | 6.5% | 2.4% | 1.4% | 0.88% | 0.76% | 0.64% | 0.33% | 0.1% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Aug 2026 | 29.7% | 20% | 19% | 9.9% | 7.6% | 6.3% | 3.6% | 1.3% | 0.86% | 0.74% | 0.52% | 0.33% | 0.11% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Sep 2026 | 29.5% | 21% | 15.3% | 10% | 9% | 7.6% | 3.3% | 1.7% | 0.88% | 0.79% | 0.43% | 0.33% | 0.11% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
How has the Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Adobe Photoshop was ahead of Adobe Lightroom in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Adobe Lightroom’s share of searches among image editing software worldwide moved from 8.2% to 10%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.2M.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Adobe Photoshop’s share of searches among image editing software worldwide moved from 23% to 21%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.5M to 2.4M.
How did search popularity change for image editing software worldwide in September 2026?
1 change
In September 2026, Adobe Photoshop gained share of searches among image editing software worldwide, from 20% to 21%.
How are branded searches counted?
31 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Adobe Lightroom’s and Adobe Photoshop’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Adobe Lightroom
6 branded search terms
- adobe lightroom
- lightroom
- lightroom app
- lightroom classic
- lightroom mobile
- lightroom presets
Adobe Photoshop
25 branded search terms
- adobe photoshop
- adobe photoshop elements
- adobe photoshop express
- photoshop
- photoshop 2
- photoshop 7.0
- photoshop ai
- photoshop app
- photoshop background remover
- photoshop cc
- photoshop editor
- photoshop elements
- photoshop elements mac
- photoshop express
- photoshop express android
- photoshop express app
- photoshop express editor
- photoshop express iphone
- photoshop generative fill
- photoshop image editor
- photoshop photo editor
- photoshop pro
- photoshop software
- photoshop vector graphics
- photoshop web
Other head-to-heads among image editing software
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