--- title: "Adobe Lightroom vs GIMP: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Adobe Lightroom or GIMP more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Photo editing software set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/photo-editing-software/compare/adobe-lightroom-vs-gimp" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Adobe Lightroom vs GIMP: Which is searched more? Is Adobe Lightroom or GIMP more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Photo editing software set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Adobe Lightroom and GIMP - **Competitive set**: Photo editing software - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Adobe Lightroom Share of Search**: 11.3% - **GIMP Share of Search**: 8.3% ## Is Adobe Lightroom or GIMP more popular in search? - In September 2026, Adobe Lightroom had more branded searches than GIMP among photo editing software worldwide. Adobe Lightroom had about 1.2 million branded searches, while GIMP had 851,000. Adobe Lightroom made up 11.3% of all photo editing software searches we track, and GIMP accounted for 8.3%. - Adobe Lightroom was ahead of GIMP 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 photo editing software worldwide moved from 9.7% to 11.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.2M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GIMP’s share of searches among photo editing software worldwide moved from 8.4% to 8.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.1M to 851K. ## Top photo editing software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Adobe Lightroom appeared in all five answers. GIMP was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Adobe Lightroom was listed before GIMP in every answer. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Adobe Photoshop | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Adobe Lightroom | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Capture One | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Affinity | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Luminar Neo | 4th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | GIMP | 6th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | CyberLink PhotoDirector | 7th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | DxO PhotoLab | 8th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | RawTherapee | 9th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Snapseed | 10th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Photopea | 11th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Picsart | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Pixlr | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | VSCO | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about photo editing software - Asked ChatGPT "Which photo editing software should I use?": 1. Adobe Lightroom, 2. Adobe Photoshop, 3. Affinity, 4. Snapseed, 5. Capture One - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best photo editing software options?": 1. Adobe Lightroom, 2. Adobe Photoshop, 3. Affinity, 4. GIMP, 5. Luminar Neo, 6. DxO PhotoLab, 7. Capture One, 8. Photopea - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best photo editing software for advanced photo edits?": 1. Adobe Photoshop, 2. Capture One, 3. DxO PhotoLab, 4. Affinity, 5. Adobe Lightroom - Searched Google, AI Overview "photo editing software": 1. Adobe Lightroom, 2. Adobe Photoshop, 3. Luminar Neo, 4. Capture One, 5. CyberLink PhotoDirector, 6. GIMP, 7. RawTherapee, 8. Affinity - Searched Google, AI Overview "photo editor software": 1. Adobe Lightroom, 2. Adobe Photoshop, 3. Luminar Neo, 4. Capture One, 5. CyberLink PhotoDirector, 6. GIMP, 7. RawTherapee, 8. Affinity Not named in any answer: Picsart, Pixlr and VSCO. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for photo editing software worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, GIMP gained share of searches among photo editing software worldwide, from 7% to 8.3%. ## Month by month | Month | Adobe Lightroom estimated searches | Adobe Lightroom Share of Search | Adobe Lightroom rank | GIMP estimated searches | GIMP Share of Search | GIMP rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.2M | 9.7% | 4 | 1.1M | 8.4% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 1.2M | 9.7% | 4 | 1.1M | 8.9% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 1.2M | 10.4% | 4 | 891K | 7.7% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 1.2M | 10.6% | 4 | 1.1M | 9.2% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 1.2M | 11% | 3 | 882K | 8.2% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 1.2M | 11% | 4 | 891K | 7.9% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 1.2M | 11% | 3 | 865K | 7.7% | 5 | | May 2026 | 1.2M | 10.8% | 3 | 710K | 6.5% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 1.2M | 11.1% | 3 | 712K | 6.8% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 991K | 9.7% | 3 | 721K | 7.1% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | 1.2M | 11.3% | 3 | 712K | 7% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | 1.2M | 11.3% | 3 | 851K | 8.3% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Adobe Lightroom’s and GIMP’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**: Measured on the search terms “adobe lightroom”, “lightroom”, “lightroom app”, “lightroom classic”, “lightroom mobile” and “lightroom presets”, summed into one figure. - **GIMP**: Measured on the search terms “gimp”, “gimp image editor” and “gimp photo editor”, summed into one figure. - [Adobe Lightroom profile](/demand/global-en/brands/adobe-lightroom) - [GIMP profile](/demand/global-en/brands/gimp) - [All photo editing software worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/photo-editing-software): The set both shares are measured inside, 14 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Adobe Lightroom or GIMP more popular in search? In September 2026, Adobe Lightroom had more branded searches than GIMP among photo editing software worldwide. Adobe Lightroom had about 1.2 million branded searches, while GIMP had 851,000. Adobe Lightroom made up 11.3% of all photo editing software searches we track, and GIMP accounted for 8.3%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Adobe Lightroom vs GIMP: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/photo-editing-software/compare/adobe-lightroom-vs-gimp This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/photo-editing-software/compare/adobe-lightroom-vs-gimp. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.