Brandwave

Adobe Lightroom vs Google Photos:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Google Photos had more branded searches than Adobe Lightroom among photo management software worldwide. Google Photos had about 16.6 million branded searches, while Adobe Lightroom had 1.2 million. Google Photos made up 92.5% of all photo management software searches we track, and Adobe Lightroom accounted for 6.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about photo management software, Adobe Lightroom appeared in all five answers and Google Photos in four. Adobe Lightroom was mentioned before Google Photos in four out of five answers.

Among photo management software worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Google Photos, about 14 searches for every 1 for Adobe Lightroom

Google Photos 16.6M searchesAdobe Lightroom 1.2M searches

Who does AI mention more?

Adobe Lightroom, mentioned in every answer we collected

Adobe Lightroom in 5 of 5Google Photos in 4 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Adobe Lightroom, named ahead of Google Photos in 4 of 5 answers

Adobe Lightroom first in 4Google Photos first in 1

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Top photo management software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Adobe Lightroom appeared in all five answers. Google Photos was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Adobe Lightroom was listed before Google Photos in four out of five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Adobe Lightroom1st
  2. Google Photos2nd
  3. digiKam3rd
  4. Excire4th
  5. Apple Photos5th
  6. Mylio Photos6th
  7. ACDSee7th
  8. Photo Mechanic–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Adobe Lightroom5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Google Photos4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Apple Photos4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Mylio Photos4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Excire4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • digiKam3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • ACDSee3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Photo Mechanic0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about photo management software

5 answers

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 Google Photos more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Adobe Lightroom and Google Photos by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight photo management software we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Adobe Lightroom and Google Photos among photo management software worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Google Photos, Adobe Lightroom. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGoogle PhotosAdobe LightroomApple PhotosdigiKamACDSeePhoto MechanicMylio PhotosExcire
Oct 202591.8%6.9%0.75%0.18%0.18%0.13%0.03%0.01%
Nov 202593.6%5.5%0.5%0.15%0.15%0.09%0.02%0.01%
Dec 202592.2%6.6%0.61%0.22%0.18%0.11%0.03%0.02%
Jan 202693.5%5.6%0.41%0.19%0.15%0.09%0.02%0.01%
Feb 202692.5%6.6%0.5%0.18%0.15%0.11%0.02%0.01%
Mar 202693.5%5.7%0.41%0.19%0.12%0.09%0.02%0.01%
Apr 202693.5%5.6%0.41%0.15%0.12%0.09%0.02%0.01%
May 202693.8%5.4%0.42%0.19%0.1%0.1%0.02%0.01%
Jun 202692.5%6.4%0.5%0.23%0.12%0.12%0.02%0.02%
Jul 202693.4%5.6%0.51%0.23%0.12%0.12%0.02%0.01%
Aug 202693.8%5.3%0.42%0.23%0.1%0.08%0.02%<0.01%
Sep 202692.5%6.5%0.5%0.23%0.12%0.12%0.02%0.01%

How has the Adobe Lightroom and Google Photos comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for photo management software worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Adobe Lightroom gained share of searches among photo management software worldwide, from 5.3% to 6.5%.

  2. In September 2026, Google Photos lost share of searches among photo management software worldwide, from 93.8% to 92.5%.

How are branded searches counted?

7 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Adobe Lightroom’s and Google Photos’ 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

Google Photos

1 branded search term

  • google photos

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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