Brandwave

ACDSee vs Adobe Lightroom:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Adobe Lightroom had more branded searches than ACDSee among photo management software worldwide. Adobe Lightroom had about 1.2 million branded searches, while ACDSee had 22,200. Adobe Lightroom made up 6.5% of all photo management software searches we track, and ACDSee accounted for 0.12%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about photo management software, Adobe Lightroom appeared in all five answers and ACDSee in three. Adobe Lightroom was mentioned before ACDSee in every answer.

Among photo management software worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Adobe Lightroom, about 52 searches for every 1 for ACDSee

Adobe Lightroom 1.2M searchesACDSee 22.2K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Adobe Lightroom, mentioned in every answer we collected

Adobe Lightroom in 5 of 5ACDSee in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Adobe Lightroom, named ahead of ACDSee in every answer

Adobe Lightroom first in 5ACDSee never first

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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. ACDSee was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Adobe Lightroom was listed before ACDSee in every answer.

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 ACDSee or Adobe Lightroom more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for ACDSee and Adobe Lightroom 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.

ACDSee and Adobe Lightroom among photo management software worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Adobe Lightroom, ACDSee. 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 ACDSee and Adobe Lightroom 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. Estimated monthly branded searches for ACDSee worldwide fell 32.9% over 12 measured months, from 33.1K to 22.2K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

7 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using ACDSee’s and Adobe Lightroom’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.

ACDSee

1 branded search term

  • acdsee

Adobe Lightroom

6 branded search terms

  • adobe lightroom
  • lightroom
  • lightroom app
  • lightroom classic
  • lightroom mobile
  • lightroom presets

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among photo management software

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