Brandwave

Adobe Photoshop vs RawTherapee:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Adobe Photoshop had more branded searches than RawTherapee among photo editing software worldwide. Adobe Photoshop had about 673,000 branded searches, while RawTherapee had 33,100. Adobe Photoshop made up 6.5% of all photo editing software searches we track, and RawTherapee accounted for 0.32%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about photo editing software, Adobe Photoshop appeared in all five answers and RawTherapee in two. Adobe Photoshop was mentioned before RawTherapee in every answer.

Among photo editing software worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Adobe Photoshop, about 20 searches for every 1 for RawTherapee

Adobe Photoshop 673K searchesRawTherapee 33.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Adobe Photoshop, mentioned in every answer we collected

Adobe Photoshop in 5 of 5RawTherapee in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Adobe Photoshop, named ahead of RawTherapee in every answer

Adobe Photoshop first in 5RawTherapee never first

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Top photo editing software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Adobe Photoshop appeared in all five answers. RawTherapee was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. Adobe Photoshop was listed before RawTherapee in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Adobe Photoshop1st
  2. Adobe Lightroom2nd
  3. Capture One3rd
  4. Affinity4th
  5. Luminar Neo4th
  6. GIMP6th
  7. CyberLink PhotoDirector7th
  8. DxO PhotoLab8th
  9. RawTherapee9th
  10. Snapseed10th
  11. +4 more

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
  • Adobe Photoshop5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Capture One5 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
  • GIMP3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Luminar Neo3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • RawTherapee2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • DxO PhotoLab2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • CyberLink PhotoDirector2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Photopea1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+4 more

See every answer about photo editing 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 21, 2026.

Is Adobe Photoshop or RawTherapee more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Adobe Photoshop and RawTherapee by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 14 photo editing software we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Adobe Photoshop and RawTherapee among photo editing software worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Adobe Photoshop, RawTherapee. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthPhotopeaPicsartAdobe LightroomPixlrGIMPVSCOAdobe PhotoshopSnapseedCapture OneAffinityLuminar NeoRawTherapeeDxO PhotoLabCyberLink PhotoDirector
Oct 202531.9%16.7%9.7%12.7%8.4%6.6%6.4%3.2%0.86%1.6%0.86%0.39%0.26%0.47%
Nov 202527.2%17.9%9.7%13.6%8.9%6.8%6.7%3.2%1.1%2.7%1.1%0.4%0.27%0.4%
Dec 202529.1%19.1%10.4%11.4%7.7%7.3%7.2%3.5%0.96%1.2%0.96%0.35%0.19%0.53%
Jan 202629.2%18.8%10.6%11.4%9.2%7.4%5.9%3.5%0.96%1.2%0.96%0.35%0.19%0.43%
Feb 202631.3%19.5%11%10.8%8.2%6.5%6.3%3.1%0.69%0.9%0.85%0.31%0.17%0.38%
Mar 202629.8%19.2%11%11.4%7.9%7.5%6%3.6%0.98%1%0.8%0.29%0.2%0.29%
Apr 202630%22.5%11%9.8%7.7%6.2%6%3.6%0.66%0.72%0.99%0.3%0.2%0.24%
May 202630.9%22.4%10.8%10.3%6.5%6.5%5.1%4.6%0.68%0.74%0.83%0.31%0.2%0.25%
Jun 202632.2%22.2%11.1%8.9%6.8%6.7%5.3%3.4%1.1%0.93%0.71%0.32%0.21%0.12%
Jul 202632.8%22.3%9.7%9.4%7.1%6.8%5.4%3.3%0.89%0.94%0.73%0.32%0.22%0.1%
Aug 202632.7%22%11.3%8.7%7%6.8%5.4%3.3%0.88%0.78%0.59%0.32%0.22%0.1%
Sep 202632.6%17.5%11.3%10.2%8.3%6.7%6.5%3.2%1.3%1.1%0.48%0.32%0.26%0.1%

How has the Adobe Photoshop and RawTherapee comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Adobe Photoshop gained share of searches among photo editing software worldwide, from 5.4% to 6.5%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for RawTherapee worldwide fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 49.5K to 33.1K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Adobe Photoshop’s and RawTherapee’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 Photoshop

1 branded search term

  • adobe photoshop

RawTherapee

1 branded search term

  • rawtherapee

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among photo editing software

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