Luminar Neo vs Pixelmator:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Luminar Neo had more branded searches than Pixelmator among image editing software worldwide. Luminar Neo had about 49,500 branded searches, while Pixelmator had 37,900. Luminar Neo made up 0.43% of all image editing software searches we track, and Pixelmator accounted for 0.33%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about image editing software, Luminar Neo appeared in four of the five answers and Pixelmator in none.
Who do people search for more?
Luminar Neo, about 31% more searches than Pixelmator
Who does AI mention more?
Luminar Neo, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Pixelmator in 0
Who does AI recommend more?
Luminar Neo, the only one of the two named
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Top image editing software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Luminar Neo was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Pixelmator did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
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
Pixelmator0 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 Luminar Neo or Pixelmator more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Luminar Neo and Pixelmator 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 Luminar Neo, Pixelmator. 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 Luminar Neo and Pixelmator comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Pixelmator took it in January 2026, Luminar Neo took it in February 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Luminar Neo’s share of searches among image editing software worldwide moved from 0.72% to 0.43%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 110K to 49.5K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pixelmator’s share of searches among image editing software worldwide moved from 0.27% to 0.33%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 41.3K to 37.9K.
How did search popularity change for image editing software worldwide in September 2026?
1 change
Estimated monthly branded searches for Luminar Neo worldwide fell 55% over 12 measured months, from 110K to 49.5K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
25 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Luminar Neo’s and Pixelmator’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.
Luminar Neo
1 branded search term
- luminarneo
Pixelmator
24 branded search terms
- apple pixelmator
- apple pixelmator pro
- pixelmator
- pixelmator 2
- pixelmator ai
- pixelmator android
- pixelmator app
- pixelmator classic
- pixelmator image editor
- pixelmator ipad
- pixelmator iphone
- pixelmator linux
- pixelmator mac
- pixelmator photo editor
- pixelmator pro
- pixelmator pro ai
- pixelmator pro android
- pixelmator pro app
- pixelmator pro ipad
- pixelmator pro iphone
- pixelmator pro mac
- pixelmator pro windows
- pixelmator vector graphics
- pixelmator windows
Other head-to-heads among image editing software
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