Brandwave

Photopea vs RawTherapee:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Photopea had more branded searches than RawTherapee among photo editing software worldwide. Photopea had about 3.4 million branded searches, while RawTherapee had 33,100. Photopea made up 32.6% 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, RawTherapee appeared in two of the five answers and Photopea in one. RawTherapee was mentioned before Photopea in two out of three answers that named either.

Among photo editing software worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Photopea, about 101 searches for every 1 for RawTherapee

Photopea 3.4M searchesRawTherapee 33.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

RawTherapee, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, Photopea in 1

RawTherapee in 2 of 5Photopea in 1 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

RawTherapee, named ahead of Photopea in 2 of 3 answers

RawTherapee first in 2Photopea first in 1

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Top photo editing software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, RawTherapee was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. Photopea was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. RawTherapee was listed before Photopea in two out of three answers that named either.

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. +1 more
  11. Photopea11th
  12. +3 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 Photopea or RawTherapee more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Photopea 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.

Photopea and RawTherapee among photo editing software worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Photopea, 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 Photopea and RawTherapee comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Photopea was ahead of RawTherapee in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Photopea’s share of searches among photo editing software worldwide moved from 31.9% to 32.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.1M to 3.4M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, RawTherapee’s share of searches among photo editing software worldwide moved from 0.39% to 0.32%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 49.5K to 33.1K.

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

2 changes

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

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Photopea worldwide fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 4.1M to 3.4M in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Photopea’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.

Photopea

1 branded search term

  • photopea

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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