ON1 Photo RAW vs Luminar Neo
Two of the top three photo editors, compared rule by rule on published facts.
In short
- ON1 Photo RAW has 76 points and Luminar Neo 71, 5 apart on our photo editing software rules.
- ON1 Photo RAW earns more on workflow and price and licence; Luminar Neo earns more on nothing.
- Price per month: ON1 Photo RAW $7.50/mo, Luminar Neo $12.02/mo.
- Only ON1 Photo RAW meets: soft proofing.
ON1 Photo RAW76/100 #1 of 9
Best for: Photographers who want raw development, layers and AI tools in one app.
Luminar Neo71/100 #2 of 9
Best for: Photographers who want AI tools and a licence with no monthly fee for the editor.
Points by group
| Group | ON1 Photo RAW | Luminar Neo |
|---|---|---|
| Systems of 12 | 8 | 8 |
| Editing tools of 34 | 31 | 31 |
| AI tools of 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Workflow of 11 | 11 | 9 |
| Price and licence of 30 | 13 | 10 |
| Total | 76 | 71 |
Rule by rule
What each vendor publishes, and the points it earns. Sources are on each product page.
| Rule (points) | ON1 Photo RAW | Luminar Neo |
|---|---|---|
| Systems (12) | Windows, macOS, iPhone/iPad, Android 8 | Windows, macOS, iPhone/iPad, Android 8 |
| Camera raw editing (10) | Yes 10 | Yes 10 |
| Layers and masks (8) | Yes 8 | Yes 8 |
| Non-destructive editing (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| Local adjustments (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| Opens and saves PSD (3) | Not published 0 | Not published 0 |
| HDR and panorama merge (2) | Yes 2 | Yes 2 |
| AI subject and sky selection (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| AI object removal (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| AI noise reduction or upscaling (3) | Yes 3 | Yes 3 |
| Built-in photo library (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| Batch editing and export (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Soft proofing (2) | Yes 2 | Not published 0 |
| Open source (3) | Not published 0 | Not published 0 |
| Free trial (2) | Yes 2 | Yes 2 |
| Free version (8) | Not published 0 | Not published 0 |
| No subscription needed (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| Price per month (12) | $7.50/mo 6 | $12.02/mo 3 |
ON1 Photo RAW
ON1 Photo RAW suits photographers who want layers, AI masking, erase and noise tools, and a folder browser without a monthly fee. The one-time licence is shown at $99.99, down from $199.98, while the MAX subscription costs $89.99 a year. The catch: the specs list Windows 11 but not Windows 10, and the features page does not say whether PSD saving keeps layers.
Luminar Neo
Luminar Neo suits people who want AI masking, erase and noise tools without a monthly fee for the editor itself. Desktop Only is €129 once, and a 7-day trial needs no card. The catch: the AI and generative tools need paid Prime after the first 365 days, and the file types page does not say whether PSD layers are kept.
Both products are scored by the same rules: how we score photo editors.