ON1 Photo RAW vs Topaz Labs Comparison 2026
Both cover photo editing. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
Raw editing and layers, bought once
Rescue footage and stills that fell short
At a glance
- Topaz Labs starts cheaper, at $12.
- Neither has a free tier.
Side by side
ON1 Photo RAW | Topaz Labs | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $99.99 | From $12 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | One-time purchase | Paid subscription |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing | One-time purchase | Not stated |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated |
Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.
ON1 Photo RAW
Raw editing and layers, bought once
ON1 Photo RAW covers browsing, raw processing, retouching, layers and masks in one application, which is the pitch: the two Adobe programs most photographers rent, without renting them. It runs on your own machine and keeps working when you stop paying, because there is nothing to stop paying. The catalogue handling is the part that divides people.
Our note
Now that Affinity is free, the case for paying anything at all for photo editing has narrowed to catalog handling and raw processing, which is exactly where ON1 is stronger. Try both before spending the money.
Topaz Labs
Rescue footage and stills that fell short
Topaz Labs makes the upscaling and cleanup models people reach for when the source is the problem: a soft photo, an old clip, footage shot at the wrong resolution for the delivery. The apps run locally rather than in a queue, which matters when the file is large and the deadline is not. They are sold separately or as one subscription covering all of them, so a photographer who only needs the image side is not paying for the video models.
Our note
Add up the single apps you would actually open before taking the bundle, since two apps is still cheaper than Studio. If the work is for a client or a company, the page is explicit that Pro is the tier that carries the commercial rights.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.