The 8 best photo and video apps in 2026
Our pick: The best photo and video app in 2026 is Adobe Lightroom (9.0/10), followed by Blackmagic Camera and Darkroom.
Your phone's camera is good; the right app makes it great. We rank photo editors, pro camera apps and video editors on editing depth, how quickly you can get to a finished shot, export quality, pricing and what happens to your footage and likeness behind the scenes.
Adobe LightroomPro photo editing and AI masking that syncs everywhere
9.0
Most private
Halide8.7 overall
The full ranking
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1
Adobe Lightroom9.0
Pro photo editing and AI masking that syncs everywhere 9.00 -
2
Blackmagic Camera8.9
Free cinema-style camera controls for your phone 8.90 -
3
Darkroom8.8
Fast RAW photo and video editing for iPhone, iPad and Mac 8.80 -
4
Halide8.7
Manual pro camera for iPhone with RAW and Process Zero 8.70 -
5
LumaFusion8.6
Multitrack pro video editing on iPad, iPhone and Android 8.60 -
6
Snapseed8.5
Free, precise photo editing with selective adjustments 8.50 -
7
CapCut8.2
Template-driven video editor built for short-form social 8.20 -
8
VSCO7.8
Film-inspired presets and a creative photo community 7.80
Votes don't change our scores. They show whether readers agree with the order — sort by Most upvoted to see theirs.
Head to head
Adobe Lightroom
9.0
vs
Blackmagic Camera
8.9
Adobe Lightroom
9.0
vs
Darkroom
8.8
Blackmagic Camera
8.9
vs
Darkroom
8.8
Guides for photo & video
Questions
What is the best photo and video app in 2026?
Adobe Lightroom is our top pick, with an overall score of 9.0 out of 10. Lightroom is the most complete photo editor you can carry between phone, tablet and desktop. AI masks select skies, subjects and people in a tap, Generative Remove cleans up distractions, and your edits sync across devices through Adobe's cloud. The catch is the subscription: the best AI tools, cloud storage and the desktop app sit behind it. Get it if you shoot RAW or edit on several devices.
What is the best free photo and video app?
Adobe Lightroom is also the best option you can use for free. The mobile app is free to download and includes core adjustments, presets and cropping. Premium tools such as Generative Remove, plus cloud storage and the desktop app, need an Adobe subscription.
Which photo and video app is best for privacy?
Halide has the highest privacy score in this category at 9.3 out of 10.