Photographers fleeing Adobe after 50 percent price hike and AI training data grab with no mobile-native one-time-purchase RAW editor alternative

Adobe raised its Photography Plan from $9.99 to $14.99/month (50%+) in January 2025 and was caught using users' photos for AI training by default without clear consent. Capture One killed its free tier in January 2024. Both moves drove professional and hobbyist photographers to look for alternatives. The gap: the only serious mobile RAW editor alternatives (Darkroom at $40/year, Photomator at $120 lifetime) are either subscription-heavy or iPad-first, and none combine RAW processing + non-destructive editing + local-first storage + a real one-time purchase. Serious mobile photographers want to own their tools the way they own their gear, not rent them from a company that sells their images to AI trainers.