The new CC version is an app that you can download onto your desktop computer or portable devices. The Classic version doesn’t sync with the cloud so I won’t go into detail about it. Lightroom has two versions, the Classic and the CC. You can only access your photos on the desktop through the web browser which means that you can’t edit or browse your photos without an internet connection. The app is very similar to Apple Photos on the phone but it does not offer a desktop version which is a huge drawback.

Google Photos works as an app on iPhones and Android. If you want to organise or edit your photos and you don’t have an Apple device then it’s obviously a very bad choice but if you have an iPhone or Macbook and want to view your photos on a Samsung phone or sync your photos into the same iCloud from your Windows computer then they’ve got you covered. On Windows PCs you can download the iCloud app which allows you to sync your photos but the Photos app itself is not available, you can only upload/download files.

From Android devices you can access the iCloud from the web browser, which will give the options mentioned above. If you want to use the iCloud system on Windows or Android, you can but it’s extremely limited. Furthermore, you can log into the iCloud system on any browser, this will allow you to view/download/upload your photos but you won’t be able to edit.

You can do these on the iPhone or iPad too but it will be slightly restricted. The desktop app gives you full access to all organising, editing and sharing features. It works best when your operating system is up to date, however, it can randomly stop sync-ing and restart an hour later. CompatibilityĪpple Photos is an app pre-installed on all Apple computers like iMacs and MacBooks. In this article I will compare side by side the three most commonly used photo libraries in the following categories: compatibility, organising, sharing, editing, integration and price.

Lightroom cc app store