13 Best Photo Organizer & Management Software in 2023

Photos are a great way to collect precious moments throughout our lives, and in today's world, we take an overwhelming amount of photos. This makes it important to have the right photo organizer software to help keep your favorite photos readily accessible.

But when it comes to finding the best photo organizer, things can get tricky. After all, there are many great options available to help sort and manage photos. That’s why we've compiled a list of the 13 best photo organizers for you in 2023.

• Snapshot of Our Top 3 Photo Organizers
• How to Choose the Best Photo Organizer
• 13 Best Photo Organizers
• Best Photo Organizer Comparison Chart
• How to Use a Photo Organizer
• Download the Best Photo Organizer for Free
• Photo Organizer FAQ

Snapshot of Our Top 3 Photo Organizers

How to Choose the Best Photo Organizer

There are many software available that let you organize pictures in a variety of ways. However, no two are alike, so finding the right program to manage photos can be tough. Read below for our tips on what to look for in a photo organizer.

User-Friendliness

You'll want to make sure that the photo organizer you choose is user-friendly and easy to navigate. A good organizer should have an intuitive interface and provide options to organize pictures according to date, location, or other key characteristics. This will make it easy to manage photos and find what you're looking for quickly.

Flexibility and Customization

You should be able to organize pictures with both flexibility and customization so that you can adjust the settings to your liking. The software should have options to set up personalized albums or subfolders to keep your photos classified according to your priorities. Customization also extends to the photo organizer's appearance. It should have options to personalize its look and feel, including changing the background, font, and photo arrangement.

Cloud Storage and Backup

With the increasing risk of hard drive failure, cloud storage and backup options are becoming more important when selecting software to manage photos. The best photo organizer software should provide some form of cloud storage or backup, giving you added security that your photos will always be safe and accessible in case of hardware or software malfunctions.

Tethered Shooting & Compatibility with Popular Cameras

It’s easier for professional photographers to manage photos if their photo organizer has tethered shooting support. This allows images to go directly into the software as you take them, eliminating the need to import. You can immediately see your images on your desktop to know if adjustments need to be made during a shoot. Your photo organizer should also connect directly to popular DSLR cameras for easy import.

Remember, the photo organizer that you select should make managing and sharing your photos easier, not more complicated, and should always provide you with the flexibility and customization you require.

13 Best Photo Organizers

1. PhotoDirector 365 - Best Overall

Key Features

• FaceMe® Facial Recognition Software: Tag a face in one photo and it will be tagged in all other shots
• Smart Collections: Automatically organize pictures into albums based on given criteria such as Star Rating or Recently Edited
• Calendar View: Click on a year and month to see only the photos from that time frame

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

PhotoWorkout Rating: 4.7/5

Photo Management Tools: 5/5

Price: Free

*Premium subscription available for $3.33/month

Who It’s For 

PhotoDirector 365 was created to combine the photo management features of Adobe Lightroom with the editing capabilities of Adobe Photoshop into one beginner-friendly tool. PhotoDirector has 2 separate interfaces - one to Organize and Adjust, and one to Edit - to keep its huge feature set from becoming overwhelming.

Professionals dealing with hundreds of images will love PhotoDirector’s tools to manage photos. An extensive list of EXIF and IPTC metadata is added automatically, from capture date down to copyright info used on stock images. You can also edit and add metadata manually to single images or in batches. Customize your workflow with different views, such as Photo Viewer Only, Photo Browser Only, Photo Viewer & Photo Browser, Grid View, and List View. You can see if adjustments have been made to an image, if the image has been tagged, and any ratings you have assigned. You can also stack images automatically or manually, and expand or collapse stacks as needed.

Why We Picked It

The photo organizer makes it easy to find exactly what you need from thousands of images. Assign tags, flags, star ratings, color codings, and more to your images and create smart albums or search filters. In addition, PhotoDirector 365 uses the world’s top facial recognition software, FaceMe®, to automatically tag faces.

PhotoDirector also has a full suite of AI-powered photo editing tools, such as sky replacement, deblur, denoise, image enlargement, an art generator, and a cartoonizer. It comes with photo touch-up tools including a blemish remover, eye shaper, nose editor, and skin smoother. There are also tons of design assets you can use to add some fun to your images, like animated stickers, titles, and overlays, plus millions of royalty-free stock images. This photo organizer is truly a one-stop shop for all your photo needs.

Bottom Line 

With powerful facial recognition, extensive metadata, and a variety of ways to rate, view, and manage photos, PhotoDirector 365 is the best photo organizer on our list. Add advanced editing features and a beginner-friendly interface, and you have the best tool to edit and organize pictures for any skill level.

Try PhotoDirector 365 for free today by clicking the link below.

Check out these related topics for photo editing:

• 13 Best Graphic Design Software for Beginners [2023 Updated]
• 15 Best Free Photo Editing Software for Windows PC in 2023
• Social Media Profile Picture Maker (Plus 10 Comparable Alternatives)

2. Excire Foto - Best Facial Recognition

Key Features

• Location-Specific Searches: Use keyword searches in specific albums, folders, current view, or entire database
• Duplicate Finder: Find duplicates with numerous configuration options
• Photo Collections: Name new collections then drag and drop images without interfering with your original archive

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

PhotoWorkout Rating: 4.1/5

Photo Management Tools: 5/5

Price: $99

Who It’s For 

Excire Foto is a photo organizer for professionals who need to find and manage photos in a hurry. We found Excire’s facial recognition technology to be very impressive. The Find Faces tool not only finds and tags specific people, but also a specific age group, smiling or nonsmiling faces, specific genders, the number of faces in a shot, and more.

Why We Picked It

Not only will this photo organizer find exact duplicates of photos, but also similar shots using the Search by Example feature. It offers very accurate keyword tagging upon import, and will automatically organize pictures based on metadata and multiple keywords like “beach,” “pink” and “night” to find that specific beach sunset image. You are also free to edit tags and order them according to importance.

Bottom Line 

Excire Foto offers superior AI tagging for improved search times for busy professionals. However, it is not a complete photo workflow solution, as it does not offer any photo editing tools. We recommend it for photographers who need to find that one specific shot from thousands of options.

3. Adobe Lightroom - Best for Professionals

Image from adobe.

Key Features

• Advanced Healing Brush: Heal imperfections in your photos with a single brush stroke
• Dehaze Tool: Reduce the amount of haze in your photos
• Split Toning: Add color tints to shadows and highlights

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Web Browser

PCMag Rating: 4/5

Photo Management Tools: 5/5

Price: $9.99/month

Who It’s For 

Adobe Lightroom is a popular photo organizer and adjustment tool among professionals. Similar to PhotoDirector 365, you can manage photos as albums or stacks, and organize pictures with keywords, metadata, flags, and ratings. You can use the People View to organize pictures by faces and search images by first or last name. Finding and filtering a large number of images is easy with Lightroom.

Why We Picked It

Lightroom has a wide range of filters and presets that can be used to edit photos. You can adjust contrast, tone, and color in specific parts of an image using masks, with specific masks that target facial hair and clothing for precisely editing portraits. This photo organizer comes with AI-powered tools like a powerful denoiser and Super Resolution for upscaling images.

Bottom Line 

With Lightroom, you can share your albums and folders with others and invite them to make edits. It comes with 1TB of cloud storage, and is available from any device, so you can organize pictures on the go. Overall, Adobe Lightroom is one of the best photo organizers for professionals. However, it remains second on our list because PhotoDirector 365 is easier to use and costs less, despite having more advanced editing tools.

4. Corel AfterShot Pro - Best for Budget

Image from PCMag.

Key Features

• Lens Correction Development Kit: Make and share your own lens corrections
• Comprehensive Watermarking: Protect your photos with a watermark overlay
• Powerful Batch Processing: Edit thousands of photos simultaneously with batch processing controls and presets

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Linux

G2 Rating: 4.5/5

Photo Management Tools: 4.5/5

Price: $79.99

Who It’s For 

Corel AfterShot Pro is a photo organizer for those who need to edit and manage photos quickly and on a budget. It’s one of the cheapest paid options on our list, and it is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription. AfterShot is 4 times faster than our #3 pick Lightroom when it comes to loading, editing, and converting RAW files. And you can organize pictures on your hard drive without the need to import them.

Why We Picked It

Quickly compare, filter and select your best photos from similar shots with star ratings, tags, and labels. Add your own searchable keywords, or organize pictures by metadata, including camera data like camera settings, type, aperture, and more. You can also create web galleries from various gallery styles, and share them online with friends. AfterShot Pro will back up and archive even large catalogs quickly with powerful batch tools.

Bottom Line 

Corel Aftershot Pro is a quick, easy, and Linux-friendly alternative to Adobe Lightroom. It offers similar functionality, with impressive tools to manage photos and some photo adjustment tools. You can even upload your images to Photoshop with one click. However, we prefer software that lets you edit with Photoshop-like tools and organize pictures in one package, like our top choice PhotoDirector 365.

5. Apple Photos - Best for iPhone Users

Image from Apple.

Key Features

• iCloud Photo Library: Automatically backs up your photos and videos to the cloud
• Faces Feature: Identify and tag people in your photos automatically using facial recognition
• Shared Albums: Share photos and videos with other Apple users

Compatibility: macOS

SourceForge Rating: 9/10

Photo Management Tools: 4.5/5

Price: Free

Who It’s For 

If you take most of your photos with an iPhone, then Apple Photos is the photo organizer for you. iPhone photos automatically upload to your Mac, with no import required. Apple Photos supports various iPhone formats, such as ProRAW, Live, and Portrait Mode. Best of all, it comes free on all Apple devices.

Why We Picked It

You can also import RAW files taken on popular DSLR cameras. Manage photos with powerful geo-tagging, facial recognition, and keyword tagging. This photo organizer stores an impressive amount of metadata and automatically creates albums based on dates, people, places, favorites, or photo types (selfies, screenshots, panoramas, etc.). It also comes with some editing tools like auto-enhance, red-eye remover, crop, rotate, white balance, color correction, lighting adjustments, noise reduction, and more.

Bottom Line 

Apple Photos has more photo editing tools than you’d think for a free photo organizer. In fact, most people will find it sufficient for their photo editing and organizing needs. However, it lacks creative tools like stickers, effects, or frames that are popular among content creators, and advanced editing tools like lens profile corrections and layer editing. Also, professionals will have trouble sharing albums with clients who don’t use Apple. We recommend PhotoDirecor 365 for Mac users who want the ease of Apple Photos but with more advanced features.

6. XNView MP - Best for Batch Processing

Image from XNView.

Key Features

• Lossless Crop & Rotate: Crop and rotate images without losing quality
• Slideshow Creator: Create slideshows with different transition effects and music
• Duplicate Search: Find exact copies or very similar images for easy culling

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Linux

AlternativeTo Rating: 4.3/5

Photo Management Tools: 4/5

Price: Free for Personal or Educational use

*Commercial use license is $34.95

Who It’s For 

XNView MP is a photo organizer that offers different view options, such as thumbnail, filmstrip, and full-screen views. It is an extremely fast tool to browse, view, and organize pictures, and offers powerful batch-processing for almost every feature.

Why We Picked It

This photo organizer supports 500 image formats (including multipage and animated formats), and 70 export formats. You can compare images side-by-side and tag/star images. EXIF, IPTC, and XMP metadata are also supported. XNView MP comes with some surface-level adjustment tools like filters and color adjustments.

Bottom Line 

XNView MP and our #11 pick FastStone Image Viewer are very similar in terms of functionality. They both offer ad-free, no-cost home versions and their commercial versions are the same price. The reason XNView wins out is due to better online reviews, a slightly more modern interface, and batch processing for all tools instead of a select few.

However, neither product do full digital asset management, nor do they have advanced editing tools like layer editing and masks. And while this photo organizer has Face Detection, it lacks Facial Recognition, meaning it will place a box around a face so you can manually enter a name, but it won’t recognize that face to automatically tag it in the future.

7. ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate - Best for RAW Images

Image from Computer bild.

Key Features

• AI-Powered Face Edit: Analyzes faces for precise retouching
• Photomerge Tools: Effortlessly convert multiple images into one
• Quick Search: Search using Contains All, Contains Any, or Starts With and Ends With; stores search history so you can access recent searches

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

PCMag Rating: 3/5

Photo Management Tools: 5/5

Price: $149.99

Who It’s For 

ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate is a photo editor and Digital Asset Management (DAM) software capable of viewing RAW images from over 700 cameras. It also offers RAW photo processing and nondestructive RAW editing. With this photo organizer, you don’t need to import photos, simply navigate to your photo collection and start your workflow.

Why We Picked It

If you are a current Lightroom Classic user, you can import your database directly into ACDSee with your collections, keywords, ratings, and color labels intact. Face Detection and Facial Recognition tools will quickly label and isolate specific people. Advanced Search allows you to manage photos by almost any criteria, including metadata, EXIF, and IPTC fields. You can also organize pictures based on ratings, hierarchical keywords, tags, categories, location data, and color labels.

Bottom Line 

ACDSee Photo Studio Professional makes it easy to find, sort, move, share, and manage photos. We liked that you don’t have to import photos into the software from your desktop, however, if you need to import from devices, disks, or scanners, the import process is quite slow. And while the program takes up less room than Lightroom, it is double the size of our top choice PhotoDirector 365.

8. Adobe Photoshop Elements - Best for Beginners

Image from ExtremeTech.

Key Features

• Peek-Through Overlays: Frame your subject with natural and realistic overlays to create depth
• Open Closed Eyes: Replace closed eyes with open ones, using an image of the offender, or choosing different eyes from a model
• Auto Curate: Automatically manage photos based on events, locations, or people.

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Web Browser

PCMag Rating: 4/5

Photo Management Tools: 4/5

Price: $99.99

Who It’s For 

Adobe Photoshop Elements is a photo organizer and editing software designed for beginners. It has 61 guided edits with step-by-step instructions for basic adjustments, artistic creations, and visual effects. It also comes with templates for slideshows and collages, plus AI tools for one-click edits and auto photo management.

Why We Picked It

Your photos and videos are automatically tagged and placed into albums on import. Albums include Media, Dates, People, Places, Subjects, and Events. Adobe Sensei technology uses Smart Tags to categorize images by subjects like “Bahamas Trip,” “Sunsets,” or “Birthdays,” without any input from the user. It’s a great photo organizer for those who want to organize pictures in a hurry, with little effort.

Bottom Line 

Adobe Photoshop Elements is a great software for new users who want to edit and manage photos with Photoshop-like tools. Professionals, however, should stick with Photoshop/Lightroom for their photo workflow, as Elements is all about automatic solutions and lacks precise edits and advanced photo management features. We recommend PhotoDirector 365 as the best all-in-one solution. Like Photoshop Elements, it is a cheaper and easier combination of both Photoshop and Lightroom, however, PhotoDirector 365 has more advanced features for users of any skill level.

9. Google Photos - Best for Sharing

Image from fixthephoto.

Key Features

• Photo Archive: Declutter the main interface without permanently deleting memories
• Print Store: Create photobooks and purchase prints straight from the app
• Auto Backup: Automatically back up your photos and videos to the cloud

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

PCMag Rating: 4/5

Photo Management Tools: 4/5

Price: free

Who It’s For 

Google Photos is a free photo organizer for people who love to share photos with friends and family. Share easily with anyone in your contacts, create a shareable link, or upload directly to Facebook or Twitter. Partner Sharing is a unique feature that lets you set up automatic sharing with a loved one. You choose the parameters, such as start date, photos of certain people only, or all photos, and your photos will automatically be shared.

Why We Picked It

Users get 15GB of free storage, with the option to purchase more if needed. You can manage photos with Geotag Maps and Favorites, or by creating and naming albums. You can search photos with facial recognition, or search by type of image, such as selfies, screenshots, 360-degree photos, etc. The program offers a few basic editing tools like filters, crop, rotate, and color/brightness adjustments. You can also create movies, collages, and animations from scratch or with the help of a themed template.

Bottom Line 

If you are a parent, Google Photos is a great way to automatically send pictures of your kids to Grandparents or your spouse. And with auto backup and cloud storage, your precious memories will be safe and sound. However, it’s not the best photo organizer for photographers or professionals, as it has limited editing options and lacks some features like tethered shooting and advanced metadata.

10. Photo Mechanic - Fastest Import

Key Features

• GPS Tracking: Automatically Geotag your images and add city, state, and country to your metadata
• Pre-Made Gallery Templates: Create web galleries using a wide variety of templates
• Side-by-Side Comparison: Review images side-by-side, either horizontal or vertically

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

PCMag Rating: 3/5

Photo Management Tools: 5/5

Price: $169 for Photo Mechanic 6 and $269 for Photo Mechanic Plus

Who It’s For 

With Photo Mechanic, you can plug in your memory card and manage photos instantaneously. You can see your image thumbnails while they are being copied, with no waiting around. Other time-savers include copying images from several memory cards at the same time, and the ability to add metadata during ingest. It’s the perfect photo organizer for professionals on a deadline.

Why We Picked It

Tagging your photos with more than one keyword allows you to search images faster. We liked that you could save your detailed metadata can as a template and apply it to photos in batches. Export options include email and uploading directly to popular sites like PhotoShelter, Zenfolio, Amazon S3, Flickr, SmugMug, and more.

Bottom Line 

Photo Mechanic is an incredibly fast tool to view, organize, export, and manage photos. However, it lacks any photo editing tools and it is relatively expensive for a photo organizer. It also requires extra software for tethered shooting and lacks photo stacking. Our top photo organizer PhotoDirector 365 includes these missing features, plus an entire suite of photo editing tools.

11. FastStone Image Viewer - Best for Image Viewing

Image from GHacks.

Key Features

• Print Tools: Full-page layout control and contact sheet creation
• Red Eye Remover: Clean up images by removing flash glare
• Slideshow Creator: Create slideshows with the addition of music and over 150 transitions

Compatibility: Windows

Trustpilot Rating: 3.6/10

Photo Management Tools: 4/5

Price: Free for Personal or Educational use

*Commercial use license is $34.95

Who It’s For 

As the name suggests, FastStone Image Viewer is a great tool for viewing images quickly. Full-screen mode and a high-quality magnifier allow you to see the precise details of your photos. It offers quick access to EXIF info, and a clean thumbnail browser with hidden toolbars that only appear when you click the edge of the screen.

Why We Picked It

The image viewer lets you compare up to 4 images side-by-side, making it easy to review and cull images. You can then manage photos using tags, ratings, and EXIF metadata. You can copy, move, and re-arrange files through a simple drag-and-drop workflow. There are also basic editing tools, including resizing, cropping, retouching, and color adjustments.

Bottom Line 

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to view and store your images, FastStone Image Viewer is the best option, especially for those on a budget. The low-cost Commercial License gets you free upgrades for life, and the Home/Educational versions are entirely free with no ads. Of course, being freeware, it lacks the polish of more professional programs, and the interface is pretty outdated.

12. Zoner Photo Studio X - Best All-In-One Photo Software

Image from G2.

Key Features

• Layers & Masks: Change specific areas of an image, and handle cloning, collages, and other effects with ease.
• Retouching Tools: A unique retouching brush and various facial feature adjustments make touchups a snap
• High-Quality Printing for Photo Products: Create and order photo products such as calendars, magnets, and photo books without 3rd-party software

Compatibility: Windows

PCMag Rating: 3.5/5

Photo Management Tools: 4/5

Price: $5.99/month or $59/year

Who It’s For 

Zoner Photo Studio X has a lot to offer. With this Windows software, you can process RAW images, catalog and manage photos, edit photos with advanced tools, edit videos with basic tools, share with friends, upload to social media, create and order photo products, and store photos on the cloud. If you need to streamline your photo workflow, or like making photo gifts for family and friends, this could be the photo organizer for you.

Why We Picked It

There are many options for cataloging and searching large amounts of photos. Manage photos based on file format, rating, color label, GPS coordinates, keywords, or date. You can turn your images into a video slideshow, presentation, or time-lapse and edit it without switching software. One of Zoner Photo Studio X’s best-loved features is the 200+ professionally designed presets and regularly added preset bundles you can download for free with a subscription.

Bottom Line 

Like our top choice, PhotoDirector 365, Zoner Photo Studio X is a well-rounded photo solution with advanced tools to edit and organize pictures. They both offer cloud storage, wide format support (including RAW image processing from popular cameras), and photo-to-video tools. However, Zoner’s interface is more complex and less polished than PhotoDirector’s. It is also lacking some tools to manage photos you can find in PhotoDirector, like the ability to search by Latest Imports, Recently Edited, or search by people using facial recognition.

13. Corel PaintShop Pro Ultimate - Best for Intermediate Hobbyists

Image from PCMag.

Key Features

• PhotoMirage Express: Creates animated photo GIFs
• Photo Enhancer: Automatically improve the quality of your photos with one click
• Creative Templates: Available for those who want to create scrapbooks, collages, and more

Compatibility: Windows

PCMag Rating: 4/5

Photo Management Tools: 3/5

Price: $99.99

Who It’s For 

Corel PaintShop Pro Ultimate is a photo editing software and photo organizer designed for intermediate users. It offers plenty of advanced editing and graphic design features, but it’s easy to use. Templates and one-click tools such as AI Artifact Removal, AI Denoise, AI Style Transfer, and AI Background Replacement make it a great choice for photography hobbyists.

Why We Picked It

PaintShop Pro Ultimate has tools to save, transfer, organize, and share your assets. It offers a wide variety of formats for import and export. There are multiple workspaces for different photo tasks: Photography, Essentials, Complete, and Sea-to-Sky (editing tools designed for underwater and aerial shots). In the Complete workspace, you will find Home, Manage, and Edit. The Manage workspace lets you organize pictures with keyword tags, catalogs, Smart Collections, and metadata/file information.

Bottom Line 

Think of Corel PaintShop Pro Ultimate as an easier, cheaper version of Photoshop for non-professionals interested in photography and graphic design. We say “non-professionals” because it is lacking in advanced organization features. It’s more of a photo editor than a tool to manage photos. Also, switching between different workspaces is not always seamless and can be slow. Our top pick, PhotoDirector 365 is also a beginner-friendly software with tons of features, but it has more advanced organizational tools for professionals.

Best Photo Organizers Comparison Chart

Click here for more information on how to import and organize pictures.

Download the Best Photo Organizer for Free

PhotoDirector 365 is the best photo organizer on the market. It offers a wide range of features for both beginners and professionals, comes with a full suite of photo editing tools, and is compatible with Windows and Mac.

Pro photographers will love PhotoDirector 365 for its RAW camera support, tethered shooting, and extensive metadata you can apply to batches of photos upon import. Users of all levels will appreciate its intuitive user interface and a myriad of options to view, cull, and manage photos the way you like. 

Click the button below to download PhotoDirector 365 for free and take control of your photo library today!

Download PhotoDirector 365 today!