Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Stencil VS Darktable

Compare Stencil VS Darktable and see what are their differences

Stencil logo Stencil

Stencil is a the fastest and simplest way to design images and graphics for digital marketing.

Darktable logo Darktable

darktable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developer.
  • Stencil Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-28

Stencil is the fastest way to design graphic for social media, blogs, newsletters, print on demand (POD), logos or anything else visual or creative that you can imagine.

We provide you with over 4 million photos and icons that you can use, royalty-free. Just find the perfect photo or icon, add it to the canvas, design whatever you want, and then instantly download it.

Using Stencil, you can also share directly to your social media accounts, SMS it to your phone, email it to your inbox, or copy a unique URL.

  • Darktable Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-18

Stencil

$ Details
freemium
Platforms
Browser Wordpress Google Chrome Firefox
Release Date
2013 November

Stencil features and specs

  • Photos
    2,300,000+ Royalty-free Photos
  • Icons
    2,100,000+ Royalty-free Icons
  • Templates
    1,000+ Professionally designed templates
  • Quotes
    100,000 Quotes
  • Instant Resizing
  • Preset Sizes
    100+ Preset sizes
  • Google Fonts
    3,000+ Google Fonts

Darktable features and specs

  • Open Source
    Darktable is open-source software, meaning it's free to use and its source code is available for users to modify and improve. This can appeal to those who prefer community-driven projects.
  • Non-Destructive Editing
    The software ensures that the original image files are never altered. All edits are stored in a separate file, allowing users to revert to the original image at any time.
  • RAW Processing
    Darktable supports a wide range of RAW file formats from numerous camera manufacturers, offering high-quality RAW image editing capabilities.
  • Extensive Toolset
    Darktable offers a comprehensive set of tools for color correction, retouching, and other adjustments, comparable to other professional photo editing software.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, Darktable allows users to work on their preferred operating system without compatibility issues.
  • Active Community
    Darktable has an active community of users and developers who regularly contribute to forums, create tutorials, and develop plugins, providing robust support.

Possible disadvantages of Darktable

  • Learning Curve
    Darktable has a steep learning curve, which can be daunting for beginners who are not familiar with photo editing software.
  • Less Intuitive UI
    Compared to some commercial alternatives, Darktable's user interface is less intuitive, which may make it harder for new users to navigate and utilize all features efficiently.
  • Slower Performance
    Some users have reported that Darktable can be slower compared to other photo editing software, especially when working with very large files or complex edits.
  • Limited Integration
    Darktable does not integrate as seamlessly with other software in the Adobe ecosystem, which could be a drawback for those who rely on multiple Adobe products for their workflow.
  • Infrequent Updates
    Although the software is updated, it does not receive updates as frequently as some commercial alternatives, which can delay the release of new features or bug fixes.
  • Limited Documentation
    While there is a community and some documentation available, new users might find comprehensive guides and official tutorials lacking compared to more mainstream software.

Stencil videos

Stencil: The fastest way to create amazing graphics

More videos:

  • Review - Stencil Review After 3 Years Of Using It & How It Can Speed Up Your Workflow
  • Review - Stencil Review - Create Social Media Graphics [AppSumo 2019]
  • Demo - Stencil Review and Demo: Graphic Design App

Darktable videos

Free Lightroom Alternative: Darktable Review

More videos:

  • Review - darktable 3.0 How Good is it in comparison to other editing programs?
  • Review - Lightroom vs Darktable - the Key Difference ? 2019

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Stencil and Darktable)
Design Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Graphic Design Software
40 40%
60% 60
Image Editing
0 0%
100% 100
Image Marketplace
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Stencil and Darktable. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Stencil and Darktable

Stencil Reviews

12 Best Free PosterMyWall Alternatives and Competitors
Stencil is one of the best PosterMyWall competitors, the well-known online graphic design tool. Weโ€™ve tried various tools to make visuals for social media and blogs. Stencil is everyoneโ€™s favorite because itโ€™s easy to use and lets us be creative.
Source: mockey.ai
20 Next.js Alternatives Worth Considering
Rev up your components with Stencil, the tool that has one foot in the future with its web components that run everywhere. Think of it as the locksmith of web standards, opening doors to smooth, sturdy front-ends that scale without the sweat.
Canva Alternatives: 5 Social Media Content Design Tools
You can also consider Stencil for creating your visual ads for a fruitful paid ads strategy. There are numerous channels you can choose to deliver your message but at the same time, thereโ€™s only one thing that matters: quality. Stencil covers this issue and more, it allows you to save precious time while designing your ads.

Darktable Reviews

Our 6 Favorite Free Photoshop Alternatives (2022 Update)
Darktable is a free, open-source photo editing software that is used by photographers and editors and is a wonderful alternative to the likes of Photoshop and Lightroom.
5 Best Linux Photo Management Software
Darktable is more of a photo editing application than an organizer. Darktable stands out for its own user interface regardless of the desktop environment you might be using, and of course for its editing capabilities. The basic features include:
Source: itsfoss.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Darktable should be more popular than Stencil. It has been mentiond 8 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Stencil mentions (3)

Darktable mentions (8)

  • Photomator for Mac
    I'm pretty new to photography. I understand a lot of the basics (ex-wife shot as a professional hobbyist for a few years) but never really paid much attention to her editing workflow. Adobe already gets me for $20/mo for Illustrator (because designers) and I looked at alternatives. I've been using darktable http://darktable.org since I got my camera about a month ago and it's nice enough for me. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Nudibranch (Nembrotha cristata), Verde Island, Philippines, April 2023
    Thank you! The shot was gently edited in darktable. More TG-5 / single strobe examples here. Source: about 3 years ago
  • I've seen it with Adobe
    No, unfortunately not. But check out the free Darktable app which is similar on darktable.org and also this list https://petapixel.com/best-free-raw-editing-programs/. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Exporting a RAW file. Is it possible without the format changing? If I export to another folder on my mac it becomes a .jpeg, to Lightroom it becomes a .jpg, to Photoshop it becomes a .tiff. I want to be able to edit the RAW file, a .dng in another app that is not Apple proprietary.
    It sounds like you might want non-destructive editing. Look at something like darktable.org or Lightroom. You can edit your RAW files in multiple different ways, i.e., effectively keeping multiple copies of edited RAW files around. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Software to edit and enhance Photos (JPG and RAW).
    If you're looking to learn more complicated software without having to rent it while you do, there's Darktable. Rawtherapee is another app in the same category, and usually appeals to people who don't like Darktable's interface. Source: over 4 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Stencil and Darktable, you can also consider the following products

Canva - Canva is a graphic-design platform with a drag-and-drop interface to create print or visual content while providing templates, images, and fonts. Canva makes graphic design more straightforward and accessible regardless of skill level.

Adobe Photoshop - Adobe Photoshop is a webtop application for editing images and photos online.

VistaCreate - The VistaCreate is a free and global digital platform which is known for sharing, searching, finding, and creating great art.

GIMP - GIMP is a multiplatform photo manipulation tool.

Desygner - Empower yourย teamsย toย create,ย store,ย andย distributeย marketingย materialsย that are always on brand. Equip anyone to become a guided content creator, reducing design bottlenecks, and allowing you to go to market faster.

Krita - Krita is a professional FREE and open source painting program. It is made by artists that want to seaffordable art tools for everyone. Concept art. texture and matte painters, illustrations and comics.