Fotor vs Luminar Neo (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Fotor grades higher than Luminar Neo: 3.0 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Fotor grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Fotor
Photo editor and AI image and video generator with credit plans
Luminar Neo
AI photo editor sold as a one-time license, from Skylum
Which one is for you
Pick Fotor if
- Fits if you edit photos and make AI images from one account on phone and computer
- Works for people who will pay $39.99 for a year
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, with limited credits and normal-quality exports
- Watch out: HD export, transparent PNG and watermark-free output need a paid plan
- Watch out: each model spends different credits; Pro's 100 buy about 2 five-second Seedance clips
- Watch out: yearly totals are shown with the monthly rate crossed out, and monthly prices were not readable
Pick Luminar Neo if
- Fits if you'd rather pay once than subscribe and edit on a Mac or Windows PC
- Works for photographers who want AI edits inside Lightroom or Photoshop as a plug-in
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try before paying, as there's no free plan or trial
- Watch out: the generative tools and AI assistant are included for 1 year, then need a Luminar Prime subscription
- Pricey if you want phone editing: Desktop Only at $89 leaves out mobile, which starts at $109
- Tight on Desktop Only, where the page says big upgrades may need extra payments
- Watch out: the crossed-out $417 price and the Black Friday banner have no end date
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAFotorVery good | 2.4GPALuminar NeoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APro is $39.99 billed yearly, about $3.33 a month, under 60% of the $8 cheaper-quarter start for image tools ($4.80). It gives 100 credits a month. | A$89 one time for 2 computers, less than a year of the $11.88 middle subscription ($142). The catch is that the generative tools run out after a year. |
| Free plan and trial | CBasic has limited free credits, 50 AI Agent chats and 512MB of storage, with normal-quality exports. HD export and transparent PNG need a paid plan. | FNo free plan and no trial on the pricing page. |
| Features | BAI images and video on models like Flux, Veo and Kling, plus background and object removal, upscaling, restoration, batch editing and brand kits. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. | CSky, portrait and light tools, generative erase and expand, restoration and a plug-in mode. The generative tools and assistant lapse after 1 year without Prime. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. It opens in the browser or an app and you start editing, with nothing to set up. | BNo store rating on record. It's a program you install and start editing in. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS, Android, Windows and Mac apps. No API or integrations are listed. | BMac, Windows, iOS and Android, with 3 integrations. No web version yet: the page lists Luminar on Web as coming in Fall 2026. |
| Best for | photo editing plus AI images and video | AI photo editing you buy once |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Fotor and Luminar Neo. How we grade
Where they differ
- Luminar Neo can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Fotor also covers templates and video generation.
At a glance
| Fotor | Luminar Neo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $39.99 per year, billed yearly | $89 one-time, Desktop Only (shown as 77% off $417) |
| Free plan | Free Basic plan: limited free credits, 1 concurrent generation, 512MB of cloud storage and normal-quality exports. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Everimaging | Skylum |
| Price read from | fotor.com | skylum.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Fotor
- The Basic plan has limited free credits and normal-quality exports; HD export, transparent PNG and watermark-free output need a paid plan.
- Yearly totals are shown with the monthly rate crossed out; the Pro monthly price and the monthly-billing prices were not clearly readable.
- Each model spends a different number of credits per image or video.
Luminar Neo
- The generative tools and AI Assistant are included for 1 year, then need a Luminar Prime subscription.
- The page says big upgrades may need extra payments on the Desktop Only plan.
- Luminar on Web is listed as coming in Fall 2026, so it is not counted as a platform here.
- Cross-device editing currently works one way, from mobile to desktop.
Key features
Fotor
- AI image and video generation
- Lists image models such as Flux, GPT Image, Nano Banana and Seedream, and video models such as Veo and Kling.
- Photo editing tools
- Background remover, object remover, image upscaler, photo restoration and batch editing.
- Credits that roll over
- Unused credits roll over while subscribed, up to 5 months of accumulation.
- AI headshot packages
- Headshots are sold as one-time image packages, separate from the subscription.
- Brand kits and templates
- Pro plans list multiple brand kits, design templates and fonts.
Luminar Neo
- Generative tools
- GenErase, GenSwap and GenExpand remove, replace or extend parts of a photo using generative AI.
- AI Assistant
- Takes an edit described in plain words, applies it, recommends options and answers questions about the photo.
- Portrait and sky tools
- Face AI, Skin AI, Bokeh AI and Sky AI target portraits and landscapes with sliders rather than manual masking.
- Restoration and upscaling
- Photo restoration and an AI upscaler are listed, along with noise reduction, HDR merge and panorama stitching.
- Plug-in mode
- The desktop app works standalone or as a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom and Apple Photos.
Plans
Fotor
Basic$0
Limited free credits, 50 AI Agent chats and 512MB of storage.
Pro$39.99
per year, billed yearly
100 credits a month, 10 concurrent generations and 2GB of storage.
Pro+$62.99
per year, billed yearly
300 credits a month, 30 concurrent generations and 100GB of storage. Shown against $7.49 a month.
Max$251.92
per year, billed yearly
1,000 credits a month by default, 50 concurrent generations and 500GB of storage. Shown against $29.99 a month.
Luminar Neo
Desktop Only$89
one-time
Perpetual license for 2 Mac or Windows computers; the page shows $417 crossed out and a Black Friday banner with no end date.
All Platforms$109
one-time
Adds Luminar Mobile on 3 devices, cross-device editing and Spaces web galleries; crossed-out price $477.
Max$129
one-time
All Platforms plus 1 year of Luminar Prime: yearly feature upgrades and the asset library; crossed-out price $546.
Ways to pay less
Fotor
- Annual discount
30% off yearly billing on Pro+ and Max
The pricing page marks Pro+ and Max with 30% off when billed yearly.
Luminar Neo
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Fotor or Luminar Neo?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Fotor starts at $39.99 per year, billed yearly, and Luminar Neo starts at $89 one-time, Desktop Only (shown as 77% off $417).
Which has a free plan, Fotor or Luminar Neo?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Fotor has a free plan. Luminar Neo does not.
Which platforms do Fotor and Luminar Neo run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Fotor lists a web app. Both list macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.