VScode is at least free as in beer (with VScodium being free-free, if a little less convenient to use). Lightroom is a paid program that requires getting into Adobe's whole subscription mess.
Darktable still has a GUI. It isn't nearly as barebones or discovery-hostile as vim (I love vim but there's a learning curve). I used darktable to touch up some photos, and was able to stumble through as a complete novice.
IMO a better comparison would be Blender vs <insert your favorite proprietary 3d modeling tool here>.
VScode is at least free as in beer (with VScodium being free-free, if a little less convenient to use). Lightroom is a paid program that requires getting into Adobe's whole subscription mess.
Darktable still has a GUI. It isn't nearly as barebones or discovery-hostile as vim (I love vim but there's a learning curve). I used darktable to touch up some photos, and was able to stumble through as a complete novice.
IMO a better comparison would be Blender vs <insert your favorite proprietary 3d modeling tool here>.