The Macphun editing applications in the CK versions can be run as plugins or stand alone applications.
And "non-destructive"? If you mean parametric, like Aperture or Lr, no. As MCAsan noted, the CK isn't a DAM or PIE. But like Photoshop, Affinity Photos, etc etc they are non destructive in that you open photo, edit away, and then save in Macphun's own format, just as you'd save as PSD in Ps or whatever. If you've saved in their format, MPT, you can reopen that saved file at a later time and use a "Revert to Original" to go back to what you started with.
I feel the tools are far better than what was in Aperture, for image work, but they lean towards certain types of adjustment, like their names imply. They also use their own RAW conversion. But again, they aren't a DAM, so don't expect batch processing of lots of images. They do layers and layer masks however, which vaults them far above Aperture and more like Ps at least for tasks that require that.
I find they work best with Lr. In Lr there are two workflows: one where you go RAW in Lr to TIFF in CK and then the CK edited TIFF goes back to Lr. Like Nik's stuff. Another route is RAW in Lr to RAW in CK and TIFF back. The former for stuff you've already edited some in Lr, the second to use Macphun's own raw conversion. Or, as I just noted, use 'em as stand alones and save in their own MPT format. The Photos extensions are essentially certain tools from the CK apps and work nicely, subject to the limitations of Photos.
I think C1P added clone and heal tools for local work in the most recent edition, but check (just download the demo). Snapheal is easier to use than most, but also sacrifices some control. Download their demo and compare.
I used C1P and didn't upgrade. They are making progress (they've just added some hierarchical keyword support, for example) but I still prefer Lr. And obviously I can use Macphun's excellent plugins in Lr (or Nik or DxO etc etc), not so in C1P. If you demo it and it has all you need, go for it though. Aperture will be viable for an undetermined time, but for now you could use both, especially if you are using a referenced Aperture library.
But the answer to your question about the best DAM for Macphun is Lr. Just download 'em and try 'em; it's free. No reason to take our word for it. And BTW, Macphun's Aurora sort of incorporates parts of the CK kit. Worth checking. And Macphun has much better custom support than Phase One in my experience, but maybe they've gotten better. And Macphun's stuff is very frequently discounted, so don't pay full price for it if you decide to go that route.
