Coppermine vs Lychee

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted photo management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureCoppermineLychee
CategoryPhoto ManagementPhoto Management
LicenseGPL-3.0MIT
LanguagePHPPHP
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metaldocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 73★ 4,255
First released20022012
ReplacesFlickrGoogle Photos, Flickr

Why pick each one

Choose Coppermine if…

  • Very mature
  • Community moderation tools
Coppermine details

Choose Lychee if…

  • Simple and attractive
  • Easy to host
  • Lightweight
Lychee details

Frequently asked questions

Is Coppermine or Lychee better?

Lychee is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Coppermine if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Coppermine and Lychee free and open-source?

Yes. Coppermine is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Lychee under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Coppermine and Lychee with Docker?

Coppermine: check the project docs for container support. Lychee: yes.

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