Shotwell Server 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?
Shotwell Server
Digital photo organizer with tagging and event grouping
VS
Lychee
Self-hosted photo management made easy
| Feature | Shotwell Server | Lychee |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | MIT |
| Language | Vala | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 400 | ★ 4,255 |
| First released | 2009 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Google Photos, Apple Photos | Google Photos, Flickr |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Shotwell Server or Lychee better?
Neither is universally better. Lychee has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Shotwell Server and Lychee free and open-source?
Yes. Shotwell Server is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and Lychee under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Shotwell Server and Lychee with Docker?
Shotwell Server: check the project docs for container support. Lychee: yes.