darktable vs SPIS
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?
darktable
Open-source photography workflow and RAW developer
VS
SPIS
A simple, lightweight and fast media server with decent mobile support
| Feature | darktable | SPIS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, snap | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 12,904 | ★ 210 |
| First released | 2009 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Adobe Lightroom | — |
Why pick each one
Choose darktable if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 12.9k GitHub stars
- Written in C
Choose SPIS if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Rust
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is darktable or SPIS better?
Neither is universally better. darktable has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are darktable and SPIS free and open-source?
Yes. darktable is licensed under GPL-3.0 and SPIS under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run darktable and SPIS with Docker?
darktable: check the project docs for container support. SPIS: yes.