Ente Photos vs ExifCleaner
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?
Ente Photos
End-to-end encrypted photo storage and backup
VS
ExifCleaner
Cross-platform tool to remove metadata from images
| Feature | Ente Photos | ExifCleaner |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Dart | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 28,201 | ★ 2,552 |
| First released | 2022 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Google Photos, iCloud Photos | Online metadata removers |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Ente Photos or ExifCleaner better?
Neither is universally better. Ente Photos has the larger community, while ExifCleaner is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ente Photos and ExifCleaner free and open-source?
Yes. Ente Photos is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ExifCleaner under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ente Photos and ExifCleaner with Docker?
Ente Photos: yes. ExifCleaner: check the project docs for container support.