SHSelfHostIndex

fgallery vs Google Photos Takeout Helper

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?
FG fgallery Archived Minimalist static photo gallery generator VS GO Google Photos Takeout Helper Organizes Google Photos Takeout exports into a clean library
FeaturefgalleryGoogle Photos Takeout Helper
Deploy effortRead-the-docs projectRead-the-docs project
Health score9 · At risk22 · At risk
StatusArchivedActively maintained
CategoryPhoto ManagementPhoto Management
LicenseMITApache-2.0
LanguageJavaScriptDart
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM128 MB256 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcebinary, source
GitHub stars★ 248★ 5,915
First released20132019
ReplacesFlickr, Google PhotosGoogle Photos

What are fgallery and Google Photos Takeout Helper?

fgallery

fgallery is a static photo gallery generator that produces a minimalist, self-contained HTML gallery from a folder of images. The generated gallery is fully static, privacy-respecting, and can be hosted on any web server.

  • Minimalist static galleries
  • Self-contained output
  • Mobile friendly
  • No tracking

Google Photos Takeout Helper

Google Photos Takeout Helper is a command-line tool that processes a Google Photos Takeout archive and reconstructs a properly organized, metadata-correct photo library. It is widely used when migrating from Google Photos to self-hosted services like Immich.

  • Processes Google Takeout archives
  • Restores correct EXIF dates
  • Organizes into albums
  • Migration aid for self-hosting

Read the full Google Photos Takeout Helper guide →

fgallery vs Google Photos Takeout Helper: key differences

The biggest difference is maintenance: fgallery's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Google Photos Takeout Helper is actively maintained. Fgallery is written in JavaScript, while Google Photos Takeout Helper is built with Dart. Licensing differs — MIT for fgallery versus Apache-2.0 for Google Photos Takeout Helper. Fgallery is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Google Photos Takeout Helper. Fgallery is the more established project (first released 2013), while Google Photos Takeout Helper arrived in 2019. Google Photos Takeout Helper has the considerably larger community, at 5,915 GitHub stars versus 248.

Why pick each one

Choose fgallery if…

  • Clean simple design
  • Privacy respecting

Watch out for

  • Command-line only
  • Minimal features
fgallery details

Choose Google Photos Takeout Helper if…

  • Essential for migration
  • Actively maintained

Watch out for

  • One-time use tool
  • Command-line oriented
Google Photos Takeout Helper details

Frequently asked questions

Is fgallery or Google Photos Takeout Helper better?

Neither is universally better. Google Photos Takeout Helper has the larger community, while fgallery is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are fgallery and Google Photos Takeout Helper free and open-source?

Yes. fgallery is licensed under MIT and Google Photos Takeout Helper under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run fgallery and Google Photos Takeout Helper with Docker?

fgallery: check the project docs for container support. Google Photos Takeout Helper: check the project docs for container support.

Which is lighter on resources, fgallery or Google Photos Takeout Helper?

fgallery has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Google Photos Takeout Helper. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.

Related comparisons