Damselfly Web vs gallery-dl
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?
Damselfly Web
Server-based digital asset manager for large photo libraries
VS
gallery-dl
Command-line tool to download image galleries from websites
| Feature | Damselfly Web | gallery-dl |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 700 | ★ 19,143 |
| First released | 2011 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Flickr, YouTube | Manual downloads |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Damselfly Web or gallery-dl better?
gallery-dl is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Damselfly Web if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Damselfly Web and gallery-dl free and open-source?
Yes. Damselfly Web is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and gallery-dl under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Damselfly Web and gallery-dl with Docker?
Damselfly Web: yes. gallery-dl: check the project docs for container support.