imaginary vs Photoview

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?
FeatureimaginaryPhotoview
CategoryPhoto ManagementPhoto Management
LicenseMITAGPL-3.0
LanguageGoGo
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, sourcedocker
GitHub stars★ 6,076★ 6,496
First released20152019
ReplacesCloudinary, imgixGoogle Photos

Why pick each one

Choose imaginary if…

  • Very fast processing
  • Easy to scale
imaginary details

Choose Photoview if…

  • Uses your folder structure
  • Lightweight
  • Easy setup
Photoview details

Frequently asked questions

Is imaginary or Photoview better?

Photoview is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider imaginary if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are imaginary and Photoview free and open-source?

Yes. imaginary is licensed under MIT and Photoview under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run imaginary and Photoview with Docker?

imaginary: yes. Photoview: yes.

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