Lychee vs Zenphoto
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?
Lychee
Self-hosted photo management made easy
VS
Zenphoto
Open-source CMS for photo galleries and multimedia
| Feature | Lychee | Zenphoto |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,255 | ★ 319 |
| First released | 2012 | 2006 |
| Replaces | Google Photos, Flickr | SmugMug, Flickr |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Lychee or Zenphoto better?
Lychee is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Zenphoto if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Lychee and Zenphoto free and open-source?
Yes. Lychee is licensed under MIT and Zenphoto under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lychee and Zenphoto with Docker?
Lychee: yes. Zenphoto: yes.