MyPhotoShare vs Zenphoto
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted photo management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | MyPhotoShare | Zenphoto |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 0 · At risk | 66 · Good |
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15 | ★ 318 |
| First released | 2014 | 2006 |
| Replaces | Google Photos, Flickr | SmugMug, Flickr |
What are MyPhotoShare and Zenphoto?
MyPhotoShare
MyPhotoShare is a self-hosted, lightweight photo gallery generator that creates a static web gallery from a folder of photos and videos. It produces a fast, responsive browsing experience with no database or server-side code needed.
- Static photo gallery generator
- No database needed
- Responsive browsing
- Video support
Zenphoto
Zenphoto is an open-source gallery and content management system focused on multimedia. It supports albums, theming, and plugins, making it suitable for personal photo websites and portfolios.
- Photo gallery CMS
- Theming and plugins
- Albums and tagging
- Multimedia support
MyPhotoShare vs Zenphoto: key differences
MyPhotoShare is written in JavaScript, while Zenphoto is built with PHP. MyPhotoShare is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Zenphoto. Zenphoto is the more established project (first released 2006), while MyPhotoShare arrived in 2014. Zenphoto has the considerably larger community, at 318 GitHub stars versus 15. Zenphoto lists first-class Docker deployment; MyPhotoShare does not.
Why pick each one
Choose MyPhotoShare if…
- Fast static output
- Low maintenance
Watch out for
- No upload interface
- Regeneration required for changes
Choose Zenphoto if…
- Mature project
- Good for portfolios
Watch out for
- Dated in places
- Requires LAMP stack
Frequently asked questions
Is MyPhotoShare or Zenphoto better?
Neither is universally better. Zenphoto has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are MyPhotoShare and Zenphoto free and open-source?
Yes. MyPhotoShare is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Zenphoto under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MyPhotoShare and Zenphoto with Docker?
MyPhotoShare: check the project docs for container support. Zenphoto: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, MyPhotoShare or Zenphoto?
MyPhotoShare has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Zenphoto. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.