Memories vs Photoview
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted photo management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Memories
Photo management app for Nextcloud with timeline and AI
VS
Photoview
Simple photo gallery for personal servers
| Feature | Memories | Photoview |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 72 · Good |
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,843 | ★ 6,535 |
| First released | 2022 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Google Photos, iCloud Photos | Google Photos |
What are Memories and Photoview?
Memories
Memories is a photo and video management application that runs as a Nextcloud app, offering a fast timeline view of your media. It supports face recognition, maps, albums, and metadata-aware search.
- Fast timeline view
- Face recognition and maps
- Albums and tagging
- Nextcloud integration
Photoview
Photoview is a simple, user-friendly photo gallery designed to work with photos stored directly on the filesystem. It targets users wanting a lightweight gallery over an existing folder structure. It is deployed via Docker.
- Works on existing photo folders
- Face recognition
- Timeline and albums
- RAW and video support
Memories vs Photoview: key differences
Memories is written in PHP, while Photoview is built with Go. Photoview is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Memories. Photoview is the more established project (first released 2019), while Memories arrived in 2022.
Why pick each one
Choose Memories if…
- Leverages existing Nextcloud
- Polished mobile experience
Watch out for
- Requires Nextcloud
- AI features need extra setup
Choose Photoview if…
- Uses your folder structure
- Lightweight
- Easy setup
Watch out for
- Fewer features than Immich
- Slower development
Frequently asked questions
Is Memories or Photoview better?
Photoview is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Memories if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Memories and Photoview free and open-source?
Yes. Memories is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Photoview under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Memories and Photoview with Docker?
Memories: yes. Photoview: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Memories or Photoview?
Photoview has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Memories. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.