Memories vs PiGallery2
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
PiGallery2
Fast directory-based photo gallery with search and maps
| Feature | Memories | PiGallery2 |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 82 · Excellent |
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,843 | ★ 2,283 |
| First released | 2022 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Google Photos, iCloud Photos | Google Photos |
What are Memories and PiGallery2?
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
PiGallery2
PiGallery2 is a fast, directory-driven photo gallery server that does not move or modify your files. It supports faces, geolocation maps, and a powerful search syntax with a lightweight footprint.
- Directory-based galleries
- Geolocation maps
- Powerful search syntax
- Read-only on your files
Memories vs PiGallery2: key differences
Memories is written in PHP, while PiGallery2 is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Memories versus MIT for PiGallery2. PiGallery2 is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Memories. PiGallery2 is the more established project (first released 2016), 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 PiGallery2 if…
- Does not touch your files
- Runs well on a Raspberry Pi
Watch out for
- No editing features
- Limited multi-user support
Frequently asked questions
Is Memories or PiGallery2 better?
Neither is universally better. Memories has the larger community, while PiGallery2 is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Memories and PiGallery2 free and open-source?
Yes. Memories is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and PiGallery2 under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Memories and PiGallery2 with Docker?
Memories: yes. PiGallery2: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Memories or PiGallery2?
PiGallery2 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.