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OwnPhotos vs Stingle API Server

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?
OW OwnPhotos Self-hosted Google Photos clone with face recognition VS ST Stingle API Server Self-hostable backend for the Stingle encrypted photo apps
FeatureOwnPhotosStingle API Server
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score22 · At risk57 · Fair
CategoryPhoto ManagementPhoto Management
LicenseMITAGPL-3.0
LanguageJupyter NotebookPHP
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM2,048 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 2,758★ 15
First released20172020
ReplacesGoogle PhotosGoogle Photos

What are OwnPhotos and Stingle API Server?

OwnPhotos

OwnPhotos is a self-hosted alternative to Google Photos with automatic face recognition and object detection. It builds albums based on people, places, and things found in your library.

  • Face recognition
  • Object detection
  • Auto-generated albums
  • Self-hosted Google Photos clone

Stingle API Server

Stingle API Server is the self-hostable PHP backend for Stingle Photos, an end-to-end encrypted photo and video backup app. Running your own server lets the Stingle mobile clients back up encrypted media to infrastructure you control.

  • End-to-end encrypted photos
  • Self-hostable API server
  • Stingle mobile clients
  • Private backup

OwnPhotos vs Stingle API Server: key differences

OwnPhotos is written in Jupyter Notebook, while Stingle API Server is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for OwnPhotos versus AGPL-3.0 for Stingle API Server. Stingle API Server is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for OwnPhotos. OwnPhotos is the more established project (first released 2017), while Stingle API Server arrived in 2020. OwnPhotos has the considerably larger community, at 2,758 GitHub stars versus 15.

Why pick each one

Choose OwnPhotos if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (2.8k GitHub stars)
  • Written in Jupyter Notebook

Watch out for

  • Project is now inactive
  • Predecessor to LibrePhotos
OwnPhotos details

Choose Stingle API Server if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in PHP

Watch out for

  • Setup is involved
  • Smaller ecosystem
Stingle API Server details

Frequently asked questions

Is OwnPhotos or Stingle API Server better?

OwnPhotos is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Stingle API Server if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are OwnPhotos and Stingle API Server free and open-source?

Yes. OwnPhotos is licensed under MIT and Stingle API Server under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run OwnPhotos and Stingle API Server with Docker?

OwnPhotos: yes. Stingle API Server: yes.

Which is lighter on resources, OwnPhotos or Stingle API Server?

Stingle API Server has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for OwnPhotos. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.

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