Photoview vs PiGallery2
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted photo management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
PiGallery2
Fast directory-based photo gallery with search and maps
| Feature | Photoview | PiGallery2 |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 72 · Good | 82 · Excellent |
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,535 | ★ 2,283 |
| First released | 2019 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Google Photos | Google Photos |
What are Photoview and PiGallery2?
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
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
Photoview vs PiGallery2: key differences
Photoview is written in Go, while PiGallery2 is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Photoview versus MIT for PiGallery2. PiGallery2 is the more established project (first released 2016), while Photoview arrived in 2019. Photoview has the considerably larger community, at 6,535 GitHub stars versus 2,283.
Why pick each one
Choose Photoview if…
- Uses your folder structure
- Lightweight
- Easy setup
Watch out for
- Fewer features than Immich
- Slower development
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 Photoview or PiGallery2 better?
Neither is universally better. Photoview has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Photoview and PiGallery2 free and open-source?
Yes. Photoview is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and PiGallery2 under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Photoview and PiGallery2 with Docker?
Photoview: yes. PiGallery2: yes.