SHSelfHostIndex

PiGallery2 vs Piwigo

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?
PiGallery2 Fast directory-based photo gallery with search and maps VS Piwigo Open-source photo gallery for the web
FeaturePiGallery2Piwigo
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score82 · Excellent87 · Excellent
CategoryPhoto ManagementPhoto Management
LicenseMITGPL-2.0
LanguageTypeScriptPHP
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 2,283★ 3,862
First released20162002
ReplacesGoogle PhotosFlickr, Google Photos

What are PiGallery2 and Piwigo?

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

Read the full PiGallery2 guide →

Piwigo

Piwigo is a mature open-source photo gallery application for organizing, sharing, and showcasing photo collections. It targets photographers and organizations managing large galleries. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.

  • Large gallery management
  • Plugin and theme ecosystem
  • Granular access control
  • Upload from desktop and mobile

Read the full Piwigo guide →

PiGallery2 vs Piwigo: key differences

PiGallery2 is written in TypeScript, while Piwigo is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for PiGallery2 versus GPL-2.0 for Piwigo. Piwigo is the more established project (first released 2002), while PiGallery2 arrived in 2016.

Why pick each one

Choose PiGallery2 if…

  • Does not touch your files
  • Runs well on a Raspberry Pi

Watch out for

  • No editing features
  • Limited multi-user support
PiGallery2 details

Choose Piwigo if…

  • Very mature and stable
  • Extensible
  • Good for big collections

Watch out for

  • Interface feels classic
  • No modern AI search
Piwigo details

Frequently asked questions

Is PiGallery2 or Piwigo better?

Neither is universally better. Piwigo has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are PiGallery2 and Piwigo free and open-source?

Yes. PiGallery2 is licensed under MIT and Piwigo under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run PiGallery2 and Piwigo with Docker?

PiGallery2: yes. Piwigo: yes.

Related comparisons