Sigal vs Zenphoto
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted photo management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Sigal | Zenphoto |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 78 · Good | 66 · Good |
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 945 | ★ 318 |
| First released | 2012 | 2006 |
| Replaces | Flickr | SmugMug, Flickr |
What are Sigal and Zenphoto?
Sigal
Sigal is a simple static gallery generator that builds a browsable photo and video website from a folder of images. The output is plain HTML and works with several themes.
- Static gallery generation
- Multiple themes
- Plugin system
- Video thumbnail support
Zenphoto
Zenphoto is an open-source gallery and content management system focused on multimedia. It supports albums, theming, and plugins, making it suitable for personal photo websites and portfolios.
- Photo gallery CMS
- Theming and plugins
- Albums and tagging
- Multimedia support
Sigal vs Zenphoto: key differences
Sigal is written in JavaScript, while Zenphoto is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Sigal versus GPL-3.0 for Zenphoto. Sigal is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Zenphoto. Zenphoto is the more established project (first released 2006), while Sigal arrived in 2012. Sigal has the considerably larger community, at 945 GitHub stars versus 318. Zenphoto lists first-class Docker deployment; Sigal does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Sigal if…
- Very lightweight
- Easy to host
Watch out for
- No uploads or editing
- Static output only
Choose Zenphoto if…
- Mature project
- Good for portfolios
Watch out for
- Dated in places
- Requires LAMP stack
Frequently asked questions
Is Sigal or Zenphoto better?
Sigal is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Zenphoto if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Sigal and Zenphoto free and open-source?
Yes. Sigal is licensed under MIT and Zenphoto under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Sigal and Zenphoto with Docker?
Sigal: check the project docs for container support. Zenphoto: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Sigal or Zenphoto?
Sigal has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Zenphoto. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.