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Piwigo alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Piwigo: not an automatic phone backup, and hosted plans are billed annually. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Piwigo, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Lychee currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Lychee logoLycheeOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted3 of 366.5
2PhotoPrism logoPhotoPrismOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 462.6
3Immich logoImmichOpen sourceYesWeb, iOS, Android +14 of 455.3
4SmugMug logoSmugMugPaidNoWeb, iOS, Android0 of 049.1
5Flickr logoFlickrFree plan + paidNoWeb, iOS, Android0 of 046.7
  1. Lychee logo

    1. LycheeTop pick

    Best for: People who want a good-looking self-hosted gallery for sharing albums

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Piwigo

    Lighter, modern-looking self-hosted gallery.

    Pros

    • Clean, modern gallery interface
    • No compression and no storage limit
    • Free and open source

    Cons

    • No automatic phone backup
    • No AI tagging or face search
    • You must keep the PHP stack patched
    Visit Lychee Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Lychee a good Piwigo alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Price
    Free
    Checked Oct 25, 2026lycheeorg.dev(opens source in a new tab)
    Open source
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026lycheeorg.dev(opens source in a new tab)
    Storage limits
    None
    Checked Oct 25, 2026lycheeorg.dev(opens source in a new tab)
  2. PhotoPrism logo

    2. PhotoPrism

    Best for: Self-hosters organising a large existing photo archive

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Piwigo

    AI tagging and search for large self-hosted archives.

    Pros

    • Indexes existing folders without moving them
    • Local AI tagging, face recognition and maps
    • Runs on modest hardware, including Raspberry Pi

    Cons

    • No official mobile backup app
    • Some features need a paid membership
    • Interface is less suited to casual family use
    Visit PhotoPrism Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is PhotoPrism a good Piwigo alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    AGPL (Community Edition)
    Checked Oct 25, 2026photoprism.app(opens source in a new tab)
    Essentials membership
    €2/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026photoprism.app(opens source in a new tab)
    Plus membership
    From €6/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026photoprism.app(opens source in a new tab)
    AI
    AI-powered organisation
    Checked Oct 25, 2026photoprism.app(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Immich logo

    3. Immich

    Best for: Self-hosters who want Google Photos features on their own server

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, iOS, Android, Self-hosted

    55.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Piwigo

    Better for automatic phone backup on your own server.

    Pros

    • Feature set close to Google Photos
    • Automatic phone backup with local AI search
    • Free, with no paywalled features

    Cons

    • Needs a server with decent RAM and CPU
    • You are responsible for backups and updates
    • Fast development means occasional breaking changes
    Visit Immich Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Immich a good Piwigo alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    GNU AGPL v3
    Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.immich.app(opens source in a new tab)
    Paywalled features
    None promised
    Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.immich.app(opens source in a new tab)
    Mobile apps
    Android and iOS
    Checked Oct 25, 2026immich.app(opens source in a new tab)
    Face recognition
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.immich.app(opens source in a new tab)
  4. SmugMug logo

    4. SmugMug

    Best for: Photographers who want unlimited storage and a portfolio site in one

    PaidWeb, iOS, Android

    49.1

    score / 100

    Why switch from Piwigo

    Hosted unlimited storage and portfolio sites for photographers.

    Pros

    • Unlimited full-resolution storage
    • Customisable portfolio sites with custom domains
    • Print and download sales on higher plans

    Cons

    • No free plan
    • Little automatic organisation or AI search
    • Pricier than consumer photo backup
    Visit SmugMug Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1515
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is SmugMug a good Piwigo alternative?

    Verified facts

    0 of 0 verified

    No sourced facts yet.

  5. Flickr logo

    5. Flickr

    Best for: Hobbyist and professional photographers who want hosting plus a community

    Free plan + paidWeb, iOS, Android

    46.7

    score / 100

    Why switch from Piwigo

    Hosted galleries with a built-in community.

    Pros

    • Unlimited original-quality storage on Pro
    • Active photography groups and community
    • Creative Commons licensing options

    Cons

    • Free accounts are capped by photo count
    • Weak for private family backup
    • Interface feels dated in places
    Visit Flickr Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1515
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Flickr a good Piwigo alternative?

    Verified facts

    0 of 0 verified

    No sourced facts yet.

The best Piwigo alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Lychee logo

Best Piwigo alternative for most people

Lychee

Lighter, modern-looking self-hosted gallery.

PhotoPrism logo

Best Piwigo alternative for a free option

PhotoPrism

AI tagging and search for large self-hosted archives.

Flickr logo

Best Piwigo alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Flickr

Hosted galleries with a built-in community.

Immich logo

Best Piwigo alternative for open source

Immich

Better for automatic phone backup on your own server.

Lychee logo

Best Piwigo alternative for self-hosting

Lychee

Lighter, modern-looking self-hosted gallery.

SmugMug logo

Best Piwigo alternative for iPhone and Android

SmugMug

Hosted unlimited storage and portfolio sites for photographers.

Lychee logo

Best Piwigo alternative for working in the browser

Lychee

Lighter, modern-looking self-hosted gallery.

Piwigo alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Piwigo?

Lychee ranks first right now. Lighter, modern-looking self-hosted gallery. PhotoPrism and Immich follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Piwigo?

Yes. Lychee (open source), PhotoPrism (open source), Immich (open source) and Flickr (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Piwigo?

Yes: Lychee, PhotoPrism and Immich. Lychee, PhotoPrism and Immich can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from Piwigo?

The complaints we hear most: not an automatic phone backup; hosted plans are billed annually; default themes look dated.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Piwigo, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.