digiKam vs Piwigo

digiKam9.0Visit Piwigo8.7Visit

Higher score digiKam #5 in Photo Management Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit digiKam

vs

Piwigo #8 in Photo Management Software 8.7/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Piwigo

• digiKam fits best

  Free desktop cataloging and editing

• Piwigo fits best

  Organizations needing gallery permissions and migration

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Side by side

Feature	digiKam 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Piwigo 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.7
Ranking	#5 in Photo Management Software	#8 in Photo Management Software
Best for	Free desktop cataloging and editing	Organizations needing gallery permissions and migration
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	€32/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	30 days
Deployment	Desktop	Cloud, Self-hosted, Mobile
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Docs	Email, Phone, Community, Docs
Compliance	GDPR	GDPR, 2FA
Built for	Solo, Small business	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features digiKam 4/5 · Piwigo 0/5
RAW photo support	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Face recognition	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
AI-powered search	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Metadata tools	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Cloud sync	—	Not checked yet
Specs
Primary platform	Multi-platform	Not checked yet
Included storage	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	RAW support, face recognition, AI tagging, and natural-language search Detailed EXIF, IPTC, XMP, and ExifTool metadata editing Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with batch workflows	Permission-controlled galleries with public and private sharing Cloud and self-hosted deployment with migration tools Albums, metadata search, bulk editing, plugins, and AI features
Cons	No cloud synchronization Desktop-focused rather than a cloud photo-management service Remote web-service publishing depends on optional plugins	Face search is not currently supported Hosted storage is capped by the selected plan Self-hosted deployments require your own infrastructure
Our verdict	digiKam is a free, open-source desktop application for photographers, hobbyists, and professionals who want to manage photo and video collections locally. It imports media from cameras, smartphones, and other devices, then organizes… Read the review →	Piwigo is open-source photo library and digital asset management software for individuals, photographers, teams, and organizations. It organizes photos, videos, and other files through albums, sub-albums, tags, metadata, filters, and text… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• digiKam — where it wins

  • RAW support, face recognition, AI tagging, and natural-language search
  • Detailed EXIF, IPTC, XMP, and ExifTool metadata editing
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with batch workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • No cloud synchronization
  • Desktop-focused rather than a cloud photo-management service
  • Remote web-service publishing depends on optional plugins

• Piwigo — where it wins

  • Permission-controlled galleries with public and private sharing
  • Cloud and self-hosted deployment with migration tools
  • Albums, metadata search, bulk editing, plugins, and AI features

  Where it doesn't

  • Face search is not currently supported
  • Hosted storage is capped by the selected plan
  • Self-hosted deployments require your own infrastructure

• digiKam9.0/10 · Free plan

  A free desktop catalog and editor with strong RAW, metadata, AI, and batch tools.

  Visit digiKamFull verdict →
• Piwigo8.7/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  Piwigo combines permission-controlled galleries with flexible cloud or self-hosted deployment.

  Visit PiwigoFull verdict →