Facet vs Narrative Select

Facet8.2Visit Narrative Select7.4Visit

Higher score Facet #2 in AI Photo Culling Software 8.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 7 of 7 features Visit Facet

vs

Narrative Select #6 in AI Photo Culling Software 7.4/10 Free plan · paid from $15/mo (annual) Free plan✓ 0 of 7 features Try Narrative Select

• Facet fits best

  Users wanting free, broad, self-hosted culling

• Narrative Select fits best

  Photographers wanting local, offline culling

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Side by side

Feature	Facet 8.2/10 Visit ↗	Narrative Select 7.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.2	7.4
Ranking	#2 in AI Photo Culling Software	#6 in AI Photo Culling Software
Best for	Users wanting free, broad, self-hosted culling	Photographers wanting local, offline culling
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Not published	$15/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS
Support	Community, Docs	Email, Docs
Integrations	6 integrations	4 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Facet 7/7 · Narrative Select 0/7
AI quality scoring	✓ (best)	Not published
Subject detection	✓ (best)	Not published
Duplicate detection	✓ (best)	Not published
RAW photo support	✓ (best)	Not published
Blur detection	✓ (best)	Not published
Closed-eye detection	✓ (best)	Not published
Lightroom export	✓ (best)	Not published
Our review
Pros	Scores quality across sharpness, faces, exposure, color, and composition Detects bursts, duplicates, similar images, closed eyes, and expressions Supports RAW, Lightroom export, galleries, search, and self-hosting	Local, offline culling on Windows and macOS RAW support with eye, focus, and image assessments One-click shipping to Lightroom, Photoshop, and Capture One
Cons	Local deployment puts hardware and maintenance responsibility on the user Its broad gallery and organization features may exceed simple culling needs Workflow setup varies across Docker, native, desktop, and web deployments	Pro features require a $15/month annual plan Desktop software only for Windows and macOS Initial sign-in is required before offline culling
Our verdict	Facet is a free, open-source photo-analysis and culling engine for photographers who want processing on their own hardware. It runs across web, Windows, macOS, Linux, and self-hosted deployments, and supports RAW, JPEG, and HEIF/HEIC… Read the review →	Narrative Select is desktop software for photographers reviewing and selecting images from large shoots. It is aimed at professional and high-volume photographers who want AI-assisted help while retaining final control over their… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Facet — where it wins

  • Scores quality across sharpness, faces, exposure, color, and composition
  • Detects bursts, duplicates, similar images, closed eyes, and expressions
  • Supports RAW, Lightroom export, galleries, search, and self-hosting

  Where it doesn't

  • Local deployment puts hardware and maintenance responsibility on the user
  • Its broad gallery and organization features may exceed simple culling needs
  • Workflow setup varies across Docker, native, desktop, and web deployments

• Narrative Select — where it wins

  • Local, offline culling on Windows and macOS
  • RAW support with eye, focus, and image assessments
  • One-click shipping to Lightroom, Photoshop, and Capture One

  Where it doesn't

  • Pro features require a $15/month annual plan
  • Desktop software only for Windows and macOS
  • Initial sign-in is required before offline culling

• Facet8.2/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source culling engine with broad AI analysis and local deployment.

  Visit FacetFull verdict →
• Narrative Select7.4/10 · Free plan · paid from $15/mo (annual)

  A local, offline-friendly culling tool with AI assessments, scene grouping, and RAW support.

  Try Narrative SelectFull verdict →