Google Photos vs Piwigo

Google Photos9.4Visit Piwigo8.5Visit

Higher score Google Photos #1 in Photo Storage Services 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 6 features Visit Google Photos

vs

Piwigo #7 in Photo Storage Services 8.5/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 3 of 6 features Visit Piwigo

• Google Photos fits best

  Most people wanting effortless photo backup

• Piwigo fits best

  Organizations needing gallery governance

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Side by side

Feature	Google Photos 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Piwigo 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.5
Ranking	#1 in Photo Storage Services	#7 in Photo Storage Services
Best for	Most people wanting effortless photo backup	Organizations needing gallery governance
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$1.99/mo	€32/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	30 days
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Self-hosted, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Docs, Community	Email, Phone, Community, Docs
Compliance	2FA	GDPR, 2FA
Built for	Solo, Small business	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Google Photos 5/6 · Piwigo 3/6
Original-quality storage	✓	✓
Face search	✓ (best)	—
Shared albums	✓	✓
Family sharing	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Desktop app	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Video backup	✓	✓
Specs
Free storage	15 GB	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Automatic photo and video backup across mobile devices and computers Search by people, places, and things, with face grouping Web, iOS, Android, and desktop app support	Granular permissions, private galleries, and shareable links AI tagging, OCR, metadata tools, geolocation, and search Hosted cloud or self-hosted deployment with plugins and themes
Cons	Free storage is shared with Google Drive and Gmail Face Groups availability varies by region, domain, and account type Basic storage remains shared across Google Photos, Drive, and Gmail	Hosted plans begin at €32 per month, billed annually Face recognition is not currently supported Self-hosting requires your own infrastructure and administration
Our verdict	Google Photos is a cloud photo and video service for consumers who want automatic backup, searchable organization, editing, and sharing in one library. It supports web, iOS, Android, and an official desktop photo backup application. Users… Read the review →	Piwigo is photo library and digital asset management software for individuals, photographers, teams, and organizations. It organizes photos, videos, and other files with albums, sub-albums, tags, metadata, filters, text search,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Google Photos — where it wins

  • Automatic photo and video backup across mobile devices and computers
  • Search by people, places, and things, with face grouping
  • Web, iOS, Android, and desktop app support

  Where it doesn't

  • Free storage is shared with Google Drive and Gmail
  • Face Groups availability varies by region, domain, and account type
  • Basic storage remains shared across Google Photos, Drive, and Gmail

• Piwigo — where it wins

  • Granular permissions, private galleries, and shareable links
  • AI tagging, OCR, metadata tools, geolocation, and search
  • Hosted cloud or self-hosted deployment with plugins and themes

  Where it doesn't

  • Hosted plans begin at €32 per month, billed annually
  • Face recognition is not currently supported
  • Self-hosting requires your own infrastructure and administration

• Google Photos9.4/10 · Free plan

  An easy photo backup service with broad search, editing, sharing, and device coverage.

  Visit Google PhotosFull verdict →
• Piwigo8.5/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  A flexible photo library for organizations that need permissions, metadata, and deployment choice.

  Visit PiwigoFull verdict →