gThumb vs Gwenview

GgThumb8.5Visit Gwenview8.4Visit

Higher score G gThumb #6 in Photo Viewer Software 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 5 features Visit gThumb

vs

Gwenview #7 in Photo Viewer Software 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 5 features Visit KDE

• gThumb fits best

  Linux users wanting an organizer and editor

• Gwenview fits best

  Linux users wanting viewing and annotation

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Side by side

Feature	GgThumb 8.5/10 Visit ↗	Gwenview 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.5	8.4
Ranking	#6 in Photo Viewer Software	#7 in Photo Viewer Software
Best for	Linux users wanting an organizer and editor	Linux users wanting viewing and annotation
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Linux	Linux
Support	Community	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business	Solo, Small business
Features gThumb 3/5 · Gwenview 3/5
RAW image support	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Side-by-side compare	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Contact sheets	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Color management	✓	✓
Metadata viewer	✓	✓
Specs
Supported platforms	Linux	Linux
Our review
Pros	Supports common formats plus RAW, HEIF, AVIF, SVG, and JPEG XL Combines metadata editing, file management, catalogs, and search Free, open-source desktop software with camera import and slideshows	Side-by-side viewing, thumbnails, filtering, and full-screen slideshows Annotations include arrows, shapes, text boxes, and stamps Color-profile handling plus JPEG EXIF comment viewing and editing
Cons	Available for Linux distributions rather than multiple desktop platforms Editing tools focus on basic adjustments such as crop, rotation, and color controls Designed for GNOME workflows, which may not suit every desktop environment	Available for Linux rather than multiple desktop platforms Editing tools focus on basic crop, rotate, resize, mirror, and flip actions Metadata editing is limited to JPEG comments
Our verdict	gThumb is a desktop photo viewer, browser, editor, and organizer for Linux, with a focus on GNOME environments. It covers a wide range of image formats, including PNG, JPEG, WebP, SVG, JPEG XL, HEIF, AVIF, TIFF, GIF, and RAW. That makes it… Read the review →	Gwenview is KDE’s desktop image and video viewer for Linux, built for browsing and displaying image collections. Its Browse and View modes support thumbnail navigation, folder-based discovery, filtering by filename, date, tag, or rating,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• gThumb — where it wins

  • Supports common formats plus RAW, HEIF, AVIF, SVG, and JPEG XL
  • Combines metadata editing, file management, catalogs, and search
  • Free, open-source desktop software with camera import and slideshows

  Where it doesn't

  • Available for Linux distributions rather than multiple desktop platforms
  • Editing tools focus on basic adjustments such as crop, rotation, and color controls
  • Designed for GNOME workflows, which may not suit every desktop environment

• Gwenview — where it wins

  • Side-by-side viewing, thumbnails, filtering, and full-screen slideshows
  • Annotations include arrows, shapes, text boxes, and stamps
  • Color-profile handling plus JPEG EXIF comment viewing and editing

  Where it doesn't

  • Available for Linux rather than multiple desktop platforms
  • Editing tools focus on basic crop, rotate, resize, mirror, and flip actions
  • Metadata editing is limited to JPEG comments

• GgThumb8.5/10 · Free plan

  A broad Linux photo viewer with RAW support, metadata tools, catalogs, and conversion.

  Visit gThumbFull verdict →
• Gwenview8.4/10 · Free plan

  A capable open-source Linux viewer with annotation, comparison, and collection tools.

  Visit KDEFull verdict →