Gwenview vs Loupe

Gwenview8.4Visit Loupe8.2Visit

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

vs

Loupe #8 in Photo Viewer Software 8.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Loupe

• Gwenview fits best

  Linux users wanting viewing and annotation

• Loupe fits best

  Linux users wanting a simple modern viewer

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Side by side

Feature	Gwenview 8.4/10 Visit ↗	Loupe 8.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.4	8.2
Ranking	#7 in Photo Viewer Software	#8 in Photo Viewer Software
Best for	Linux users wanting viewing and annotation	Linux users wanting a simple modern viewer
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Linux	Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Docs, Community
Built for	Solo, Small business	Solo, Small business
Features Gwenview 3/5 · Loupe 2/5
RAW image support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Side-by-side compare	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Contact sheets	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Color management	✓	✓
Metadata viewer	✓	✓
Specs
Supported platforms	Linux	linux
Our review
Pros	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	Free and open-source with file chooser, file manager, and drag-and-drop workflows Shows image properties and embedded EXIF metadata Includes crop, rotate, flip, zoom, trash, copy, and send actions
Cons	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	Available on Linux rather than across multiple desktop platforms Basic editing tools do not replace a full image editor Format support can vary by system, with RAW support not established as standard
Our verdict	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 →	Loupe, also presented as GNOME Image Viewer, is a desktop application for opening, browsing, and viewing images on Linux. It suits users who want a simple viewer that can open files from a chooser, file manager, or drag-and-drop action,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• 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

• Loupe — where it wins

  • Free and open-source with file chooser, file manager, and drag-and-drop workflows
  • Shows image properties and embedded EXIF metadata
  • Includes crop, rotate, flip, zoom, trash, copy, and send actions

  Where it doesn't

  • Available on Linux rather than across multiple desktop platforms
  • Basic editing tools do not replace a full image editor
  • Format support can vary by system, with RAW support not established as standard

• Gwenview8.4/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit KDEFull verdict →
• Loupe8.2/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source Linux viewer for straightforward browsing, metadata, and basic image edits.

  Visit LoupeFull verdict →