Synology Photos vs Piwigo

Synology Photos8.9Visit Piwigo8.5Visit

Higher score Synology Photos #4 in Photo Storage Services 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 6 features Try Synology 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

• Synology Photos fits best

  Synology NAS owners wanting a private library

• Piwigo fits best

  Organizations needing gallery governance

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Side by side

Feature	Synology Photos 8.9/10 Visit ↗	Piwigo 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.5
Ranking	#4 in Photo Storage Services	#7 in Photo Storage Services
Best for	Synology NAS owners wanting a private library	Organizations needing gallery governance
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free	€32/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	30 days
Deployment	Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile, Browser extension	Cloud, Self-hosted, Mobile
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome extension	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Live chat, Docs	Email, Phone, Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Synology Photos 6/6 · Piwigo 3/6
Original-quality storage	✓	✓
Face search	✓ (best)	—
Shared albums	✓	✓
Family sharing	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Desktop app	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Video backup	✓	✓
Specs
Free storage	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Searches by people, places, tags, metadata, and camera attributes Supports RAW, full-resolution photos, mobile backup, and video backup Adds permissions, protected links, face recognition, and automatic albums	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	Requires a Synology NAS and installed drives Face and object recognition depend on compatible NAS models Synology Image Assistant is a separate desktop utility	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	Synology Photos is a self-hosted photo and video management application for Synology NAS devices running DiskStation Manager. It suits individuals and households that want a private media library, as well as groups that need shared folders… 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

• Synology Photos — where it wins

  • Searches by people, places, tags, metadata, and camera attributes
  • Supports RAW, full-resolution photos, mobile backup, and video backup
  • Adds permissions, protected links, face recognition, and automatic albums

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires a Synology NAS and installed drives
  • Face and object recognition depend on compatible NAS models
  • Synology Image Assistant is a separate desktop utility

• 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

• Synology Photos8.9/10 · Free plan

  A capable private photo library for Synology NAS owners who want control and depth.

  Try Synology 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 →