XnView MP vs gThumb

XnView MP9.3Visit GgThumb8.5Visit

Higher score XnView MP #1 in Photo Viewer Software 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit XnView MP

vs

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

• XnView MP fits best

  Cross-platform power users and photo managers

• gThumb fits best

  Linux users wanting an organizer and editor

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Side by side

Feature	XnView MP 9.3/10 Visit ↗	GgThumb 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.5
Ranking	#1 in Photo Viewer Software	#6 in Photo Viewer Software
Best for	Cross-platform power users and photo managers	Linux users wanting an organizer and editor
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	€3.90/unit one-time	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Self-hosted, Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Linux
Support	Docs	Community
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market	Solo, Small business
Features XnView MP 5/5 · gThumb 3/5
RAW image support	✓	✓
Side-by-side compare	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Contact sheets	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Color management	✓	✓
Metadata viewer	✓	✓
Specs
Supported platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Linux
Our review
Pros	Opens more than 500 formats, including camera RAW files Compares up to four images side by side Combines catalog search, metadata editing, and batch tools	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
Cons	Commercial company use requires a paid license Per-license pricing may complicate larger deployments Feature depth may exceed the needs of simple viewers	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
Our verdict	XnView MP is a desktop photo viewer and organizer for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is suited to photographers, photo managers, and cross-platform power users who need more than basic image opening. The software handles more than 500 image… Read the review →	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 →

Strengths and trade-offs

• XnView MP — where it wins

  • Opens more than 500 formats, including camera RAW files
  • Compares up to four images side by side
  • Combines catalog search, metadata editing, and batch tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Commercial company use requires a paid license
  • Per-license pricing may complicate larger deployments
  • Feature depth may exceed the needs of simple viewers

• 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

• XnView MP9.3/10 · Free plan

  A format-rich desktop viewer with serious cataloging, metadata, and batch tools.

  Visit XnView MPFull verdict →
• GgThumb8.5/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit gThumbFull verdict →