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Gwenview

Free#7 of 33 in Photo Viewer Software

Gwenview: A capable open-source Linux viewer with annotation, comparison, and collection tools. Ranked #7 of 33 in Photo Viewer Software by our editors (8.4/10); pricing: Free plan; best for linux users wanting viewing and annotation.

8.4/10Editor score

Visit KDE

Gwenview8.4 Visit KDE

At a glance

Editor score
8.4 / 10
Pricing
Free plan
Best for
Linux users wanting viewing and annotation
Free plan
Yes
Paid from
Free
Side-by-side compare
Yes
Facts checked
20 Sep 2026

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

Our verdict on Gwenview

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, and full-screen slideshows with loop and random playback. It suits Linux users who want a practical viewer with light organization, comparison, annotation, and file-management features rather than a full image-editing suite.

For reviewing images, Gwenview combines side-by-side viewing with embedded color-profile and display-profile handling. That makes it a useful fit for comparing multiple images and viewing collections where color display matters. Its annotation tools add arrows, shapes, text boxes, and stamps, while basic editing covers crop, rotate, resize, mirror, and flip. File-management actions such as copy, move, and delete keep routine collection work inside the application. The Free plan includes image viewing, basic image editing, and image annotations, and the application is open source under the GPL-2.0-or-later license.

Gwenview’s main boundary is scope. It is designed for viewing, light editing, annotation, and collection management, with EXIF comment viewing and editing for JPEG images rather than broad metadata editing. Its Linux-only availability also makes platform fit an important consideration. Choose Gwenview if you want a free KDE application with comparison, slideshow, filtering, color-profile support, and annotation tools in one desktop viewer. Choose another product if your workflow depends on broader metadata editing, advanced image manipulation, or support beyond Linux.

Your product? Our editors can test Gwenview in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →

Gwenview pricing

Plans Free planFree Free to use — no paid tier required for the core job.

See plans on apps.kde.org

All 1 Gwenview plans and prices →

Gwenview fact sheet

Free plan	Yes
Paid from	Free
Supported platforms	Linux
RAW image support	Not verified
Side-by-side compare	Yes
Contact sheets	Not verified
Color management	Yes
Metadata viewer	Yes
Deployment	Desktop
Platforms	Linux
Support	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business (editorial estimate)
Pricing	Free plan (source)
Website	apps.kde.org
Facts checked	20 Sep 2026

Alternatives to Gwenview

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Gwenview vs the competition

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Featured on iTechGuides

Gwenview is listed in our Photo Viewer Software directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update