Overview

Piwigo is open-source software for organizing and sharing photo and video collections, with both Cloud and self-hosted deployments. It is a strong fit for organizations and photographers who need structured libraries, controlled access, and room to adapt the software. Choose it for that flexibility; look closely at Cloud storage and administrator limits before committing a team.

Key features

Albums and sub-albums, tags, metadata, and search give sizable collections more structure than a basic file store. Public galleries can coexist with private libraries, while roles, groups, and permissions let an organization decide who can see or manage each collection. Shared albums, original-quality storage, and video backup suit mixed-media libraries, but the lack of face search may disappoint people who want to find images by person.

Plugins, themes, settings, custom code, and API access in both Cloud and self-hosted versions make Piwigo adaptable to specific workflows. That breadth favors teams willing to configure their system over users seeking a fixed, minimal service. The iOS and Android apps support browsing, editing photo details, and uploading photos and videos.

Piwigo describes automatic tag and description generation and OCR text extraction, with its AI hosted on its own infrastructure. Cloud hosting is in France on Piwigo infrastructure, and Piwigo says customer data is not transferred to the United States. Photos, videos, and metadata can be exported free at any time, and users can switch between Cloud and self-hosted deployments—useful safeguards against being locked into one hosting model.

Cloud plans accept image, video, and audio formats; Team adds formats including PSD, AI, TIFF, SVG, and PDF. A Cloud subscription covers one Piwigo, so organizations managing separate libraries should account for that constraint.

Pricing

Piwigo is freemium, with a 30-day trial and paid plans billed annually at the stated monthly rates, excluding VAT.

Free (self-hosted): Free, with all features, themes, and plugins plus documentation and a community forum. It avoids a subscription but is self-hosted, with professional support offered separately.
Pro: 32.00 EUR per month, billed annually; one administrator, unlimited users, no contributors, 10GB storage, and image, video, and audio files only. It suits a small library managed by one administrator, but the contributor restriction and storage cap make it a poor fit for collaborative teams.
Light (self-hosted support): 43.00 EUR per month, billed annually; three administrators and professional support with a 48 business-hour response time. This adds support for self-hosted users without Cloud storage.
Standard (self-hosted support): 87.00 EUR per month, billed annually; five administrators and professional support with a 24 business-hour response time. It fits self-hosted operations needing a faster response and more administrators.
Team: 109.00 EUR per month, billed annually; three administrators, unlimited users and contributors, 100GB storage, and all file formats. This is the more collaborative Cloud option, particularly for libraries needing formats beyond common media.
Premium (self-hosted support): 165.00 EUR per month, billed annually; unlimited administrators, priority professional support with an 8 business-hour response time, and an annual usage audit. It targets self-hosted organizations that need priority support and broad administrator access.
Enterprise: 219.00 EUR per month, billed annually; five administrators, unlimited users and contributors, 250GB storage, and all file formats. It expands Team capacity for larger collaborative libraries.
VIP: 439.00 EUR per month, billed annually; unlimited administrators, users, and contributors, 1000GB storage, all file formats, and phone support. It is the highest-capacity Cloud choice for organizations needing the broadest access and phone support.

Cloud subscriptions include email support, with priority support on higher plans. Organizations that need multiple Cloud instances or more storage and contributors than Pro allows should compare the higher tiers against their requirements.

Platforms

Piwigo is available on the web, through iOS and Android apps, and as self-hosted software; both deployment types provide API access.

Who it's for

Public-sector organizations, companies, tourism organizations, universities, nonprofits, clubs, and photographers are among Piwigo's intended users. Its access controls and customization suit groups publishing selected material while keeping other collections private. Individuals seeking face-based search, or teams needing many Cloud administrators on the entry plan, should consider other options.

Pros and cons

Pro: Public and private galleries with roles, groups, and permissions support controlled sharing across different audiences.
Pro: Self-hosted and Cloud deployments, free export, and the ability to switch between them give organizations meaningful control over their data and hosting.
Pro: The API, plugins, themes, settings, and custom code provide room to fit Piwigo to specific workflows.
Con: Pro's one-administrator, no-contributor, 10GB limits restrict collaborative Cloud use.
Con: Face search is not available, limiting a common way to locate people in large photo libraries.
Con: Professional support for self-hosted deployments requires a paid support plan.

Alternatives

PhotoStructure is worth comparing for a self-hosted desktop-and-web library: its free Lite plan includes portable libraries, duplicate and edited-copy grouping, and metadata reading with date recovery.

Ente Photos suits people looking for a cross-platform personal photo service with a free 10 GB plan and a 50 GB Starter option at 2.49 USD per month.

jAlbum is an alternative for users who want to publish albums using their own-site storage; its free plan is limited to 24 objects, while Super Account includes 300 GB storage and a Pro license.

PhotoPrism may suit self-hosters who prioritize unlimited storage and instances on its free Community plan, with AGPL open-source software and community support.

Lomorage is another free-software option for people who can provide external storage and want no rate or account-number limits.

Amazon Photos offers a simpler storage alternative, with 5 GB shared between photos and videos on its free plan and an unlimited full-resolution photos benefit for Prime members.

Flickr fits public sharing when a 1,000-upload free plan with ads is sufficient, or when an unlimited-upload Pro plan is preferable.

Google Photos is another option to compare for a photo library.

Browse Photo Management Software, Photo Storage Services, and Photo Sharing Software for more choices by category.

Verdict

Piwigo is best for organizations and photographers who need a customizable photo and video library with granular sharing controls and a choice of Cloud or self-hosting. Its strongest reason to choose it is control over organization, access, and deployment without giving up mobile apps or API access. Look elsewhere if face search is essential, or if the Cloud plan's administrator, contributor, or storage limits do not match your team.

	Damselfly	Piwigo
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial		Yes
Paid from	Free	€32/mo
Platforms	Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Web, Windows	Android, api, iOS, self-hosted, Web
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Face search	Yes	No
Desktop app	Yes
Video backup	No	Yes
Original-quality storage		Yes
Shared albums		Yes

Damselfly vs Piwigo

Damselfly

Piwigo