Overview

Piwigo is open-source software for organizing and sharing photo and video collections, available as a hosted service or self-hosted deployment. It is best suited to organizations and photographers who need structured libraries, granular access controls, and the option to adapt the software to existing workflows. The trade-off is meaningful control and extensibility versus cloud plans where storage and administrator limits can constrain collaboration.

Key features

Albums and sub-albums, tags, metadata, and search help keep large collections organized. Public galleries and private libraries with roles, groups, and permissions let teams publish selected material without making an entire collection public. Shared albums, original-quality storage, and video backup support mixed-media workflows, but Piwigo does not offer face search.

Plugins, themes, settings, and custom code make Piwigo adaptable, and both Cloud and self-hosted deployments provide API access. That combination suits teams integrating a photo library into a broader stack, though it asks for more configuration than a fixed-purpose service. iOS and Android apps support browsing, editing photo details, and uploading photos and videos.

Piwigo describes automatic tag and description generation and OCR-based text extraction, with its AI hosted on its own infrastructure. Its Cloud service runs in France on Piwigo infrastructure, and the company says customer data is not transferred to the United States. Photos, videos, and metadata can be exported at any time without charge, and users can move between Cloud and self-hosted deployments. Those provisions strengthen data control, while email support comes with Cloud subscriptions and professional support for self-hosted users is sold separately.

Google Analytics and Matomo can be added as external analytics tools. The Cloud service is limited to one Piwigo, so organizations needing multiple separate libraries should account for that constraint.

Pricing

The self-hosted Free plan costs 0.00 EUR per free, billed annually, excluding VAT. It includes all features, themes, and plugins, with documentation and a community forum. It is the strongest fit for teams able to operate their own deployment and rely on community help; it avoids a subscription but not the work of self-hosting.

Cloud Pro costs 32.00 EUR per month, billed annually, excluding VAT. It includes one administrator, unlimited users, no contributors, 10GB of storage, and support for image, video, and audio files. That is a modest entry point for a controlled library, but one administrator, no contributor accounts, and the storage cap make it a poor fit for collaborative publishing or larger archives.

Team costs 109.00 EUR per month, billed annually, excluding VAT. It raises the allowance to three administrators, unlimited users and contributors, 100GB of storage, and all file formats, including formats such as PSD, AI, TIFF, SVG, and PDF. This is the more practical Cloud tier for teams contributing and managing varied creative files. Enterprise costs 219.00 EUR per month, billed annually, excluding VAT, and offers five administrators, unlimited users and contributors, 250GB, and all file formats. VIP costs 439.00 EUR per month, billed annually, excluding VAT, and provides unlimited administrators, users, and contributors, 1000GB, all file formats, and phone support. These higher tiers suit larger libraries whose storage and contributor needs exceed Team; the added capacity comes at a substantial annual commitment.

Self-hosted professional support plans are separate from the free software. Light costs 43.00 EUR per month, billed annually, excluding VAT, with three administrators and a 48-business-hour response time. Standard costs 87.00 EUR per month, billed annually, excluding VAT, with five administrators and a 24-business-hour response time. Premium costs 165.00 EUR per month, billed annually, excluding VAT, and includes unlimited administrators, priority support with an eight-business-hour response time, and an annual usage audit. These plans buy response commitments and support rather than Cloud storage or contributor allowances. Piwigo offers a 30-day trial.

Platforms

Piwigo supports web, iOS, Android, API, and self-hosted use. The shared API across Cloud and self-hosted editions is useful for teams connecting library operations to other systems; mobile apps cover browsing, detail edits, and uploads.

Who it's for

Piwigo identifies public-sector organizations, companies, tourism organizations, universities, nonprofits, clubs, and photographers among its users. It is a particularly good fit when a group needs permissions and structured media organization, and either wants deployment control or can work within Cloud's tiered storage and contributor limits. It is less suited to users who chiefly want face-based discovery or a low-friction personal photo backup service.

Pros and cons

Flexible deployment: Self-hosting and Cloud are both options, and users can switch between them while retaining the ability to export media and metadata.
Useful access controls: Public galleries, private libraries, roles, and groups support distinct sharing needs across teams.
Integration surface: Plugins, custom code, and API access in both deployment modes accommodate workflows beyond the default product.
Cloud collaboration is tier-gated: Pro has one administrator, no contributors, and 10GB; meaningful contributor capacity starts at Team.
No face search: Teams relying on face-based browsing will need another tool or workflow.
Support differs by deployment: Cloud includes email support, while self-hosted professional support requires a paid support plan.

Alternatives

Choose Immich if you want a free, self-hosted option and are prepared to provide your own server. Choose Flickr for a freemium service with a free tier capped at 1,000 public photo and video uploads and a paid annual-billed Pro option. Amazon Photos is another freemium option, with a free tier offering 5 GB of shared photo and video storage.

Ente Photos may suit users looking for a freemium service whose free tier includes 10 GB. Google Photos is an alternative freemium photo service. iCloud Backup is a freemium option for users on iOS. Showfoto is a free option if you need desktop photo software and can do without a database or image versioning. Tonfotos offers a free lifetime license with full paid-version functionality but limits the number of people on photos.

For broader comparisons, see Photo Management Software, Photo Sharing Software, and Photo Storage Services.

Verdict

Piwigo is a strong choice for organizations and photographers who need a permissioned, extensible media library and value deployment and data control. Its API, self-hosted option, and ability to export or move deployments are compelling advantages. Look elsewhere if face search is essential, or if Cloud collaboration needs exceed Pro's limits but Team's price and 100GB allowance do not fit.

	Photo Supreme	Piwigo
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	Yes	Yes
Paid from	—	€32/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Linux, macOS, Windows	Android, api, iOS, self-hosted, Web
Free plan	No	Yes
Primary platform	desktop	—
RAW photo support	Yes	—
Face recognition	Yes	—
AI-powered search	Yes	—
Metadata tools	Yes	—

Photo Supreme vs Piwigo

Photo Supreme

Piwigo