No. 21 of 38 ·Photo Management Software

Lychee

Web · Linux · Self-hosted · API · paid plans from €5/mo

Freedom report

Two barsScore 6.4

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely2 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Lychee is ranked #21 of 38 in photo management software on Freedom251. It runs on API, Linux, Self-hosted, Web. There is a free plan. Paid plans start at €5/mo.

Lychee plans and pricing

All plans

Free Free Unlimited users · unlimited albums · unlimited tags · unlimited photo uploads · facial recognition lycheeorg.dev · 9 Oct 2026

Supporter Edition €5/mo Per Month Includes Free features · library statistics · user groups and upload quotas · anonymous uploads · secured image links · watermarking · extended customizations lycheeorg.dev · 9 Oct 2026

Compared on photo management software

Free plan: Yes
API access: Yes
Private sharing: Yes
Image transformations: Yes

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The record

Purpose: Lychee is a free, self-hosted photo-management tool for uploading, managing, and sharing photos.
Photo organization: Users can create unlimited nested albums and customize album covers, headers, layouts, sorting, and aspect ratios.
Sharing: Albums can be shared with specific users or made public, and the homepage says albums can be password-protected.
Metadata: Lychee supports and displays EXIF and IPTC metadata.
Imports: The homepage lists importing photos from a local computer, a server, a URL, or Dropbox.
Storage: The maker says Lychee has no storage limit and does not compress photos or cause data loss.
Installation: The maker recommends Docker Compose and also documents manual installation on a server with PHP, a web server, and a database.
API: Lychee documents an API and supports personal Bearer tokens for scripted requests; it warns that a token grants full account access.
Privacy: LycheeOrg says the gallery ships without analytics or other tracking mechanisms.
Security: The maker recommends putting production deployments behind a reverse proxy with TLS.
Support: The maker points users to documentation, GitHub Issues, and Discord for help.
Trial and refunds: The Supporter Edition page says Lychee offers neither a trial period nor refunds.
Audience: The maker describes the free edition as an optimal choice for personal use and the Pro add-on as aimed at professional photographers and businesses selling pictures.
Price from: €5/mo

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Photo Management Software in 2026#21 of 38
Best Photo Sharing Software in 2026#16 of 34

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Sources

lycheeorg.dev· checked 9 Oct 2026
lycheeorg.dev/docs/usage/albums/· checked 9 Oct 2026
lycheeorg.dev/docs/getting-started/installation/· checked 9 Oct 2026
lycheeorg.dev/docs/administration/api/· checked 9 Oct 2026
lycheeorg.dev/support/· checked 9 Oct 2026
github.com/LycheeOrg/Lychee· checked 9 Oct 2026
lycheeorg.dev/get-supporter-edition/· checked 9 Oct 2026