HomeGallery
HomeGallery is a free, open-source web gallery for browsing private photos and videos stored at home.
What HomeGallery is
HomeGallery is a free, open-source web gallery for browsing private photos and videos stored at home. It keeps existing files and folder structures in place while presenting them in a mobile-friendly gallery. The web app supports photo-stream browsing, search, tag editing, and PWA use on mobile. Search covers media metadata and tags with case-insensitive text matching, boolean operators, filters, and sorting. It can find similar images without manual tags, support tagging one or multiple images, and help find people by similar faces. GPS-tagged photos can be linked to locations and browsed on a map. HomeGallery runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, the web, and through an API; installation options include Docker Compose, containers, prebuilt binaries, application bundles, generic bundles, or source. By default, low-resolution previews go to a public API for image lookups and detection; the API server can instead run locally or in a Docker container. The project requires CLI or terminal interaction and describes Linux/Debian as its most tested platform. It does not provide photo synchronization or backups.
Good
- Keeps existing files and folder structure
- Search includes filters, sorting, and boolean operators
- Find similar images without manual tagging
- Can run its image API locally
Watch out
- Requires CLI or terminal interaction
- Does not provide photo synchronization or backups
- Browser-based Basic Auth is insecure without HTTPS
- Mac and Windows are barely tested
Who it suits
HomeGallery suits people who want a self-hosted gallery for existing home photo and video files, with search, tagging, and map browsing. It is less suited to people who need photo backups or mobile synchronization built in.
Verdict
HomeGallery offers extensive discovery tools for a self-hosted collection while leaving files in place. Consider its terminal-based setup and lack of backup or sync functions before adopting it.
Plans and prices
From HomeGallery's own pricing page, checked 9 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| HomeGallery | Free | Open source · self-hosted · CLI/terminal setup |
The facts
Each one read from HomeGallery's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- AI discovery
- Similar-image search helps find images without manual tagging.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Authentication
- User authentication is optional and limited to browser-based Basic Auth; the documentation says it is insecure without HTTPS.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Files
- It keeps the existing files and folder structure and provides a gallery to browse images and videos.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Geolocation
- It resolves locations for GPS-tagged photos and lets users browse photo history on a map.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Geolocation service
- Reverse geolocation queries OpenStreetMap's Nominatim service and transmits only geo coordinates.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Install options
- HomeGallery runs through Docker Compose, Docker containers, prebuilt binaries, application bundles, generic bundles, or from source.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Local processing option
- The API server used for image lookups and detection can also be run locally or as a Docker container.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Not included
- HomeGallery does not support mobile photo synchronization or photo backups; its FAQ recommends separate tools for those tasks.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Public API data
- By default, low-resolution preview images are sent to HomeGallery's public API for similar-image search, object detection, and face recognition; the site says the API keeps no images or privacy data.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- HomeGallery is a mobile-friendly web gallery for serving private photos and videos from home.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Search
- Search supports case-insensitive text matching, boolean operators, filters, and sorting across media metadata and tags.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Setup and maintenance
- HomeGallery is a spare-time pet project that requires CLI or terminal interactions; Linux/Debian is the most tested platform, while Mac and Windows are described as barely tested.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Supported desktop systems
- Prebuilt binaries are listed for Linux x64, Mac x64, and Windows x64.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Tags and faces
- The product supports single and multiple-image tagging and finding people by similar faces.checked 9 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2019checked 28 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Web app
- The web app provides photo-stream browsing and search, tag editing, and PWA support for mobile use.checked 9 Oct 2026
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