Lychee

Spec sheet

What it does

Lychee is a free, open-source photo-management system that runs on a user's server or web space for managing and sharing photos.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com

Purpose

Lychee is a free, self-hosted photo-management tool for uploading, managing, and sharing photos.Read 9 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

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.Read 9 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

API

Lychee documents API v2 routes and requires JSON Accept headers; API documentation is available inside each instance at /docs/api.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Security

The maker recommends putting production deployments behind a reverse proxy with TLS.Read 9 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Privacy

LycheeOrg says the gallery ships without analytics or other tracking mechanisms.Read 9 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Support

The maker points users to documentation, GitHub Issues, and Discord for help.Read 9 Oct 2026 · github.com

License

The Lychee and Supporter Edition code is open source under the MIT license.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Albums

Albums can be unlimited, nested, customized with covers, headers, layouts, sorting and aspect ratios, and embedded in other websites.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

API authentication

Scripted API calls can use personal bearer tokens, while browser session requests use Laravel CSRF protection.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

API security limit

An API token grants full account access and is shown only once, so the documentation says to treat it like a password.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Imports

The homepage lists importing photos from a local computer, a server, a URL, or Dropbox.Read 9 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Independent feature assessment

Android Authority observed albums, sharing, EXIF viewing, timeline, frame view, multi-user support and On This Day memories.Read 15 Oct 2026 · androidauthority.com

Independent setup result

Android Authority reports completing a Lychee server setup on a Pixel in about 45 minutes, while noting command-line and PHP-extension work.Read 15 Oct 2026 · androidauthority.com

Installation

The recommended quick start uses Docker Compose and starts a gallery with MariaDB and persistent photo/database storage.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

iOS companion app

LycheeSync is a free iPhone and iPad app that uploads selected albums to a self-hosted Lychee server using stored server credentials.Read 15 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com

Limit: AI features

Android Authority says Lychee lacks Google Photos or Immich-style facial recognition, location search and other machine-learning enhancements.Read 15 Oct 2026 · androidauthority.com

Limit: multi-user support

G2's review summary identifies lack of multi-user support as a recurring limitation, although current documentation describes user and sharing controls.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com

Limit: server administration

Android Authority notes that running Lychee on a phone requires managing permissions, PHP upload limits, thumbnail extensions and battery or process-sleep settings.Read 15 Oct 2026 · androidauthority.com

Limit: technical installation

G2 reviewers say installation requires technical knowledge and that configuration terminology can be tedious for less technical users.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com

Maker identity

The project identifies LycheeOrg as its maintainer and Tobias Reich as the creator.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Maker start year

LycheeOrg states that the project started in 2018.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Maker team size

The About page lists five developers and reviewers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Manual installation

A non-Docker deployment requires PHP, a web server and a database.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Metadata

Lychee supports and displays EXIF and IPTC metadata.Read 9 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Notable news

The official release documentation lists Lychee version 7.10.0 among the current version-7 releases.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Photo downloads

Albums can be downloaded as ZIP archives containing original-resolution photos.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Photo organization

Users can create unlimited nested albums and customize album covers, headers, layouts, sorting, and aspect ratios.Read 9 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Praise: ease of use

G2 reviewers repeatedly describe the interface and photo uploading or management workflow as intuitive and easy to use.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com

Praise: lightweight operation

Android Authority reports that Lychee runs on PHP with relatively low resource needs and can serve as a photo server on old Android hardware.Read 15 Oct 2026 · androidauthority.com

Praise: self-hosting

G2 reviewers praise keeping images on their own server for greater control instead of relying on a hosted provider.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com

Rating on Apple App Store

No rating overview because the app has not received enough ratings or reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com

Rating on G2

4.1 out of 5 from 10 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com

Runtime requirements

The repository says source installation requires PHP 8.4 or newer, Composer and npm.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com

Search

Search covers photo titles and descriptions, album names and tags across the accessible library, with an administrator option for public search.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Security posture

The project says the gallery ships without analytics or tracking mechanisms and prioritizes user privacy.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Security reporting

Lychee lists external security researchers who responsibly reported vulnerabilities and provides a security policy in its repository.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Sharing

Albums can be shared with specific users or made public, and the homepage says albums can be password-protected.Read 9 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Sharing and access

Albums may be shared with selected users or made public, with access controls documented in the usage guides.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Smart albums

Smart albums dynamically collect photos by conditions such as unsorted status, recency, tags, people and ratings.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Storage

The maker says Lychee has no storage limit and does not compress photos or cause data loss.Read 9 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Support channels

Official support links include documentation, GitHub issues, Discord and a community forum.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com

Timeline and layouts

The product includes timeline browsing plus justified, masonry and square gallery layouts.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Trial and refunds

The Supporter Edition page says Lychee offers neither a trial period nor refunds.Read 9 Oct 2026 · lycheeorg.dev

Plans and prices

Every Lychee plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

• Photo Sharing Software#3 of 349.1
• Photography Software#3 of 289.0
• Photo Management Software#5 of 379.1