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digiKam vs Shotwell: catalog facts
digiKam	Shotwell
Free Free and open source, part of the KDE community.	Free Free and open source under the LGPL 2.1.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Linux
Handles libraries of more than 100,000 images without falling over Face detection and tagging to find photos of specific people	Imports and organises a photo library on the desktop Simple enhancement tools for quick fixes
A large, complex application with a correspondingly steep learning curve Its editor is capable but not a substitute for a dedicated raw developer	Linux only Editing is basic compared with dedicated RAW editors
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0-or-later	License: LGPL-2.1
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.