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Lychee vs SmugMug: catalog facts
Lychee	SmugMug
Free Free and open source, with optional GitHub sponsorship.	Paid Subscription service with a free trial.
Web, Self-hosted	Web
Your photos stay on your own server Public sharing and password-protected albums	Storage, client galleries and selling in one service Aimed at photographers running a business
You need a server or web space to run it Focused on albums and sharing rather than phone backup	Paid subscription after the trial Photos are stored on the provider's servers
Self-hosted	Hosted service
Open source	Closed source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	Account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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