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