# PhotoPrism vs Whirl

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | PhotoPrism | Whirl |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 ✓ | 52/100 |
| Rank in category | #4 of 142 in Media Management | #23 of 69 in AI Chat |
| GitHub stars | 40 370 ✓ | 510 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +135 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | 261007-65faaae5d · 7 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | Other | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

PhotoPrism scores 76/100 against 52/100 for Whirl, so it is the safer default.

PhotoPrism ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Whirl.

If you want the quickest setup, PhotoPrism is easier to run; Whirl needs more configuration.

PhotoPrism is growing faster right now (+135 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [PhotoPrism](https://selfhost.directory/project/photoprism) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/photoprism.md)
- [Whirl](https://selfhost.directory/project/whirl) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/whirl.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/photoprism-vs-whirl