Lychee vs immich-drop
Self-hosted photo management and guest uploads compared
Lychee is a self-hosted web application for managing and sharing a photo library. immich-drop collects photos and videos from guests and sends them to an Immich server, without giving guests browsing access.
Lychee: Manage and Share Photos on Your Own Server
Lychee is a self-hosted photo-management application for uploading, organizing, and sharing photos through a web interface. It suits individuals and groups who want control over their photo library and storage.
immich-drop: Collect Photos and Videos into Immich
immich-drop is a self-hosted web app for collecting uploads from guests without requiring them to log in. Administrators create shareable invite links, and uploads go directly to a configured Immich server.
| Lychee | immich-drop | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | PHP | Python |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Stars | 4.3k | 627 |
| Forks | 381 | 30 |
| Last analyzed | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 3, 2026 |
Key differences
- Lychee provides a photo-management gallery, while immich-drop focuses on guest uploads and does not provide media browsing.
- Lychee can run on its own server or web space; immich-drop requires a running Immich server and an API key.
- Lychee is written in PHP, while immich-drop is written in Python.
- Both projects use the MIT license.
- Lychee documents Docker Compose deployment as its recommended option, while immich-drop uses a Python web app to handle uploads to Immich.
- Lychee lists 4.3k stars and 381 forks, compared with immich-drop's 627 stars and 30 forks.
Choose Lychee if you…
- want to manage and share a photo library through a self-hosted gallery.
- need a photo-management application that can be installed from a release or from source.
- prefer a Docker Compose deployment for your gallery.
Choose immich-drop if you…
- need guests to upload photos or videos without Immich accounts.
- want guest uploads directed to a configured or invite-specific Immich album.
- need invite links with options such as passwords, expiry, or reusable access.
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This comparison is generated with AI from the OSRepos analyses of both projects. Always check each project's repository and documentation before choosing.