head to head · open source
photocraft vs GimelStudio
photocraft has 76,172 GitHub stars, 13,501 forks, 1,208 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. GimelStudio has 855 stars, 47 forks, 44 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. photocraft leads on adoption by 8,809% (76,172 vs 855 stars). photocraft is written in Rust under Apache-2.0; GimelStudio is written in Dart under GPL-3.0. photocraft has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, GimelStudio 5%. photocraft was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (image-editor), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| photocraft | GimelStudio | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 76K | ★ 855 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Rust | Dart |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 14K | ⑂ 47 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick photocraft if
- You weight community size — 76K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick GimelStudio if
- You want the GimelStudio feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Dart
- You evaluated both and GimelStudio fits your workflow better
About photocraft
PhotoCraft Image editing; an open source, clean room reimplementation of Adobe Photoshop, rebuilt in pure Rust. Layers, masks, adjustment layers, layer styles, type, vectors, brushes and real PSD files, in a native app written entirely in Rust. Open source, offline, and yours. PhotoCraft on getartcraft.com · ArtCraft · All Crafting Apps A caption card with a drop shadow, live type, and Vibrance and Curves adjustment layers, with the Curves editor open. The Great Wave off Kanagawa , Katsushika Hokusai, c. 1831 [!NOTE] ArtCraft is a community of artists from all walks of life. Digital, generative, music, games…
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About GimelStudio
Gimel Studio Non destructive 2D graphics editor Website User Manual Project status 2026 Update: I've always disliked when maintainers just "abandon" a project without any notes, so that's what this is. This is the end of Gimel Studio for me. I've moved on and I don't see myself working on it anymore. "The end of a matter is better than its beginning" (Ecclesiastes 7:8a AMP) It's sad and I'm still more attached to the project than I ought to be, but five years working on a project is really hard to forget. However, the end of a thing is where we truly learn, grow, and reflect on the journey we’ve taken. I've…
read the full GimelStudio overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is photocraft or GimelStudio more popular?
photocraft has 76,172 GitHub stars and GimelStudio has 855. photocraft has the larger community by that measure.
Are photocraft and GimelStudio free?
Both are open source. photocraft is licensed under Apache-2.0 and GimelStudio under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between photocraft and GimelStudio?
photocraft is written in Rust and GimelStudio in Dart. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, photocraft or GimelStudio?
Choose photocraft if you want the larger community (76,172 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose GimelStudio if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.