head to head · open source
photocraft vs TagStudio
photocraft has 76,172 GitHub stars, 13,501 forks, 1,208 open issues and last shipped yesterday. TagStudio has 7,269 stars, 470 forks, 280 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. photocraft leads on adoption by 948% (76,172 vs 7,269 stars). photocraft is written in Rust under Apache-2.0; TagStudio is written in Python under GPL-3.0. photocraft has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, TagStudio 6%. photocraft was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | TagStudio | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 76K | ★ 7.3K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Rust | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 14K | ⑂ 470 |
| 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 TagStudio if
- You want the TagStudio feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and TagStudio 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…
read the full photocraft overview →
About TagStudio
TagStudio: A User Focused Photo & File Management System TagStudio is a photo & file organization application with an underlying tag based system that focuses on giving freedom and flexibility to the user. No proprietary programs or formats, no sea of sidecar files, and no complete upheaval of your filesystem structure. Read the documentation and more at docs.tagstud.io! TagStudio Alpha v9.5.5 running on macOS Sequoia. Contents Feature Highlights Basic Usage Installation Goals & Priorities FAQ Translation hosting generously provided by Weblate. Check out our project page to help translate TagStudio! Feature…
read the full TagStudio overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is photocraft or TagStudio more popular?
photocraft has 76,172 GitHub stars and TagStudio has 7,269. photocraft has the larger community by that measure.
Are photocraft and TagStudio free?
Both are open source. photocraft is licensed under Apache-2.0 and TagStudio under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between photocraft and TagStudio?
photocraft is written in Rust and TagStudio in Python. 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 TagStudio?
Choose photocraft if you want the larger community (76,172 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose TagStudio if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.