# Pixel Gallery vs Aves Gallery

Canonical: https://pixel-gallery.app/android/compare/aves

Last updated: November 9, 2026

**Verdict:** Pick Aves if open source, exotic formats, metadata tools or Android TV matter most. Pick Pixel Gallery if you want faces, search by what a photo shows and cleanup computed on the phone.

Aves is an open-source gallery and metadata explorer with exceptional format support. Pixel Gallery focuses on on-device AI: people, semantic search and cleanup.

## Feature comparison

| Capability | Pixel Gallery | Aves Gallery |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Photos stay on the phone | Yes (Pixel Gallery never uploads your photos or videos.) | Yes (No cloud library; internet only for maps and reverse geocoding, plus optional Crashlytics in the Play build.) |
| Works without an account | Yes | Yes |
| On-device smart search | Yes (SigLIP2 model, ~375 MB optional download.) | No (Search and filters work on metadata (albums, tags, places, dates), not image content) |
| Face grouping | Yes (Runs on the phone.) | No (Not offered) |
| Duplicate and similar cleanup | Yes | No (No duplicate or similar-photo finder) |
| Encrypted metadata database | Yes | Not documented |
| No ads | Yes | Yes |
| No subscription | Yes (Free, plus an optional one-time Premium purchase.) | Yes (Free; optional donations) |
| Cloud backup | No (Pixel Gallery has no cloud. Backup is up to you.) | No |
| Open source | No | Yes (BSD-3-Clause on GitHub) |
| Available on F-Droid | No | Yes (Libre variant; also IzzyOnDroid and Accrescent.) |
| Android TV app | No | Yes |
| Exotic formats (multi-page TIFF, GeoTIFF, SVG) | Partly (Covers motion, panorama, HDR, RAW and animated formats.) | Yes |
| Metadata explorer and tag editing | Partly (Shows detailed metadata; does not edit it.) | Yes |
| Stories and memories | Yes | No |
| Photo and video editor | Yes | No |

## Is Pixel Gallery a good Aves alternative?

It depends on why you use Aves. Aves is outstanding at metadata and formats: multi-page TIFF, GeoTIFF, SVG, 360° video, tag editing, maps and statistics. What it does not do is understand image content. Pixel Gallery groups faces, searches by what a photo shows and finds duplicates, computed on the phone.

## What does Aves do better?

- **Open source.** BSD-3-Clause, on F-Droid, IzzyOnDroid and Accrescent.
- **Formats and metadata.** Wider format coverage and a real metadata explorer with tag editing.
- **More screens.** Android TV with a screen saver, and DLNA casting.

## What does Pixel Gallery do better?

- **On-device AI.** People, semantic search, text and QR recognition, captions on supported devices.
- **Cleanup.** Duplicates, similar shots and low-quality photos with swipe review.
- **Creating.** A photo editor, a video editor, stories and collages.
- **An encrypted index.** The metadata database is encrypted on the phone.

## Who should pick which?

Pick Aves if open source or metadata work is central, or you want a gallery on your TV. Pick Pixel Gallery if you want your library to be searchable by content and people without uploading it.

## How to switch from Aves

Install Pixel Gallery and allow photo access. Tags stored in your files stay there for Aves and other tools. Data that only lives in Aves' own database, such as favorites, does not transfer.

## Questions

**Does Aves have face recognition?**
No. Aves organizes by albums, tags, places and dates from metadata. Pixel Gallery adds on-device face grouping and semantic search.

**Aves or Fossify Gallery?**
Both are open source and local. Aves leans into metadata, maps, statistics and formats; Fossify is simpler. Neither has AI features; Pixel Gallery is the option if you want those.

**Can I use Aves and Pixel Gallery together?**
Yes. Both read the same files. Some people keep Aves for metadata work and Pixel Gallery as the everyday gallery.

## Sources

- [Aves on GitHub (README, license, permissions)](https://github.com/deckerst/aves), accessed November 8, 2026
- [Aves changelog](https://github.com/deckerst/aves/blob/develop/CHANGELOG.md), accessed November 8, 2026
- [Aves app versions comparison (Play vs libre)](https://github.com/deckerst/aves/wiki/App-Versions), accessed November 8, 2026
- [Aves Gallery on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=deckers.thibault.aves), accessed November 8, 2026
- [Aves (libre) on F-Droid](https://f-droid.org/packages/deckers.thibault.aves.libre), accessed November 8, 2026