Roundup
Best Android gallery apps in 2026, compared
Short answer: for on-device AI without uploading your library, Pixel Gallery. For cloud backup, Google Photos or Ente. For a minimal open-source gallery, Fossify Gallery or Aves. For your own server, Immich.
18 Android gallery apps on the capabilities people switch for: privacy, smart search, faces, cleanup, ads and pricing. Pixel Gallery is ours, and every row says where another app is better.
Last updated .
All apps at a glance
| App | Photos stay on the phone | Works without an account | On-device smart search | Face grouping | Duplicate and similar cleanup | Encrypted metadata database | No ads | No subscription | Cloud backup | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pixel Gallery | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 1Gallery | Partly : Local gallery; optional Google Drive backup of encrypted hidden (vault) files | Yes : No account; the vault asks for an email used as a local encryption key, per the privacy policy | No : Listing mentions search for file management only; no content search documented | No : Not mentioned in the Play listing or website | No : No duplicate or similar-photo finder documented | Not documented : Not documented; AES encryption is described for hidden files, not the app's index | No : Contains ads (Google AdMob and Meta Audience Network per privacy policy) | Not documented : Free with ads and in-app purchases; whether these are one-time or subscriptions is not documented | Partly : Only encrypted hidden files, to your own Google Drive | No : No public source code found |
| A+ Gallery | Partly : Local gallery; optional A+ Cloud sync and secure vault backup store photos on the developer's cloud | Partly : Gallery works without sign-in; turning on the secure vault, vault backup or A+ Cloud creates an account | No : Searches by date, location, album and image color offline; no content search like "dog on beach" documented | No : Not mentioned in the Play listing or the help center | No : No duplicate or similar-photo finder documented; listing offers resizing photos and videos to save storage | Not documented | No : Play listing carries "Contains ads"; privacy policy names Google, Facebook and MoPub as ad partners | Not documented : Free with ads and in-app purchases; whether any purchase is a subscription is not documented | Yes : A+ Cloud sync, secure vault backup, and sync/backup with Dropbox | No : No public source code found; proprietary app |
| Amazon Photos | No : Cloud photo storage service; Auto-Save uploads photos and videos to your Amazon account. | No : Requires an Amazon account. | No : Cloud: Amazon image recognition tags uploaded photos; Android listing describes search by date or location. | Yes : Cloud 'Tag specific people' groups faces; image recognition can be turned off in settings. | Not documented | Not documented | Yes : Play listing carries no 'Contains ads' label; the app sells prints and storage plans. | Partly : Free tier with limited storage; unlimited photos with a Prime membership; extra storage via subscription plans. | Yes : Auto-Save backs up full-resolution photos and videos. | No |
| Aves Gallery | Yes : No cloud library; internet only for maps and reverse geocoding, plus optional Crashlytics in the Play build. | Yes | No : Search and filters work on metadata (albums, tags, places, dates), not image content | No : Not offered | No : No duplicate or similar-photo finder | Not documented | Yes | Yes : Free; optional donations | No | Yes : BSD-3-Clause on GitHub |
| Ente Photos | Partly : Built around end-to-end encrypted cloud backup; optional no-account gallery mode keeps photos on the phone | Partly : Gallery mode works without an account; backup, albums, favorites, hide and sharing need one | Yes : Magic search runs on device; not available on the web app | Yes : On device; indexes sync end-to-end encrypted between your devices | Yes : Exact duplicates and ML similar images for the backed-up library; no blur detection documented | Not documented : Not documented for the local database; synced ML indexes are end-to-end encrypted | Yes : Pricing page states no ads | Partly : Free storage tier; more storage via monthly or annual subscription, shareable with family | Yes : End-to-end encrypted, stored in three locations | Yes : AGPL-3.0, server self-hostable |
| F-Stop Gallery | Yes : Listing and site describe a local organizer only; no cloud library or upload feature mentioned | Yes : No account mentioned; the Pro key is a separate app checked on the device | No : Searches by tags, ratings and some EXIF data; free version shows only 10 results | No : Not mentioned in the Play listings or on fstopapp.com | No : No duplicate or similar-photo finder documented | Not documented | No : Free app carries "Contains ads"; the Pro key unlocks all features | Yes : Free with ads and in-app purchases; full features via a one-time paid Pro key app | No : Not offered per listings and website | No : Proprietary; no public source code found |
| Focus Go | Yes : Listing: 100% offline, no internet permission required, no cloud syncing | Yes | Yes : Smart Search finds photos by what they show (e.g. 'dog'), offline; method not documented | No : Not advertised | No : Not advertised | Not documented | Yes | Yes : Free; optional in-app donation | No | No : No public source code found |
| Fossify Gallery | Yes : No cloud library or sync; Play data safety says no data collected | Yes | No : No content-based search advertised | No : Not offered | No : No duplicate or similar-photo finder advertised | Not documented | Yes : Listing: "No ads, no unnecessary permissions" | Yes : Free; optional donations | No | Yes : GPL-3.0 on GitHub |
| Gallery by Google | Yes : Offline gallery with no cloud library. | Yes | Partly : Nightly on-device grouping into People, Selfies, Nature, Animals, Documents, Videos; free-text content search not documented. | Yes : On device; Google says face grouping is not available in all countries. | Not documented | Not documented | Yes : Play listing carries no 'Contains ads' label. | Yes : Free; no in-app purchases listed. | No : Designed to work offline; no backup feature. | No |
| Google Photos | Partly : Built around cloud backup to your Google Account; backup can be turned off or the app used without an account. | Partly : 'Use without an account' mode works as a basic gallery; backup, sharing and Face Groups need a Google Account. | No : Natural-language search and Ask Photos use your Google Account library and Gemini; on-device processing not documented. | Yes : Optional Face Groups; face models stored with your Google Account; not available in all regions or account types. | Partly : Groups duplicates and similar shots into photo stacks; no dedicated blurry or low-quality finder documented. | Not documented | Yes : Play listing carries no 'Contains ads' label. | Partly : Free with shared Google Account storage; more storage via Google One subscription; prints sold separately. | Yes : Automatic backup to Google Account storage, shared with Gmail and Drive. | No |
| Immich | Partly : Uploads to a server you run yourself, not a third-party cloud; backup is chosen per album | No : The app needs a self-hosted Immich server and a login on it | No : CLIP smart search exists but runs on your self-hosted server, not on the phone. | Yes : Facial recognition and clustering run on your self-hosted server | Yes : ML duplicate detection with a review-duplicates tool, on the server | Not documented | Yes : Play listing shows no ads | Yes : Free; optional one-time supporter key that unlocks nothing; you pay for your own server hardware | Yes : Automatic and background backup to your own server | Yes : AGPL-3.0 |
| Microsoft OneDrive | No : Cloud service; Camera Upload backs photos up to OneDrive | No : Requires a Microsoft account | No : Searches by what photos show, on Microsoft's cloud. | Yes : People view on Microsoft's service; gradual rollout, consent needed in some regions, can be turned off | Partly : Photo Stacks for blurry or duplicate shots announced Oct 2025; expanded suggestions for Microsoft 365 subscribers | Not documented : Not documented for the app's local data; files encrypted at rest and in transit in the cloud | Yes : Play listing shows no ads; app promotes Microsoft 365 upgrades | Partly : Free storage tier; more storage and AI features via Microsoft 365 subscription | Yes : Automatic Camera Upload | No |
| Piktures | Partly : No Piktures cloud; Premium/Prime can auto-back up phone albums to your own clouds or network drives | Yes : No Piktures account; plans are bought through Google Play | No : Search covers file and folder names, places, dates, camera models and tags; no content search documented | No : Not documented in the help center | Yes : Smart Cleanup on the phone; duplicates, similar and best-shot need Premium or Prime | Not documented | No : Free Basic plan shows Google ads; any paid plan removes them | Partly : One-time No ads or Premium unlock, or an optional Prime monthly subscription with the same features. | Yes : Automatic backup to your own clouds or network drives with Premium or Prime | No : Help center states Piktures is not open source |
| ReFra | Partly : No vendor cloud; optional backup/sync to your own Immich, Nextcloud, ownCloud, WebDAV, SMB or NFS server | Yes | Yes : On-device smart search (models downloaded or bundled); can also use Immich server-side search | Yes : On-device face clustering with People section | Partly : Groups similar media; Free Up Space removes local copies already backed up; no duplicate finder documented | Yes : In-app help: Room database encrypted with SQLCipher, preferences with Keystore-backed AES-256-GCM | Yes | Yes : Free on GitHub and F-Droid; paid one-time listing on Google Play; donations | Yes : Optional, to self-hosted servers only (Immich, Nextcloud, WebDAV, SMB, NFS…) | Yes : Apache-2.0 on GitHub |
| Samsung Gallery | Partly : Local by default; optional two-way sync to a linked Google account (One UI 9+). | Partly : Gallery works without signing in; Galaxy AI editing needs a Samsung account, cloud sync needs Samsung and Google accounts. | Partly : Galaxy AI natural-language search; Samsung does not document where it runs; varies by model and One UI version. | Yes : People groups you can name; groups are kept per device, no sync between devices (Samsung Community). | Yes : Built-in 'Delete duplicate pictures' under Suggestions or Clean out; menu varies by One UI version. | Not documented | Yes : Preinstalled system app; no ads documented. | Partly : Free on Galaxy devices; extra sync storage via Google One subscription; Samsung says some enhanced AI features may carry fees. | Yes : Optional sync via Google account storage (One UI 9+); direct OneDrive sync ended Sep 30, 2026. | No |
| Simple Gallery | Yes : Policy says photos are processed on device; Play data safety lists shared crash logs, diagnostics and device IDs | Yes | No : Not advertised | No : Not advertised | No : Not advertised | Not documented | No : Play listing marked "Contains ads"; privacy policy names ad networks such as AdMob and AppLovin | Not documented : Free with ads and in-app purchases; whether purchases include subscriptions is not documented | No | No : Pre-sale code remains on GitHub (GPL-3.0, last release Oct 2023); current builds are not published |
| Xiaomi Gallery | Partly : Local gallery; Xiaomi Cloud gallery sync ended outside mainland China in 2022, China status not confirmed | Partly : Core gallery needs no sign-in; the private album asks for a Mi account on first use. | Partly : AI Gallery Search on select models, languages and regions; on-device processing not officially documented | Yes : Face recognition in AI album search; where it runs is not documented | Partly : Duplicate photo cleanup is offered by Xiaomi's Cleaner/Security app; a Gallery-native tool is not officially documented | Not documented | Not documented : Not verified for Gallery; HyperOS shows ads in several other system apps | Yes : Free, preinstalled on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones | Partly : Xiaomi Cloud gallery sync discontinued outside mainland China in 2022 | No |
Cloud photo services
Apps built around uploading your library to a cloud.
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Amazon Photos
Pick Amazon Photos if you have Prime and want backup and photos on Fire TV or Echo Show. Pick Pixel Gallery if you want face grouping and smart search without uploading your library to a cloud.
Pixel Gallery vs Amazon Photos -
Ente Photos
Pick Ente if you want private cloud backup and apps on every platform. Pick Pixel Gallery if you want a feature-rich gallery with no account or subscription. Many people use Ente for backup and Pixel Gallery as the gallery.
Pixel Gallery vs Ente Photos -
Google Photos
Pick Pixel Gallery if you want people, smart search and cleanup without uploading your library or signing in. Pick Google Photos if cloud backup, sharing links and iOS or web access matter most.
Pixel Gallery vs Google Photos -
Microsoft OneDrive
Pick OneDrive if you live in Microsoft 365 and want photos backed up next to your documents. Pick Pixel Gallery if you want face grouping, smart search and cleanup without a Microsoft account or upload.
Pixel Gallery vs Microsoft OneDrive
Phone-maker galleries
Galleries that ship preinstalled on a brand of phone.
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Samsung Gallery
Pick Pixel Gallery if you are leaving Samsung, want the same gallery on any Android phone, or want AI features without accounts. Stay with Samsung Gallery if you rely on Galaxy AI generative edits and camera integration.
Pixel Gallery vs Samsung Gallery -
Xiaomi Gallery
Pick Pixel Gallery if you want the same smart gallery on every phone, no account and documented on-device processing. Keep Xiaomi Gallery if you use its generative editing on a supported HyperOS device.
Pixel Gallery vs Xiaomi Gallery
Offline galleries
Local galleries from the Play Store that keep files on the phone.
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1Gallery
Pick 1Gallery if an encrypted vault with a disguised calculator lock is your top priority. Pick Pixel Gallery if you want no ads, face grouping, smart search and cleanup on the phone.
Pixel Gallery vs 1Gallery -
A+ Gallery
Pick Pixel Gallery if you want no ads, face grouping and search by what a photo shows. Pick A+ Gallery if you want a password vault with backup and Facebook or Dropbox photos in the same app.
Pixel Gallery vs A+ Gallery -
Aves Gallery
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.
Pixel Gallery vs Aves Gallery -
F-Stop Gallery
Pick F-Stop if you tag and rate photos by hand and want XMP that Lightroom can read. Pick Pixel Gallery if you want faces, search by content and cleanup done for you, with no ads.
Pixel Gallery vs F-Stop Gallery -
Focus Go
Pick Focus Go if you want a light, fast gallery with no internet permission at all. Pick Pixel Gallery if you also want face grouping, cleanup, stories, places and statistics, computed on the phone.
Pixel Gallery vs Focus Go -
Fossify Gallery
Pick Fossify Gallery if open source and a light, simple app come first. Pick Pixel Gallery if you also want face grouping, search by what a photo shows and cleanup, still without uploading anything.
Pixel Gallery vs Fossify Gallery -
Gallery by Google
Pick Gallery by Google for a tiny, simple gallery on an entry-level phone. Pick Pixel Gallery if you want search by what a photo shows, cleanup, stories, a video editor and an encrypted index.
Pixel Gallery vs Gallery by Google -
Piktures
Pick Piktures if you want cloud, NAS and USB photos in one gallery. Pick Pixel Gallery if you want face grouping and search by content on the phone, with no ads in the free version.
Pixel Gallery vs Piktures -
ReFra
Pick ReFra if open source, an encrypted vault or sync with Immich or Nextcloud matter. Pick Pixel Gallery if you want Gemini Nano captions, stories, statistics, Home-View and a stable Play release.
Pixel Gallery vs ReFra -
Simple Gallery
Pick Pixel Gallery if you left Simple Gallery over ads and want a smarter gallery that still keeps photos on the phone. Pick Fossify Gallery if you want the open-source continuation of the original app.
Pixel Gallery vs Simple Gallery
Self-hosted and encrypted
Backup to your own server or an end-to-end encrypted cloud.
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Immich
Pick Immich if you want backup to hardware you own and are happy to run a server. Pick Pixel Gallery if you want faces, smart search and cleanup with zero setup. Both can run side by side.
Pixel Gallery vs Immich
Why Pixel Gallery is on this list
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On-device AI
Faces, semantic search, text recognition and captions run on the phone. Gemini Nano captions on supported devices.
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Never uploads your photos
Pixel Gallery never uploads your photos or videos. No account, no cloud library.
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Encrypted metadata database
The index of faces, places, text and embeddings is encrypted on the device.
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No ads, no subscription
Free to use with no ads. Premium is a one-time purchase.
How this roundup is made
Each app has its own comparison page with the full table, notes and dated sources. This page pulls the core rows from those pages, so the two never disagree. "Partly" means the feature exists with a real limitation, explained in the note on the app's page. "Not documented" means we could not confirm it from public sources.
Questions about Android gallery apps
What is the best gallery app for Android?
It depends on what you need. Pixel Gallery is the pick for on-device AI search, faces and cleanup without uploading your photos. Google Photos and Ente are the picks for cloud backup. Fossify Gallery and Aves are minimal, open-source galleries.
Which Android gallery app works without the cloud?
Pixel Gallery, Fossify Gallery, Aves, Focus Go and Gallery by Google keep photos on the phone with no cloud library. Of those, Pixel Gallery combines on-device face grouping, semantic search and cleanup. ReFra also groups faces on the phone and adds optional sync to your own server.
Is there a Google Photos alternative that does not upload my photos?
Yes. Pixel Gallery offers people, semantic search, memories and editing on the phone itself and never uploads your photos or videos. It has no cloud backup, so pair it with a backup you control.
Which gallery app has no ads and no subscription?
Pixel Gallery, Fossify Gallery and Aves have no ads and no subscription. Pixel Gallery is free with an optional one-time Premium purchase.
Free on Google Play
Requires Android 13 or newer. No account. Optional one-time Premium upgrade.