darktable
Develop RAW photographs with a nondestructive editing pipeline and a searchable photo library.GetGPL-3.0
Photo managers
Open-source photo managers for Mac that catalogue large collections with albums, tags, metadata and search, without importing into a cloud service.
A photo manager keeps a large collection browsable: it catalogues files by date, folder, place, camera or tags, reads and edits their metadata, and helps you find, rate and cull images. Unlike a cloud library, the apps here work with photos stored on your own drives.
They differ in emphasis. Some focus on organising and searching existing folders, including face and similarity search on the Mac, while another combines a library with a non-destructive RAW development workflow. Consider whether you want files left in their current folders, how much editing you need, and how the app stores its catalogue.
All Apps
4 free, open-source apps
digiKam
Organize large photo collections with albums, tags, metadata editing, and image search.GetGPL-2.0+
Lap
An offline-first photo manager that works on your existing folders, with local AI search and no cloud account.GetGPL-3.0+
TagStudio
Organise photos and other files with rich tags, fields and boolean search, layered over your existing folders.GetGPL-3.0