GrimorioGrimorio, the free and open-source alternative to Eagle.
Grimorio is a free, open-source visual library for Linux and Windows. It does what people use Eagle for. It collects, organizes and finds your images, videos, sounds, PDFs and 3D models, and it keeps them in a plain folder you can open without it. It costs nothing, it runs natively on Linux and it has no AI features.
Eagle is a great program and the obvious inspiration. Grimorio exists for people who miss it on Linux or who prefer their tools to be free.
Side by side
| Grimorio | Eagle | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | US$34.95 one time, for 2 devices, with a 30-day trial |
| Source code | Open, AGPL-3.0 | Closed |
| Linux | Native | No |
| Windows | Yes, installer or portable | Yes, Windows 10 and later |
| macOS | Not yet | Yes, macOS 10.15 and later |
| Devices | As many as you want | 2 per license |
| Under the hood | Rust and Qt, no browser | Electron (Chromium) |
| Your data | Folder with readable JSON, a documented format and a rebuildable index | Folder with JSON, in its own format |
| AI | None | Optional, through plugins, local or cloud |
| Browser extension | Not for now | Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari |
| Plugins | Planned | Yes |
| Command line | Yes, grim | Local web API |
Compared in good faith, based on what each project publishes as of . Eagle's figures come from its store, its support pages and its extensions page. If something has changed, let us know and we will fix it.
Where Grimorio wins
- Linux. Eagle only ships for Windows and macOS. Grimorio is built for Linux first and installs with one command.
- Price and devices. No license, no key to activate and no device limit. Install it on every computer you use.
- Your files stay yours. Each item is the original file next to an
item.jsonwith its tags, stars and notes. The index is derived andgrim reindexrebuilds it. You can sync the folder with Syncthing, Dropbox or Nextcloud. - No AI and no uploads. It doesn't tag on its own, doesn't describe your images and doesn't send anything to any server.
- Native. Written in Rust with a Qt interface. There is no embedded browser underneath.
- Open source. The whole code is on GitHub under the AGPL-3.0.
Where Eagle is still ahead
- macOS. Grimorio only releases what has been tested on a real Mac, so that version comes later.
- Saving from the browser. Eagle has extensions for every major browser. In Grimorio you drag images in from the browser or paste them with Ctrl V.
- Plugins. Eagle has a plugin system and a community around it. In Grimorio plugins are planned.
- Years of use. Eagle is a mature product. Grimorio is at version 0.1 and moves fast, as What's new shows.
What goes in
Images (jpg, png, gif, webp, avif, svg, tiff and more), design files (psd, psb, xcf, kra, ora, sketch, ai, eps), camera RAW, video, sound, PDF, 3D models (stl, obj, ply, gltf, glb, 3mf, and blend and fbx when Blender is installed) and fonts. Each family gets its own thumbnail and its own way of being viewed.
Questions people ask when leaving Eagle
Is there a free alternative to Eagle?
Yes. Grimorio is free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license. No account, no subscription and no “pro” version holding back the good parts.
Does Eagle run on Linux?
Eagle has no official Linux version. It supports Windows 10 and later and macOS 10.15 and later. Grimorio runs natively on Linux and on Windows.
Can I bring over my Eagle library?
An importer for Eagle libraries is planned. Meanwhile, you can drag your image folders in and they keep their names.
Is my library locked into Grimorio?
No. Your library is a plain folder, for example References.grimorio, with your original files and a readable item.json for each one. You can open it in your file manager whenever you like.
Does Grimorio use AI?
No. It doesn't tag on its own, doesn't describe your images and doesn't send anything to any server. What you save never leaves your computer.
On how many computers can I use it?
As many as you want. There's no license to activate and no device limit.
Try it
Grimorio is a free download for Windows and Linux. On Linux you can also install it with one command.
curl -fsSL https://grimorio.frederickandrade.com/install.sh | sh
Made by Frederick Andrade, in Spain. See the manual for everything it does.