How to effectively remove duplicates from your photo archive? A ranking of seven programs for finding duplicate photos on your computer.

Published: April 14, 2023 Author: Anna Kondaurova

It's almost impossible to avoid the appearance of duplicate photos over time. However, these files take up space and clutter your computer. Therefore, periodically it becomes necessary to search for and remove duplicate images from your photo archive. Let's take a look at 7 programs for finding duplicates and identify those that can quickly and easily handle this task.

If you are reading this article, you are probably looking for a way to quickly and effectively find all duplicate photos on your computer. Let's not delve into why and how extra photos suddenly appear on your PC. Let's just say that the longer you deal with digital images, the more likely duplicates are to appear.

Criteria for selecting the best program for finding duplicate photos

Perhaps the absence of duplicate photos in your archive only indicates two things:

1. your archive is new and you haven't worked with it yet. The photos were stored recently;
2. you have already worked with the archive and removed all unnecessary clutter.

Doing the latter manually is almost impossible. Just imagine that you would need to:

• look through all folders;
• identify similar photos;
• compare them with each other;
• delete the unnecessary ones.

Okay, if you only have a few folders with no more than ten photos each. But what if you have many folders, and inside each of them, there are nested folders with dozens or hundreds of photos? A person is not a robot with an embedded program, and cannot easily handle such a task.

We need an effective tool that can find all duplicate images, including those that were automatically created in the computer through renaming, as well as those that were changed in a minor way during work, for example, images that were compressed or reduced in size during email transfer.

We need to find everything that accumulates on disks and other file storage over time. This clutters the archive, making its structure chaotic and difficult to manage.

To organize a photo archive manually, it would take hundreds of hours of work. Using a special program that can find clutter and help organize a personal archive, however, takes just a few minutes (and even seconds).

This review includes 7 programs that can help solve the problem of finding and removing duplicate photos:

• Tonfotos;
• Awesome Duplicate Photo Finder;
• Image Comparer;
• VisiPics;
• Duplicate Image Remover (Free);
• Visual Similarity Duplicate Image Finder;
• XnViewMP.

Of course, it is much more convenient when the duplicate removal function is available directly in your photo manager, which is used to catalog your personal archive. However, not all similar programs offer this functionality. This function it is available in Tonfotos and XnViewMP.

To test the programs, we used a user photo archive with a volume of 70 gigabytes, containing photos and video materials.

The rating of the programs was based on the following criteria:

1. Search quality - the methods of operation (visual search, search by name, search within subfolders) and the results of the search.
2. Interface and usability - ease of use for beginners, as well as program design.
3. Accessibility - the cost of the program, the intrusiveness of advertising (in the case of subscriptions or donation systems).
4. Speed of operation.
5. Auto-deletion of duplicates - the ability to automatically delete the found duplicates.
6. Overall impression - a subjective evaluation that answers the question "would I recommend this program to a friend or acquaintance?"

Let's cut to the chase and say that the best results were obtained by:

• Tonfotos and Visual Similarity Duplicate Image Finder;
• Image Comparer;
• Awesome Duplicate Photo Finder.

The top two programs in the rating have scored the same number of points. However, these two programs differ significantly from each other. Visual Similarity Duplicate Image Finder — is a program for finding duplicates and similar images using a "classic" approach. Tonfotos — s a photo file viewer that helps organize and systematize photo storage.

In the "classic" approach, the program scans the entire volume of information to find duplicates each time you start it. Such programs are used for a "general cleaning" with the aim of finding and removing unnecessary files.

Tonfotos uses a completely different approach that is aimed help you at regular interactions with your archive. It also scans the selected directories, remembers and finds duplicates, and performs other functions, but does that only once and saves the results in database for future use. Upon subsequent use, it does not need to scan everything again, as there are already ready-made results that it provides to the user. If new files are added or old ones are deleted in the archive, Tonfotos updates and corrects the results. It can be compared to "ongoing cleaning", where everything is already prepared and in place, and all that is needed is to "wipe the dust".

Tonfotos

Although the main function of this application is to manage a photo archive and view photos, it also includes a powerful tool for finding duplicates.

The program guarantees to find only duplicates, by relying not only on file names and dates, but also on the actual file content. The search can be trusted (verified in the study). It is not necessary to visually inspect all matches, although it is possible. The downside is that if a file has been modified or edited in any way, it will not be considered a duplicate.

Tonfotos quickly finds duplicates among the uploaded directory.

Found photos can be visually evaluated in the created album.

Advantages of the program

• The functionality for finding and removing duplicates is included in the free version of the program. Free version is not limited in time (it's not a trial or a demo).
• The result is guaranteed. The program marks only 100% duplicates, which eliminates the need to visually inspect all matches
• When identical photos are located in different sources, such as on a disk and in a cloud storage, a button appears that allows them to be deleted with one click. This means that the user does not need to browse hundreds of photos, click on "unnecessary" ones, and essentially manually delete duplicates. Everything is simple here. You press the button and after a few seconds it's done.

Program features

At the beginning, the program slowly indexes the archive, as it performs several functions in parallel - searching for duplicates, face recognition, and other functions. This leads to a long initial loading of the searched location. It takes quite a while to wait for all files from this storage to be loaded into the system. However, after that, the program quickly finds all duplicates, literally in seconds.

That is, the program works at a high speed in the future. The longest part of the work is waiting for the initial stage to finish.

Visual Similarity Duplicate Image Finder

Visual Similarity Duplicate Image Finder, a specialized program designed solely for working with duplicates, unlike Tonfotos. It has shown itself in a good light and was among the leaders in the rating.

It has a convenient and easy-to-use interface designed according to standards, with classic and adequately sized buttons in logical locations.

It has 5 methods for finding similar files and their duplicates:

1. Visual Compare;
2. 100% Identical Files (Fast);
3. File Size (equal file sizes);
4. EXIF Date Time Original;
5. Compare EXIF Tag.

The program works fairly quickly in all search modes, processing a large amount of information.

Overall, it made a good impression, receiving high ratings in all rating parameters - an average of 8-9 points. Although competitors may outperform it in some parameters, they also lose in others.

In addition, many competitors (except Tonfotos) do not have the function of automatic removal of duplicates, while this program has the ability to automate the process of cleaning up image copies.

However, it is not possible to fully evaluate the program's results in the demo version, as there is a limitation on "Only for the first 10 duplicate groups".

Advantages of the program

• Convenient interface;
• Fast speed;
• After the search is complete, the program automatically selects duplicates. If the user does not care which folders they are in, it is enough to select the corresponding item from the context menu. Click on any highlighted line and select the "Delete from Disk" command. If necessary, the automatic selection of the program can be adjusted before deleting duplicates.

Disadvantages

• Limited ability to view results in the demo version.
• License cost starts from $24,95.

Image Comparer

This is a simple program that is easy to master. The user is gradually offered to complete 5 steps, in which the search area (location) and the degree of similarity between images, as well as other parameters, are specified. The search can be limited to only image copies or also include similar options.

The search is not a fast process, but it cannot be called slow either. Everything was ready in just 15 minutes. The results are more or less as expected. The higher the percentage of similarity, the greater the chance that images are indeed copies. However, in some cases 97% similarity score can be attributed to completely different images.

Advantages of the program

• The program offers a long period for free testing - 30 days.
• The interface is clear and well-designed. The area with photos is not cluttered, and the table with the list of duplicates is arranged in two columns with the original and duplicate photos shown side by side in the second column.

Program drawbacks

• The results may include image pairs that are incorrectly detected as duplicates.
• Manually selecting the necessary photos for duplicate removal is required. This means that several clicks will have to be made for each copy. Even if a user can make several clicks per second, this is not an ideal solution for quick removal of unwanted photos. And if the number of images with duplicates reaches hundreds, the removal process can be quite laborious
• The program has a significant cost - the home license costs $35,95, and the business license costs $99.95.

Awesome Duplicate Photo Finder

This program featuring the "Mona Lisa" is simple and user-friendly. The UI is OK, however may require some time to get used to it.

At first, your attention is drawn to the portraits, and after some time you notice the buttons for working with folders located at the top. To add a search area, click on "Folder" and select the location where the program will search for duplicate photos.

The program quickly processes a large amount of information and provides results in pairs and lists.

The percentage of similarity is also indicated in the list. The higher the percentage, the more likely the program has found a duplicate. However, images with a low similarity percentage may be either different or from a series of similar frames.

Advantages

• Free program;
• Excellent for finding similar photos, but not duplicates;
• Fast processing of a large number of images.

Disadvantages

• During a quick review of the results, several photos with a low similarity percentage (less than 90%) were found, which were duplicates of each other. Therefore, the program's results need to be checked manually.
• Requires some time to get used to UI.
• Duplicate removal is done manually, one by one.

Duplicate Image Remover (Free)

Classic interface without excess and flashy design makes the toolkit simpler and more understandable. It is recommended to carefully review the program's capabilities before starting work.

Upon launching, the program automatically suggests several "standard" folders for checking. If checking these folders is unnecessary, they should be removed from the list and the required folder added. The more folders there are, the larger the amount of data to process, which may take more time.

The Duplicate Image Remover (Free) program offers 3 modes for searching for duplicate and similar photos: strict duplicates (Strong duplicate), similar images (similar image), and search by file name and properties (File properties)..

The processing speed depends on the selected search mode. The longest search was found for similar images, which took just over two hours.

The search quality is high, though in some cases, the program may mistakenly pair different images. The results are presented in a summary table, where pairs of photos are highlighted in color (yellowish-beige or white). When selecting a row from the list, a pair of images appears at the bottom.

If only strict duplicates are selected for search, after the program completes its work, there is no need to view the photos, as the search is performed accurately. Knowing that duplicate groups are highlighted in color, you can quickly browse and select duplicate photos to remove them without reviewing each image.

However, processing a large amount of data requires significant time.

Advantages

• Possibility of free program testing by downloading the free version.
• Three different search filters.

Disadvantages

• Low processing speed.
• Periodic invitations to visit the manufacturer's website.
• The final search results table is too cumbersome, visually comparing images is difficult.
• Lack of automatic duplicate selection.

VisiPics

This program also has a classic interface. It is simple, but not without some nuances. Understanding the tools requires some attention and time.

Despite the fact that VisiPics displays thumbnail pairs of images, working with them is not entirely convenient because only one image selected by the user is displayed in the field on the right.

Some of the design decisions in VisiPics can be inconvenient, such as navigating through the search results pages.

However, the search quality in VisiPics is acceptable. During the scanning process, duplicates appear in pairs and can be immediately selected and deleted.

The search filters include Strict, Basic, and Loose. However, when using the Loose filter, there is a chance that different images may be included in the "duplicates".

Advantages

• Free version of the program with the option to donate.
• Ability to work with duplicates during the search process.
• Customizable search filters for finding similar files.

Disadvantages

• Some design decisions in the application are inconvenient.
• Frequent requests for donations.
• Lower speed compared to competitors.
• All photos for deletion must be manually marked, which is inconvenient for large volumes of work.

XnViewMP

This application is a file viewer for images with a feature to search for similar photos. However, the program interface is somewhat outdated and cluttered.

The functionality of XnViewMP looks impressive, with the ability to search for duplicates based on visual components. However, during testing of some operating modes, the application caused computer freezing.

The speed of XnViewMP's operation is average and depends on the selected search mode. In most cases, the search takes from 5 to 15 minutes (excluding cases of freezing). However, when reviewing the results, duplicate images were found that did not correspond to each other.

Advantages

• XnViewMP is a good photo viewer, but only suitable for working with small amounts of data.
• Possibility to search for duplicates based on visual content.
• Free software.

Disadvantages

• Low data processing speed.
• The application may freeze in Same file data mode.
• Manual removal of duplicates.

Conclusion

For people without specific knowledge in the computer field, finding duplicate photos in their personal archive can be a difficult task, especially if the archive is chaotic and lacks a specific structure.

To solve this problem, programs such as Visual Similarity Duplicate Image Finder, Image Comparer, Awesome Duplicate Photo Finder or Tonfotos can be used. Tonfotos is the most optimal solution as it offers a systematic approach that allows not only to clean up the photo archive but also to create a structured organization, which is an integral part of managing a photo archive.

Tonfotos uses a systematic approach that not only cleans up the photo archive but also creates a structured organization. Therefore, this software takes first place in the ranking.

Visual Similarity Duplicate Image Finder takes second place thanks to its well-thought-out solution architecture and good search results..

However, this program might be a bit complicated for some users, unlike Image Comparer, which takes second place. It offers a step-by-step solution to the task.

Awesome Duplicate Photo Finder takes third place. It seems that this program is more focused on finding similar photos rather than duplicates. Therefore, its results need to be visually checked.

However, if you look at the root of the problem, after cleaning up duplicates, chaos will arise again after some time, and you will need a program to search for duplicate photos again. This is a closed circle that can be broken by properly organizing photo storage.

Tonfotos is a program for sorting images and videos. It is a tool that helps to organize files and solve the problem of periodic appearance of duplicates. If necessary, the program can scan newly uploaded files and find photo duplicates in a matter of seconds, offering to delete or move them with just one click.