I've looked at several Joomla galleries so that my users can upload and manage their own photos. They all have their own quirks. Ignite is over complicated, JoomGallery doesn't work with all templates, Phoca has bad navigation, and RSGallery2 is a dead project.

Then I found DatsoGallery.

This gallery and its modules have a clean, elegant and easy to use layout. It's updated often, and is constantly improving and adding new features. Plus, I use this on more than one website and, so far, it's liked all of my templates.

Currently, the only front end function that it is missing is user album creation (which must be done in the back end). However, Andrey Datso has assured me that this will be implemented in the future as the component is made to be fully MVC compliant.

Anyone who says this component lacks support clearly hasn't used the system in place. Submit any issues that you have on the DatsoGallery website through a simple contact form. I've rarely ever had to wait more than one day for a response. And if you think about it, that is a faster turnaround time than getting a reply on a support forum for a free product. Plus, any bug reports I've submitted have often resulted in a new release within that very same week (as opposed to what usually happens, someone gives you a snippet of code and expects you to patch it yourself).

My latest experience, which prompted me to post this review, was a DatsoGallery navigation issue. But in reality, the problem was with my site template. Andrey made a fix to my template the very next day and the problem was solved. Not many devs will go to such lengths to make sure that their customers are happy. Most will tell you that if it's your template, it's your problem. But that's not the case here.

DatsoGallery is a paid component, but the price is reasonable and you actually get good customer service. I see myself using this gallery for a very long time.

Works right out of the box. Had questions and they were answered promptly. Multiple options to suit your needs makes this component the best one I've ever used. Thank you

The Joomla 1.0x version of DatsoGallery was without a doubt the best integrated gallery solution for Joomla. It's ease of use, the ability for front-end public photo uploads, extensive management control on the back-end, etc., made it a pleasure to use. This native 1.5 version is even better and enhances the original, making vast improvements in functionality and style. Excellent work from Mr. Datso once again!

This is a strong and powerful component that works out of the box. The J1.0 version was my favorite Gallery and finally the waiting for the J1.5 native version is over. I decided quickly to give it a try and am very happy I did. Simple installation, easy configuration and loads of functions. The support is one of the best I have come across in the Joomla world. I had no problem with the component but wanted to customize it to match my template and got quick and competent response.