Which one should I pick for a new project?

This depends on your specific use case, since these repos serve different purposes:

baseflow/photoview

• Purpose: ImageView with zooming capabilities via touch gestures
• Use when: You need to display and let users zoom/pan images within your app
• Features [README.md:L40-53]: Out-of-box zooming (multi-touch, double-tap), smooth scrolling, works in scrolling parents like ViewPager
• ⚠️ Risk: Last commit 4 years ago (stale project per RepoPilot verdict)

jakewharton/viewpagerindicator

• Purpose: Visual indicator widgets for ViewPager navigation
• Use when: You need to show page indicators (dots, titles, underlines, icons) alongside ViewPager
• Features [README.md:L1-40]: Multiple indicator styles (TitlePageIndicator, CirclePageIndicator, UnderlinePageIndicator, IconPageIndicator), compatible with Support Library

Recommendation

Both, if needed — they complement each other:

• Use viewpagerindicator if you're building a ViewPager-based navigation UI and need visual feedback on which page you're on
• Use photoview if you need zoomable images within those pages

Neither alone is a complete solution. If you're starting fresh:

• For modern projects, consider newer alternatives to ViewPager (like ViewPager2 in androidx)
• PhotoView's staleness (4y) is a concern—vet it for Android version support in your target API

What's your primary goal—image zooming, page navigation, or both?

FOLLOW_UPS:

• Does your app need image zooming specifically?
• Will you use ViewPager or newer navigation patterns?
• What's your minimum Android API level?