1) I know TGPX. I had it installed a couple of years ago, and I was getting some php errors, but I was able to fix it, I think. TGPX is better, because there is more control over how thumb galleries display, and possibly other things too. With TGPX you can add new galleries on the top of the main page, every day, and it is not possible with
Smart Thumbs. This is how a website like this should work, I think, and this is how tubes work (ie.
beeg.com,
DansMovies.com). People go to these sites, every day, or even several times a day, and they want to see new content, on the top. This is how you can get bookmark traffic, and this can be better than traffic from search or other sources, I think.
2) It looks like
ComusThumbs.com is still available, also as a paid version. I've never really heard of it, and I need to check it out. Another thing with
Smart Thumbs is, that they now offer one admin and multiple websites version (just like Mech Bunny tube script), which may be good. I've never tried it, so I am not sure. It can make working on the sites, a lot faster, I think.