Immich vs Ente Photos
Both are alternatives to Google Photos. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Ente Photos vs Immich — same comparison, one verdict.
Immich keeps your data local by default and Ente Photos keeps it in the vendor's cloud — for most teams that single fact decides it.
Immich
TOP PICKA self-hosted photo and video backup that feels like Google Photos.
Immich is an open-source, self-hosted photo and video platform built specifically as a Google Photos-style experience you run yourself. Its mobile apps back up your camera roll automatically in the background, and the web app offers timeline browsing, albums, sharing, map view, and on-device-style machine learning for face grouping and object/text search. Your photos are stored as ordinary files on your own server, so you keep full ownership; the trade-off is that you operate the stack (server, database, and backups) yourself.
Ente Photos
End-to-end encrypted photo backup, open-source and self-hostable.
Ente Photos is an open-source photo service whose defining feature is end-to-end encryption: your library is encrypted on your device before it ever reaches a server, so even the host cannot see your photos. It offers polished apps across iOS, Android, web, macOS, Windows, and Linux with automatic background backup, face recognition, albums, and shared links. Most people use Ente's audited paid cloud, but the same server is fully open-source and can be self-hosted for those who want to run everything themselves.
Side by side
10 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| Immich | Ente Photos | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 94 | 90 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first data | Yes | No |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Pricing | Free and open-source (self-host); you provide the hardware and storage | 10 GB free on the hosted cloud; paid plans for more storage; self-host free and open-source |
| RAM to run it wellThe figure that actually matters, not the vendor's minimum. | 8 GB | 2 GB for the server components |
| Realistic running costWhat the box costs each month if you run it yourself. | $25–45/mo for a 500 GB library, or effectively free on a home machine with the storage you already have | $15–30/mo plus object storage |
| Setup timeHonest first-install estimate, not the marketing quickstart. | 2 hours, plus a long first ingest | 2–3 hours — it is the most involved of the three |
| Ongoing maintenanceThe part nobody budgets for. | Active. Immich releases frequently and has historically shipped breaking changes; read the release notes before every upgrade rather than after. | Moderate. Self-hosting is supported but the hosted product is the main path. |
Immich is Macrostack's recommended Google Photos alternative, so it's our pick here.
Weighing both against staying on Google Photos? Is Google Photos free? What it actually costs →
Immich
Strengths
- +Closest Google Photos-like experience among the open options
- +Automatic background camera-roll backup on iOS and Android
- +Fully open-source (AGPL-3.0), backed by FUTO
- +Photos stored as normal files on hardware you own
- +Very active development and a large community
Trade-offs
- −You run and back up the server, database, and storage
- −Fast release pace means occasional breaking changes to watch for on upgrade
- −Machine-learning features (face/object search) want a few GB of RAM to run smoothly
- −No hosted option — self-hosting is the only path
Ente Photos
Strengths
- +End-to-end encrypted by design — the host cannot read your photos
- +Independently audited (Cure53, Symbolic Software, Fallible)
- +Polished apps on every major platform with automatic backup
- +Fully open-source (AGPL-3.0) and self-hostable
Trade-offs
- −Self-hosting is more involved — multiple containers plus object storage
- −The most frictionless path is the paid hosted cloud, not self-hosting
- −Encrypted design means photos aren't plain browsable files on disk
- −Free hosted tier is 10 GB
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Immich
if your data should stay on machines you control, and closest Google Photos-like experience among the open options.
Choose Ente Photos
if end-to-end encrypted by design — the host cannot read your photos.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — you run and back up the server, database, and storage, and self-hosting is more involved — multiple containers plus object storage. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
What it takes to run these yourself
Real requirements and honest running costs, not the vendor quickstart.
Self-hosting Immich
8 GB RAM · 2 hours, plus a long first ingest
$25–45/mo for a 500 GB library, or effectively free on a home machine with the storage you already have
Self-hosting Ente Photos
2 GB for the server components RAM · 2–3 hours — it is the most involved of the three
$15–30/mo plus object storage
Immich vs Ente Photos — common questions
Is Immich a better fit than Ente Photos for photos & media?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Immich scores 94 to Ente Photos's 90 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Ente Photos earns its place on a different axis — end-to-end encrypted by design — the host cannot read your photos. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
Immich keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. Ente Photos is still self-hostable, so the files stay on your server either way — but it is not local-first by design, so check what its export produces before you rely on it.
Can I self-host Immich or Ente Photos?
Both can be self-hosted. The difference is what it costs you in time rather than whether it is possible — see the setup and maintenance rows above.
Are Immich and Ente Photos both alternatives to Google Photos?
Yes — both appear in our Google Photos comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Google Photos and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
More Google Photos head-to-heads
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Facts verified 2026-07-05. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.