Self-Host Photos: Immich vs Google Photos

Yes, you can self-host a Google Photos alternative using Immich, a free, open-source photo management server that you run on your own hardware. You upload your photos and videos to it through a web interface or mobile app, and it organizes them by date, backs them up automatically, and lets you search and share them—all without paying a subscription or sending your media to a third party. This article explains what Immich is, how it compares to Google Photos, what you need to run it, and the trade-offs you should consider before switching.

What Is Immich?

Immich is a self-hosted photo and video backup solution that has gained popularity since its release in 2022. It is open-source (under the AGPLv3 license) and designed to be a direct replacement for Google Photos for people who want full control over their media. The project is actively developed on GitHub, with frequent releases and a growing community. Unlike some older self-hosted tools that only offer basic file storage, Immich aims to replicate the core features of Google Photos: automatic backup from your phone, timeline view, facial recognition, object and scene search, albums, sharing, and even a built-in map view for geotagged photos. It also includes a machine-learning pipeline for smart search, which runs locally on your server.

How Immich Works

Immich runs as a set of Docker containers on a server—this could be a dedicated machine, a NAS, a mini PC, or even a cloud VPS. The server stores your original files and generates multiple versions for viewing (e.g., thumbnail, preview, and original). You access it through a web browser or the mobile app (iOS and Android). The mobile app can automatically upload new photos and videos in the background, similar to Google Photos. The server also runs background jobs for face detection, image classification, and video transcoding. Because it is self-hosted, all data stays on your hardware unless you choose to back it up elsewhere. The system is designed to be easy to set up with Docker Compose, and the official documentation provides a sample configuration file that includes all necessary services (e.g., PostgreSQL database, Redis cache, and the main server).

Immich vs. Google Photos: Key Differences

• Cost: Google Photos gives you 15 GB free storage (shared with Gmail and Drive), then requires a paid Google One plan. Immich is free software, but you pay for your own hardware and electricity. If you already have a NAS or server, the marginal cost is near zero.
• Privacy: Google scans your photos for advertising and uses them to train AI models (though you can opt out of some uses). With Immich, no third party sees your photos unless you expose your server to the internet and someone hacks it.
• Search and AI: Google Photos has excellent search for objects, places, and people. Immich offers similar features using on-device machine learning (e.g., TensorFlow models for face recognition and CLIP for semantic search). The quality is good but may not be as polished as Google’s.
• Ease of use: Google Photos works out of the box on any device. Immich requires initial setup and ongoing maintenance (updates, backups, monitoring).
• Reliability: Google’s infrastructure is highly reliable. With Immich, you are responsible for backups and uptime. If your server fails, you could lose photos unless you have a backup strategy.
• Sharing: Both allow sharing albums and links, but Google Photos is more integrated with other Google services (e.g., Gmail, Google Meet). Immich sharing is simpler but functional.

What You Need to Run Immich

To run Immich, you need a server with Docker and Docker Compose. The minimum requirements are modest: a 64-bit CPU, at least 2 GB of RAM (4 GB recommended), and enough storage for your photo library. For a family with tens of thousands of photos, a 4 TB hard drive is a common starting point. You also need to decide how to access it: on your local network only, or remotely via a reverse proxy (like Nginx or Caddy) with HTTPS. If you want to access it from your phone while away from home, you’ll need to set up port forwarding or use a VPN. The official Immich documentation provides a step-by-step guide for installation on various platforms, including Ubuntu, Debian, and NAS devices like Synology. The mobile app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and it can connect directly to your server’s IP address or domain.

Common Problems and How to Avoid Them

One of the most common issues with Immich is storage management. By default, Immich stores original files and also creates previews, which can double the storage usage. You can configure it to keep only one version, but that sacrifices quality for space. Another issue is backup: if you self-host, you must have a backup plan (e.g., an external drive, a second NAS, or cloud storage with encryption). Many users also run into reverse proxy configuration problems, especially with WebSocket connections for real-time updates. The Immich documentation and community forums are helpful, but you should be comfortable with basic Linux and networking. Another misconception is that Immich is “just a photo dump”—in reality, it has a robust API and supports external libraries, so you can point it at existing folders on your server without copying files. However, this feature requires careful permission setup to avoid permission errors.

Cost Comparison and Hardware Choices

The cost of self-hosting Immich depends on your hardware. If you already own a NAS (like a Synology or QNAP), you can install Immich on it for free. If you buy a dedicated mini PC (e.g., an Intel NUC or a Raspberry Pi 4), the cost is around $200–$500, plus storage. A Raspberry Pi 4 can handle a moderate library, but for heavy machine learning tasks, you may want an x86 machine with more RAM and a decent CPU. Alternatively, you can rent a VPS with 2–4 GB RAM for about $10–$20 per month, but you’ll need to factor in bandwidth costs for uploads and downloads. Compared to Google One’s 2 TB plan at about $10/month, the break-even point is roughly 2–4 years, depending on your usage. However, the real advantage of Immich is not cost but control: you own your data and are not subject to Google’s policy changes or account bans.

Alternatives to Immich

Immich is not the only self-hosted photo solution. Other popular options include:

• PhotoPrism – A mature, AI-powered photo manager that also runs in Docker. It focuses on organization and search, with a clean web interface.
• LibrePhotos – A fork of the now-discontinued OwnPhotos, with facial recognition and timeline view, but less active development.
• Piwigo – A long-standing open-source photo gallery that is more about sharing and organization than automatic backup.
• Nextcloud Photos – If you already use Nextcloud for file sync, its built-in Photos app provides basic backup and albums, but lacks advanced AI features.
• Photoview – A simpler, lightweight option that focuses on browsing and sharing, without machine learning.

Immich stands out because of its active development and feature parity with Google Photos, but it is also the most resource-intensive. If you have an older server, PhotoPrism might be a better fit. If you only want to back up and view photos, Nextcloud Photos might be enough.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Immich free?

Yes, Immich is completely free and open-source. There is no paid tier, and you don’t need to purchase a license. You only pay for the hardware you run it on and the electricity it consumes.

Can I use Immich with iCloud or Google Photos?

Immich is a separate system. You can export your photos from Google Photos (via Google Takeout) and import them into Immich. For iCloud, you can download your photos and then upload them to Immich. There is no direct integration, but you can keep both running simultaneously.

Does Immich have a mobile app?

Yes, Immich has official mobile apps for iOS and Android. They support automatic background backup, viewing, and sharing. The apps are available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

How do I back up my Immich server?

You should back up the Immich database and your original photo files. The easiest way is to use the built-in backup feature in the admin panel, which creates a dump of the database. For the files, you can use standard backup tools like rsync or a NAS-level backup. Many users also sync to a second location or use cloud storage with encryption.

Is Immich secure if I expose it to the internet?

Immich supports HTTPS and has built-in authentication. However, exposing any self-hosted service to the internet carries risks. It is recommended to use a reverse proxy with a valid SSL certificate and to keep the software updated. For maximum security, you can access Immich only via a VPN.

Can I migrate from Google Photos to Immich?

Yes, you can. Use Google Takeout to download all your photos and videos, then upload them to Immich via the web interface or by placing them in the external library folder. Immich will read the EXIF data to sort them by date. Note that Google Takeout may not preserve all metadata, so some photos might lose their original timestamps.

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