Immich: a self-hosted Google Photos replacement
Phone backup, face search, maps, and shared albums, running on a computer you own.
Immich is a free, open-source photo and video server that does most of what Google Photos does: automatic phone backup, face recognition, search, maps, memories, and shared albums. It has been a stable release since version 2.0.0 in October 2025, and its developers say it will never have paywalled features. You need a 64-bit Linux machine with Docker and at least 6 GB of RAM, plus a real backup plan, because Immich holds your only copy until you make another.
What Immich is and what it costs
Immich is a self-hosted photo and video manager released under the AGPL-3.0 license. You install a server at home and the Immich app on your phone. The app backs up your camera roll to the server, in the background or when you open it, and the web app shows your whole library in a browser.
I run Immich myself, on a StartOS server at home, next to Nextcloud.
Its feature list covers what most people use Google Photos for: face recognition and clustering, search by metadata, objects, faces, and CLIP, a machine learning model that lets you type a plain description like "dog on a beach", a global map, "x years ago" memories, shared and public albums, partner sharing, Live Photo and Motion Photo playback, and RAW files.
Immich is free. The project sells optional lifetime product keys, $25 for one user or $100 for a whole server, which add supporter status and nothing else. Its product-key announcement says there will never be paywalled features.
The stable release, v2.0.0, shipped on October 1, 2025, and Immich has followed semantic versioning since then.
Installing Immich
On StartOS or umbrelOS, Immich is a one-click app, which is the easiest way in. It can share that server with Nextcloud and a Bitcoin node, and Tailscale connects your phone to it on the road. If you run plain Linux, Docker Compose is the official route.
Immich's requirements as of November 2026: a 64-bit Linux system (the docs say non-Linux systems tend to give a poor Docker experience), Docker, at least 6 GB of RAM with 8 GB recommended, and 2 CPU cores with 4 recommended. A 4 GB machine can run it only with machine learning turned off. Keep the database on a local SSD, never on a network share, and plan on thumbnails and transcoded video adding 10 to 20 percent to your library size.
- 1Install Immich from the StartOS or umbrelOS app store, or on plain Linux with Docker Compose.
- 2Choose a disk with room for your library for uploads, and a local SSD for the database.
- 3Open the server in a browser on your network and create the admin account.
- 4Install the Immich app on your phone, log in with your server address, pick which albums to back up, and turn on background backup.
- 5If you already keep photos in folders on the server, add them as an External Library instead of uploading them again.
For the current commands, follow Immich's Docker Compose install guide.
Backing up Immich
Immich holds your photos, so it needs its own backup. The project's README warns you to always follow a 3-2-1 plan for your photos and videos: three copies, on two separate devices, with one off site.
Immich dumps its database on its own every day by default, keeping the last 14 dumps beside your uploads. Those dumps hold metadata only: albums, faces, and settings, with no photos or videos in them.
For the files, back up the whole upload folder if you can. If space is tight, the folders that hold your originals are the critical ones. Thumbnails and transcoded videos can be rebuilt, but you will need to rerun those jobs after a restore. Copy everything to an external drive and an encrypted off-site copy, then test a restore once.
Immich vs PhotoPrism, Ente, Synology Photos, and Nextcloud
| Runs where | Cost | Phone backup | Worth noting | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immich | Your server | Free; optional $25 or $100 supporter key | Native iOS and Android apps | Closest match to Google Photos |
| PhotoPrism | Your server | Free Community Edition; paid memberships add features | Web app (PWA) or PhotoSync | 3D vector maps and some user roles are paid |
| Ente | Ente's cloud, or self-hosted | 10 GB free; 50 GB for $2.49 a month | Cross-platform apps | End-to-end encrypted, open source |
| Synology Photos | A Synology NAS only | Free, no paid tiers, but needs the NAS | Synology Photos mobile app | Locks you to Synology hardware |
| Nextcloud with Memories | Your Nextcloud server | Free | Nextcloud apps auto-upload | Good if you already run Nextcloud |
If you want encryption that even your own server cannot read, Ente is the one built for it. Immich keeps your originals as ordinary files in your upload folder, which makes backups simple and also means anyone with access to that disk can see them. If you already run Nextcloud, its free Memories app adds a timeline, albums, and a map on top of the files you already sync, with face tagging through the Recognize or Face Recognition app.
Check your old photos for a seed phrase
Moving off Google Photos is a good moment to search your old library for a picture of a seed phrase. Phones often sync photos to the cloud automatically, so a seed phrase photographed years ago has been sitting on someone else's servers ever since. Deleting it now does not undo that. Treat that wallet as exposed: set up a new wallet with a fresh seed phrase, move the bitcoin to it, and back up the new words on paper or metal. My seed phrase guide covers the right way to store them.
Frequently asked questions
Is Immich free?
Yes. Immich is AGPL-3.0 open source with no monthly fees and no paywalled features. You can buy an optional lifetime supporter key, $25 for one user or $100 for a server, and it adds no extra features.
Is Immich stable enough to replace Google Photos?
It reached its stable release, v2.0.0, on October 1, 2025, and now uses semantic versioning. Because Immich becomes your only copy of your photos, set up backups before you delete anything from Google.
Immich vs PhotoPrism: which is better?
Immich is the better pick for most people replacing Google Photos, because it has native phone apps with background backup. PhotoPrism uses a web app or PhotoSync on phones, and some features, such as 3D vector maps, need a paid membership.
Ente vs Immich: what is the difference?
Ente encrypts photos end to end and offers a hosted service with 10 GB free, plus a self-hosted option. Immich is software you host yourself, and it stores originals as normal files on your server, which is simpler to back up but readable by anyone with that disk.
How do I back up Immich?
Copy the whole upload folder, which includes the automatic database dumps, to an external drive and an off-site location. The database dumps alone do not contain any photos or videos.