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Google Photos vs Immich
Google Photos vs Immich
A side-by-side look at Google Photos (the paid SaaS) and Immich (the open source alternative). Use this page to decide if the switch fits your team and workflow.
| Google Photos | Immich | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | Photo backup and AI-organized albums. | Open source Google Photos alternative with ML tagging. |
| License | Proprietary SaaS | AGPL-3.0 |
| Pricing | 15 GB free shared with Google account. | Free to self-host |
| Self-host option | No | Yes — difficulty 3/5 |
| Hosted cloud available | Yes (only option) | No |
| Desktop apps | Varies by product | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Mobile apps | Official apps typically available | iOS, Android |
Ad slot — between tables
Best for
Modern, mobile-first photo server with ML tagging.
Immich strengths
- AI face and object recognition — fully local.
- Mobile auto-upload that actually works.
- Fast, modern web UI.
Immich weaknesses
- Project explicitly marked "not production-ready" for critical data.
- GPU recommended for ML features.
- Ongoing breaking changes — frequent updates.
What's the catch with Google Photos?
- Photos fed into Google's indexing.
- Free "high quality" upload ended in 2021.
- Export is slow.
Still unsure?
Check the full list of alternatives to Google Photos: see Google Photos alternatives, or learn more about Immich on its project page.