Who this is for
Your camera roll is huge and you’re deciding: keep paying Google Photos with your data, or run Immich on a NAS/VPS and own the library.
At a glance
| Immich | Google Photos | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Household backup you control | Effortless sync + best-in-class search |
| Price shape | Hardware/server cost; app free | Free tier with limits; storage plans scale |
| Killer feature | Auto-upload to your server, albums, sharing | Search, faces, Assistant integrations |
| Dealbreaker | You maintain uptime, storage, updates | Privacy, account policy, subscription creep |
Option A — Immich
The open-source Google Photos-shaped experience that actually shipped. Mobile apps back up to your instance; face search and albums are solid—not magic, but good.
Wins on: data ownership, no per-GB bill to Google, pairs with homelab guides.
Loses on: setup time, RAW/huge library hardware costs, “Grandma install this” factor.
Option B — Google Photos
Still the benchmark for “photos just appear everywhere.” Search is unfairly good; sharing albums with non-technical family is easy.
Wins on: friction, search, integration with Android/Pixel.
Loses on: trust, compression policies on free tiers (check current terms), lock-in.
Verdict by scenario
- Choose Immich if you’ll run a always-on server and backup off-site
- Choose Google Photos if family sharing and zero maintenance beat ideology
- Choose iCloud Photos instead if everyone’s on Apple and you want the path of least resistance
Bottom line
Google Photos is the appliance. Immich is the project. Most households should not self-host photos until they’ve proven they’ll patch the server monthly—Immich punishes neglect faster than Google punishes your wallet.
