Immich vs PhotoPrism
Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial
Immich
Free, open-source, self-hosted photo and video backup that closely mirrors Google Photos.
PhotoPrism
Self-hosted, AI-powered photo library for browsing and organising large archives.
The short answer
Immich and PhotoPrism are the two most popular self-hosted photo libraries. Immich is the closer replacement for Google Photos, with official Android and iOS apps that back up camera rolls and no paywalled features. PhotoPrism is better at organising an existing archive of folders, runs on modest hardware such as a Raspberry Pi, and relies on third-party apps for phone sync, with some features in paid memberships.
Immich or PhotoPrism: our take
Both run on your own server, typically with Docker, and both use local machine learning so photos never go to a cloud AI service. Immich offers a timeline, albums, shared links, partner sharing, face recognition, a map view, memories and smart search that understands descriptions such as 'dog on a beach'. External libraries let it index existing folders without moving them. PhotoPrism indexes folders you already have, reads Exif and XMP metadata, tags images, recognises faces, classifies content and plots photos on a world map. It handles RAW files, live photos and video, and can import Google Photos takeouts.
The mobile story is the main difference. Immich has official Android and iOS apps with automatic backup, which makes it a realistic replacement for phone cloud backup. PhotoPrism has no official mobile backup app and relies on third-party sync apps or WebDAV, so it suits archive browsing more than daily phone backup.
Both are licensed under the AGPL. Immich is backed by FUTO and sells an optional supporter licence, but has promised no features will be paywalled. PhotoPrism's Community Edition is free, while Essentials (€2/month) and Plus memberships unlock extras such as better maps, multiple users and support. Immich needs a server with decent RAM and CPU and moves quickly, which occasionally brings breaking changes; PhotoPrism runs on lighter hardware. With either, backing up the server's own data is your job.
Choose Immich if you want to replace Google Photos or iCloud for a household, including automatic phone backup. Choose PhotoPrism if you mainly want to browse, tag and share a large existing collection, have limited hardware, or prefer a folder-first approach.
Which should you pick?
Choose Immich if…
- Self-hosters who want Google Photos features on their own server
- You need iOS and Android, which PhotoPrism doesn't list
- Feature set close to Google Photos
- Automatic phone backup with local AI search
Choose PhotoPrism if…
- Self-hosters organising a large existing photo archive
- Indexes existing folders without moving them
- Local AI tagging, face recognition and maps
About each app
What is Immich?
Immich is a self-hosted photo and video management platform that looks and works much like Google Photos. You run the server on your own hardware, usually with Docker, and the Android and iOS apps back up camera rolls automatically. It offers a timeline, albums and shared links, partner sharing, facial recognition, a map view, memories, and smart search that understands descriptions such as 'dog on a beach', all processed locally by its machine-learning container. External libraries let it index existing photo folders without moving them. Immich is free and open source under the AGPL v3 licence and is backed by FUTO; the team sells an optional supporter licence but has promised that no features will be paywalled. It needs a reasonably capable server, and because you run it, backups of the Immich data itself are your responsibility. It is one of the most active self-hosted projects around.
What is PhotoPrism?
PhotoPrism is a self-hosted web app for browsing, organising and sharing a photo and video collection. It indexes folders you already have, reads Exif and XMP metadata, and uses local machine learning to tag images, recognise faces and classify content, plus reverse geocoding for a world map of where photos were taken. It handles RAW files, live photos and videos, and can import Google Photos takeouts. It runs on Docker on Linux, macOS, Windows, NAS devices and even a Raspberry Pi. The Community Edition is free and open source under the AGPL; paid Essentials and Plus memberships unlock extra features such as better maps, multiple users and support, and hosted options exist through partners. Unlike Immich, its mobile story relies on third-party sync apps or WebDAV rather than an official backup app, so it suits people organising an archive more than replacing phone backup.
Side by side
| Attribute | Immich | PhotoPrism |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Open source | Open source |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Self-hosted | Web, Self-hosted |
| Best for | Self-hosters who want Google Photos features on their own server | Self-hosters organising a large existing photo archive |
| Status | Active | Active |
Verified facts, compared
Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.
| Fact | Immich | PhotoPrism |
|---|---|---|
| License | GNU AGPL v3 | AGPL (Community Edition) |
Immich vs PhotoPrism pricing
Immich: open source
- License: GNU AGPL v3 source
Platforms
| Platform | Immich | PhotoPrism |
|---|---|---|
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Self-hosted |
Immich facts
4 of 4 verified- License
- GNU AGPL v3
- Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.immich.app(opens source in a new tab)
- “open source under the terms of the GNU AGPL v3 License.”
- Paywalled features
- None promised
- Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.immich.app(opens source in a new tab)
- “Don't worry, all features will be free, forever!”
- Mobile apps
- Android and iOS
- Checked Oct 25, 2026immich.app(opens source in a new tab)
- “Download for Mobile Use Immich to backup your photos and videos from your Android and iOS devices.”
- Face recognition
- Yes
- Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.immich.app(opens source in a new tab)
- “Immich recognizes faces in your photos and videos and groups them together into people.”
PhotoPrism facts
4 of 4 verified- Essentials membership
- €2/month
- Checked Oct 25, 2026photoprism.app(opens source in a new tab)
- “Essentials place Self-Hosted Additional User Roles 1 3D Vector & Satellite Maps Enhanced Geocoding € 2 00 / mo”
- Plus membership
- From €6/month
- Checked Oct 25, 2026photoprism.app(opens source in a new tab)
- “from € 6 00 / mo”
- AI
- AI-powered organisation
- Checked Oct 25, 2026photoprism.app(opens source in a new tab)
- “PhotoPrism® is an AI-powered, privacy-first app for browsing, organizing, and sharing photos and videos.”
- License
- AGPL (Community Edition)
- Checked Oct 25, 2026photoprism.app(opens source in a new tab)
- “Open Source AGPL License”
Pros and cons of Immich
- Feature set close to Google Photos
- Automatic phone backup with local AI search
- Free, with no paywalled features
- Needs a server with decent RAM and CPU
- You are responsible for backups and updates
- Fast development means occasional breaking changes
Pros and cons of PhotoPrism
- Indexes existing folders without moving them
- Local AI tagging, face recognition and maps
- Runs on modest hardware, including Raspberry Pi
- No official mobile backup app
- Some features need a paid membership
- Interface is less suited to casual family use
Other apps to consider
Immich vs PhotoPrism: common questions
Is Immich better than PhotoPrism?
Immich and PhotoPrism are the two most popular self-hosted photo libraries. Immich is the closer replacement for Google Photos, with official Android and iOS apps that back up camera rolls and no paywalled features. PhotoPrism is better at organising an existing archive of folders, runs on modest hardware such as a Raspberry Pi, and relies on third-party apps for phone sync, with some features in paid memberships.
Is Immich free?
Yes. Immich is free, open-source software you can host yourself.
Is PhotoPrism free?
Yes. PhotoPrism is free, open-source software you can host yourself.
Is Immich or PhotoPrism open source?
Both are open source.
Which platforms do Immich and PhotoPrism support?
Immich: Web, iOS, Android and Self-hosted. PhotoPrism: Web and Self-hosted.