If you’re looking to move off Google Photos, you have options. Real ones. Here are the 4 open-source, self-hostable alternatives I’ve tested, with honest notes on what each does well and where each falls short.
Why leave Google Photos?
- Free tier ended in 2021 — now $1.99/mo for 100GB, scales quickly.
- Every photo trains Google’s vision models by default.
- No control over how long files live once you leave the ecosystem.
The 4 best self-hosted alternatives to Google Photos
Immich
The clear leader. Face recognition, mobile apps, timeline, search — matches Google Photos feature-for-feature.
Visit Immich website →PhotoPrism
AI-powered photo tagging and search. Slightly more mature than Immich but no free mobile app.
Visit PhotoPrism website →LibrePhotos
Open-source Google Photos clone. Excellent face recognition, weaker mobile story.
Visit LibrePhotos website →Ente Photos (self-host)
End-to-end encrypted, mobile-first. Self-host option exists but complex.
Visit Ente Photos (self-host) website →Quick comparison
| Alternative | Difficulty | License |
|---|---|---|
| Immich | Medium | AGPL-3.0 |
| PhotoPrism | Medium | AGPL-3.0 |
| LibrePhotos | Medium | MIT |
| Ente Photos (self-host) | Hard | AGPL-3.0 |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Google Photos?
Yes. Every tool listed above is free and open source. Some, like Immich, also have optional paid hosted tiers if you don’t want to run the server yourself. Everything else is genuinely free to self-host — you pay only for your own hardware and time.
Which one should I pick if I’ve never self-hosted anything before?
Start with Immich. It’s the lowest-friction option here — realistic to have running in an afternoon on a small server or Raspberry Pi. If it doesn’t fit your workflow, PhotoPrism is a good second try.
Can I run these on a Raspberry Pi?
Most of them, yes — the tools marked Easy here will comfortably run on a Pi 4 or Pi 5 with 4GB+ of RAM. The Medium tools may work but appreciate a mini PC or a spare desktop. Hard-tagged tools generally want real server hardware.
What about mobile apps?
It varies. Tools like Vaultwarden and Immich have native iOS/Android apps that connect to your server. Others rely on the web UI through your phone browser — fine for occasional use, not a full app experience.