Immich

Immich is a self-hosted alternative to Google Photos or iCloud, built for people who want full control over their media without handing it to a cloud provider. It runs on your own hardware and gives you a polished, app-like experience for managing a personal or family photo library.

The mobile apps (iOS and Android) handle automatic background backup, so your photos and videos land on your server the moment they're taken. From there, you get a familiar timeline view, album organization, and fast search powered by machine learning.

Key capabilities include:

• Face recognition that groups photos by person, so you can browse by who's in the shot
• Smart search using natural language and visual similarity, not just filenames or dates
• Map view that plots geotagged photos on a world map
• Shared albums for collaborating with family or friends on the same server
• Partner sharing to give another user access to your library without merging accounts
• Video support alongside photos, making it a full photo and video management solution
• RAW file support for photographers who shoot in formats like CR2, NEF, or ARW
• Duplicate detection to clean up redundant files over time

Compared to tools like Lychee or Piwigo, Immich leans harder into the automatic backup and AI-assisted browsing experience rather than manual curation or public gallery features. It's closer in feel to Ente, though Immich is fully self-hosted with no managed cloud tier.

The web interface is fast and responsive. The admin panel covers user management, storage configuration, and library monitoring. Because everything stays on your server, there's no subscription, no storage cap, and no third party with access to your personal photos.