PrivacyTools.io
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Immich is a self-hosted photo and video management platform backed by FUTO that provides automatic mobile backup, facial recognition, smart search, and a polished timeline view. Both Android and iOS apps connect to a server you run, keeping media entirely on your own infrastructure.

Screenshot of the Immich website
Our take

Immich has become the default recommendation for self-hosted photo management, and for good reason: the interface is close enough to Google Photos that migration feels natural, and FUTO backing gives it financial stability uncommon in open-source media projects. The privacy model is straightforward: your server, your data, no third party involved. One important honest point: Immich is not end-to-end encrypted. Files sit on your server in a readable form, so the security of your photos depends on how well you secure the host machine and network access. For anyone willing to run a home server or a VPS, that is a reasonable trade for regaining control over a photo library.

GitHub at a glance
immich-app/immich
Stars
104,130
Last commit
today
healthy
License
AGPL-3.0
Latest release
v2.7.5
2mo ago

Listed in

Immich alternatives

Immich license, in plain English
AGPL-3.0
Strong copyleft · network

Free to use, even commercially. Changes must be published under the same license, and running a modified version as a network service counts as distributing it.

Permits

  • Commercial use
  • Modification
  • Distribution
  • Patent use
  • Private use

Requires

  • Disclose source
  • Network use is distribution
  • Same license
  • State changes
  • License and copyright notice

Does not provide

  • Liability cover
  • Warranty

Why it matters: The network clause is the point. Anyone who runs a modified version as a hosted service has to publish those changes, so the code handling your data stays inspectable. This is why privacy-first projects reach for AGPL.

Plain-language summary of the project's license, not legal advice. Read the full text for the exact terms.