Notes 
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.
Reviewed by Marco Wollank
Immich
immich.app 4.9 (18)
Rate Immich: No account needed
Threat level
Hardened
A hardened pick. Worth the effort once you have chosen to shrink your footprint on purpose. Enough for most people. Threat levels
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 AGPL-3.0 backup-toolfluttergoogle-photosgoogle-photos-alternativejavascriptmobile-appnestjsnodejsphoto-galleryphotosphotos-managementself-hostedsveltesveltekittypescriptvideos
Stars
118,158
+718 this week
Forks
7,470
353 watching
Last commit
today
healthy
Latest release
v3.3.5
13d ago, 100+ total
Star history
Issues
95% closed
494
open
9,175
closed
+221 / -199
opened / closed, last 4 weeks
Opened vs closed, last 12 weeks
Commits, last 26 weeks
2,269 commits, active 26 of 26 weeks
463 contributors since Feb 2022
Languages
- TypeScript 54.1%
- Dart 27.9%
- Svelte 12.1%
- Other 5.9%
Updated daily from the GitHub API. Star tracking since Jun 22, 2026.
Website at a glance
immich.app
C score 50
Basic website security headers
Graded by Mozilla HTTP Observatory, tested 3d ago
Inspect this site yourself
Measures the security configuration of the tool's own website, not the privacy of the product itself. A strong tool can still score low here.
Immich alternatives
Internxt Photos Internxt is a privacy-focused platform for encrypted photo storage with zero-knowledge encryption and anonymous accounts. It offers 1GB free forever, paid plans from €4.99, and…
ente Your photos are encrypted and hosted in datacenters in The Netherlands and France ( Source ). Migration options available: Local HDD, Google, Apple and Amazon Photos. Free…
Cryptee Free accounts come with 100MB storage. Your documents are encrypted before they leave your device, so Cryptee can't see your documents. Use the code "privacytools" at the…
PhotoPrism No hosted solution available yet, but coming soon. Tag and find pictures automatically. Try the demo .
Piwigo Cloud-hosted and self-hosted versions available. Comes with user management. Demo .
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.