Ente Photos vs Immich
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted photo management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Ente Photos
End-to-end encrypted photo storage and backup
VS
Immich
High-performance self-hosted photo and video backup
| Feature | Ente Photos | Immich |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Dart | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 29,050 | ★ 114,920 |
| First released | 2022 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Google Photos, iCloud Photos | Google Photos, iCloud Photos |
What are Ente Photos and Immich?
Ente Photos
Ente is an end-to-end encrypted photo storage and backup service with apps across platforms and a self-hostable server. It targets privacy-focused users wanting encrypted photo backup. It is deployed via Docker.
- End-to-end encryption
- Apps for all platforms
- Self-hostable server
- Family sharing
Immich
Immich is a high-performance, self-hosted photo and video backup solution with mobile apps, AI search, and face recognition. It targets users wanting a private Google Photos alternative. It is deployed via Docker Compose.
- Automatic phone backup
- AI-powered search and face recognition
- Timeline and album views
- Multi-user with sharing
Ente Photos vs Immich: key differences
Ente Photos is written in Dart, while Immich is built with TypeScript. Ente Photos is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Immich. Immich has the considerably larger community, at 114,920 GitHub stars versus 29,050.
Why pick each one
Choose Ente Photos if…
- Strong encryption
- Polished apps
- Privacy-first
Watch out for
- Self-hosting is advanced
- Server setup nontrivial
Choose Immich if…
- Excellent mobile apps
- Fast and feature-rich
- Very active development
Watch out for
- Resource intensive
- Breaking changes still occur
Frequently asked questions
Is Ente Photos or Immich better?
Immich is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Ente Photos if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Ente Photos and Immich free and open-source?
Yes. Ente Photos is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Immich under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ente Photos and Immich with Docker?
Ente Photos: yes. Immich: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ente Photos or Immich?
Ente Photos has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Immich. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.