Ente Photos vs Memories
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
Memories
Photo management app for Nextcloud with timeline and AI
| Feature | Ente Photos | Memories |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Dart | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 29,050 | ★ 3,843 |
| First released | 2022 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Google Photos, iCloud Photos | Google Photos, iCloud Photos |
What are Ente Photos and Memories?
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
Memories
Memories is a photo and video management application that runs as a Nextcloud app, offering a fast timeline view of your media. It supports face recognition, maps, albums, and metadata-aware search.
- Fast timeline view
- Face recognition and maps
- Albums and tagging
- Nextcloud integration
Ente Photos vs Memories: key differences
Ente Photos is written in Dart, while Memories is built with PHP. Ente Photos has the considerably larger community, at 29,050 GitHub stars versus 3,843.
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 Memories if…
- Leverages existing Nextcloud
- Polished mobile experience
Watch out for
- Requires Nextcloud
- AI features need extra setup
Frequently asked questions
Is Ente Photos or Memories better?
Neither is universally better. Ente Photos has the larger community, while Memories is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ente Photos and Memories free and open-source?
Yes. Ente Photos is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Memories under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ente Photos and Memories with Docker?
Ente Photos: yes. Memories: yes.