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Ente Photos vs Nextcloud Photos

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted photo management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
Ente Photos End-to-end encrypted photo storage and backup VS NE Nextcloud Photos Photo timeline and album app for Nextcloud
FeatureEnte PhotosNextcloud Photos
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score98 · Excellent76 · Good
CategoryPhoto ManagementPhoto Management
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageDartJavaScript
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 29,050★ 721
First released20222020
ReplacesGoogle Photos, iCloud PhotosGoogle Photos, iCloud Photos

What are Ente Photos and Nextcloud Photos?

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

Read the full Ente Photos guide →

Nextcloud Photos

Nextcloud Photos is the official photo management app for Nextcloud, offering a timeline view, albums, and tagging of images stored in your Nextcloud. It works alongside file sync to provide a self-hosted photo experience.

  • Timeline photo view
  • Albums and tagging
  • Nextcloud integration
  • Mobile auto-upload

Ente Photos vs Nextcloud Photos: key differences

Ente Photos is written in Dart, while Nextcloud Photos is built with JavaScript. Nextcloud Photos is the more established project (first released 2020), while Ente Photos arrived in 2022. Ente Photos has the considerably larger community, at 29,050 GitHub stars versus 721.

Why pick each one

Choose Ente Photos if…

  • Strong encryption
  • Polished apps
  • Privacy-first

Watch out for

  • Self-hosting is advanced
  • Server setup nontrivial
Ente Photos details

Choose Nextcloud Photos if…

  • Leverages existing Nextcloud
  • Official app

Watch out for

  • Requires Nextcloud
  • Fewer AI features than Memories
Nextcloud Photos details

Frequently asked questions

Is Ente Photos or Nextcloud Photos better?

Neither is universally better. Ente Photos has the larger community, while Nextcloud Photos is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Ente Photos and Nextcloud Photos free and open-source?

Yes. Ente Photos is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Nextcloud Photos under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Ente Photos and Nextcloud Photos with Docker?

Ente Photos: yes. Nextcloud Photos: yes.

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