Immich vs Nextcloud

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

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FeatureImmichNextcloud
CategoryPhoto ManagementFile Sync & Storage
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptPHP
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM2,048 MB512 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker, bare-metal, snap
GitHub stars★ 109,945★ 36,362
First released20222016
ReplacesGoogle Photos, iCloud PhotosDropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft 365

Why pick each one

Choose Immich if…

  • Excellent mobile apps
  • Fast and feature-rich
  • Very active development
Immich details

Choose Nextcloud if…

  • Feature-rich and extensible
  • Active development and large community
  • Integrates calendar, contacts and office
Nextcloud details

Frequently asked questions

Is Immich or Nextcloud better?

Neither is universally better. Immich has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Immich and Nextcloud free and open-source?

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

Can I run Immich and Nextcloud with Docker?

Immich: yes. Nextcloud: yes.

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