Self-Hosted Google Photos Alternatives (Open Source)

These self-hosted Google Photos alternatives keep your photo library on storage you control. Whatever you pick, keep separate backups of the original files. Licenses, stars and last-commit dates below were checked on Oct 27, 2026.

Compare the top picks

Compare phone-backup apps (Immich, Ente, LibrePhotos) with gallery tools for existing folders (PhotoPrism, Lychee, Photoview, PiGallery2).

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Quick comparison

Name	License	Language	Docker?	Last commit
Immich	AGPL-3.0	TypeScript	See docs	2026-10-27
PhotoPrism	AGPL-3.0	Go	Yes	2026-10-27
LibrePhotos	MIT	Python	Yes	2026-10-27
Ente	AGPL-3.0	Dart / Go	See docs	2026-10-27
Lychee	MIT	PHP	Yes	2026-10-27
Photoview	AGPL-3.0	Go	Yes	2026-10-24
PiGallery2	MIT	TypeScript	Yes	2026-10-25

License, stars and last commit checked against the GitHub API and repo files on 2026-10-27.

Listings

Immich

Self-hosted photo and video backup with mobile apps

AGPL-3.0 · OSITypeScript★ 117,351 as of 2026-10-27

AGPL-3.0 per GitHub license metadata.

Pros

Phone backup, timeline, faces and search like Google Photos
Very active project

Cons

Several containers including machine learning
README stresses keeping a 3-2-1 backup

Website Source Deploy on RepoCloud

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-27 · Last verified: 2026-10-27

PhotoPrism

AI-powered photo management for the web

AGPL-3.0 · OSIGoDocker★ 40,369 as of 2026-10-27

LICENSE file is AGPL-3.0. GitHub reports NOASSERTION.

Pros

Browse, tag and search large libraries
Works with existing folders

Cons

Phone backup needs a separate sync or upload setup
Check the docs for which features need a paid plan

Website Source

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-27 · Last verified: 2026-10-27

LibrePhotos

Self-hosted photo management with face and object recognition

MIT · OSIPythonDocker★ 8,118 as of 2026-10-27

MIT per GitHub license metadata.

Pros

Face recognition, object detection and semantic search (per README)
Expo mobile app in the repo

Cons

Smaller team than Immich
Machine-learning features need resources

Website Source Deploy on RepoCloud

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-27 · Last verified: 2026-10-27

Ente

End-to-end encrypted photo storage

AGPL-3.0 · OSIDart / GoHosted option★ 29,649 as of 2026-10-27

AGPL-3.0 per GitHub license metadata. Repo moved from ente-io/ente to ente/ente.

Pros

End-to-end encrypted across apps
Paid hosted service with 10 GB free, or self-host (per README)

Cons

Self-hosting is more involved than Immich
Encryption limits server-side features

Website Source

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-27 · Last verified: 2026-10-27

Lychee

Photo management and gallery

MIT · OSIPHPDocker★ 4,314 as of 2026-10-27

MIT per GitHub license metadata.

Pros

Albums and sharing
Docker install documented

Cons

Gallery more than phone backup
PHP stack

Website Source

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-27 · Last verified: 2026-10-27

Photoview

Photo gallery for self-hosted personal servers

AGPL-3.0 · OSIGoDocker★ 6,558 as of 2026-10-27

AGPL-3.0 per GitHub license metadata.

Pros

Indexes your existing photo folders
Face recognition (per README)

Cons

No phone backup built in
Smaller community

Website Source

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-24 · Last verified: 2026-10-27

PiGallery2

Fast directory-first photo gallery

MIT · OSITypeScriptDocker★ 2,306 as of 2026-10-27

MIT per GitHub license metadata.

Pros

Light enough for a Raspberry Pi
Read-only gallery over your folders

Cons

No phone backup
Simple feature set

Website Source Deploy on RepoCloud

Last commit (default branch): 2026-10-25 · Last verified: 2026-10-27

How to choose

Want automatic phone backup and a Google Photos-style timeline? Immich (AGPL-3.0).
Want end-to-end encryption? Ente (AGPL-3.0), self-hosted or on its paid service.
Already have photo folders? PhotoPrism or Photoview (AGPL-3.0), Lychee or PiGallery2 (MIT). LibrePhotos (MIT) adds face and object recognition.

FAQ

Can I import from Google Photos?

Export your library with Google Takeout, then follow your chosen project's import docs. Test with a small batch first.

Are these really open source?

Yes. Immich, PhotoPrism, Ente and Photoview are AGPL-3.0; LibrePhotos, Lychee and PiGallery2 are MIT.

Is self-hosting a backup?

Not by itself. Keep at least one more copy elsewhere; Immich's README recommends a 3-2-1 backup plan.

“Deploy on RepoCloud” buttons appear only where RepoCloud has a page for that app (3 of 7 listings here). “Website” and “Source” links are not affiliate links.