Immich vs PhotoPrism
Immich is built around phone backup and a mobile-first experience, while PhotoPrism focuses on organizing photo libraries from your own folders and charges for some extras.
Pick Immich if…
You want phone auto-backup, shared and partner albums, multiple users and all features free, and can run Docker with 6GB RAM and 2 CPU cores.
Pick PhotoPrism if…
You want a browser-based library with AI labels, face recognition and RAW/video handling, and are fine with a PWA and third-party backup apps plus an optional paid membership.
Price
- Free
- Open source
- Freemium
- Open source
Starting price
Free plan
Open source
Works on
| Feature | Self-hosted photo and video backup and management app with mobile and web apps. | Self-hosted photo app that organizes, tags and searches photos and videos, with optional paid memberships. |
|---|---|---|
| Price |
|
|
| Starting price | — | — |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Works on | Web, Linux, iOS, Android | Web, Linux |
| Try Immich (opens the Immich website in a new tab) | Try PhotoPrism (opens the PhotoPrism website in a new tab) |
Both are self-hosted, open-source photo and video managers that install with Docker and offer face recognition and search. Immich is licensed AGPL-3.0. PhotoPrism's Community Edition is AGPL, but its standard Docker images use a separate Plus License.
Immich has its own iOS and Android apps with background backup, and a web app. Its README lists search by metadata, objects, faces and CLIP, shared and partner albums, memories, a global map, OAuth and API keys. Its docs say all features are free forever and nothing goes behind a paywall; an optional purchase supports development (price not confirmed).
PhotoPrism is a web app, installable as a PWA, with WebDAV access. It offers no native mobile apps of its own; phones are backed up through compatible apps such as PhotoSync. It labels pictures by content and location, recognizes faces, plays Live Photos and handles RAW and video formats. The Community Edition is free, with paid memberships: Essentials at EUR 2.00/month and Plus from EUR 6.00/month, which add extra user roles, 3D and satellite maps and a user management UI.
On hardware, Immich's quick start asks for at least 6GB RAM and 2 CPU cores, and PhotoPrism runs on 64-bit AMD, Intel and ARM, including Raspberry Pi. Neither saves money on its own: Immich's FAQ says self-hosting rarely does once hardware and backups are counted. For phone-first backup, choose Immich; for a browser-driven library with paid add-ons, choose PhotoPrism.
One new comparison, every week
Two tools side by side with our verdict, in one short email. Unsubscribe any time.
Last updated 17 October 2026. How we make money