Self-hosted alternatives to Google Photos
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Popular open-source photo platforms you can run on your own server, with the hardware each project says it needs.
The options at a glance
| Project | Description (from awesome-selfhosted) | License | GitHub stars | Last update |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immich | Photo and video backup solution directly from your mobile phone (alternative to Google Photos). | AGPL-3.0 | 116,780 | 2026-10-20 |
| PhotoPrism | Personal photo management powered by Go and Google TensorFlow. Browse, organize, and share your personal photo collection, using the latest technologies to automatically tag and find pictures. | AGPL-3.0 | 40,332 | 2026-10-20 |
| Ente | An end-to-end encrypted photo-sharing platform (alternative to Google Photos, Apple Photos). | AGPL-3.0 | 29,495 | 2026-10-20 |
| LibrePhotos | Photo management service with a slight focus on cool graphs (alternative to Google Photos). | MIT | 8,112 | 2026-10-21 |
| Lychee | Grid and album based photo-management-system. | MIT | 4,312 | 2026-10-20 |
| Piwigo | Photo gallery software for the web, built by an active community of users and developers. | GPL-2.0 | 3,869 | 2026-10-20 |
| Nextcloud Memories | Fast, modern and advanced photo management suite. Runs as a Nextcloud app. | AGPL-3.0 | 3,858 | 2026-10-20 |
Descriptions, licenses, stars and dates from awesome-selfhosted-data[1] (CC BY-SA 3.0), snapshot 2026-10-21.
Server requirements (where published)
| App | RAM (min) | CPU cores (min) | Disk (min) | Containers / services | GitHub stars | License | Spec source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immich | 6 GB (rec. 8 GB) | 2 (rec. 4) | — | 4 services in the official compose file (immich-server, immich-machine-learning, redis/valkey, database) | 116,780[1] | AGPL-3.0 | [2][3] |
| PhotoPrism | 3 GB | 2 | — | 2 default services (photoprism, mariadb) plus optional profiles (ollama, open-webui, watchtower) in the official compose file | 40,332[1] | AGPL-3.0 | [4][5] |
- Immich: 6 GB RAM minimum, 8 GB recommended; 2 cores minimum, 4 recommended. It can run with 4 GB if machine learning is disabled. Keep the Postgres data (typically 1–3 GB) on local SSD, and expect thumbnails/transcodes to add 10–20% to your library size[2].
- PhotoPrism: at least 2 cores and 3 GB RAM on a 64-bit system; RAM should match the number of CPU cores, and at least 4 GB of swap is advised[4].
Which VPS plans meet Immich's numbers
| Plan | vCPU | RAM | Disk | Price (checked October 2026) | Meets Immich minimum | Meets recommended | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger — KVM 1 | 1 | 4 GB | 50 GB NVMe | $6.49/mo promo, paid upfront; renews at $11.99/mo[6] | No | No | View plan |
| Hostinger — KVM 2 | 2 | 8 GB | 100 GB NVMe | $8.79/mo promo, paid upfront; renews at $14.99/mo[6] | Yes | No | View plan |
| Hostinger — KVM 4 | 4 | 16 GB | 200 GB NVMe | $12.99/mo promo, paid upfront; renews at $28.99/mo[6] | Yes | Yes | View plan |
| Hostinger — KVM 8 | 8 | 32 GB | 400 GB NVMe | $25.99/mo promo, paid upfront; renews at $49.99/mo[6] | Yes | Yes | View plan |
| Hetzner — CX23 (Cost-Optimized) | 2 | 4 GB | 40 GB NVMe | from €5.99/mo excl. VAT; hourly billing with monthly cap; listed as not available in some locations at check time[7] | No | No | View plan |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute Regular 1 vCPU / 1 GB | 1 | 1 GB | 25 GB SSD | $5.00/mo[8] | No | No | View plan |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute High Performance 1 vCPU / 2 GB | 1 | 2 GB | 50 GB NVMe | $12.00/mo[8] | No | No | View plan |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute Regular 2 vCPU / 4 GB | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB SSD | $20.00/mo[8] | No | No | View plan |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute High Performance 2 vCPU / 4 GB | 2 | 4 GB | 100 GB NVMe | $24.00/mo[8] | No | No | View plan |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute High Performance 4 vCPU / 8 GB | 4 | 8 GB | 180 GB NVMe | $48.00/mo[8] | Yes | Yes | View plan |
| DigitalOcean — Basic 1 GiB | 1 | 1 GB | 25 GB SSD | $6.00/mo GiB as listed[9] | No | No | View plan |
| DigitalOcean — Basic 2 GiB / 1 vCPU | 1 | 2 GB | 50 GB SSD | $12.00/mo GiB as listed[9] | No | No | View plan |
| DigitalOcean — Basic 4 GiB / 2 vCPU | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB SSD | $24.00/mo GiB as listed[9] | No | No | View plan |
| DigitalOcean — Basic 8 GiB / 4 vCPU | 4 | 8 GB | 160 GB SSD | $48.00/mo GiB as listed[9] | Yes | Yes | View plan |
| DigitalOcean — Basic 16 GiB / 8 vCPU | 8 | 16 GB | 320 GB SSD | $96.00/mo GiB as listed[9] | Yes | Yes | View plan |
“Meets” is a mechanical comparison of the plan's listed vCPU/RAM/disk against the published figures cited on this page — not a performance test. Your apps, users and data add load on top. GiB (DigitalOcean) and GB are treated as equal here.
Storage matters as much as RAM: compare the disk column with your library size plus 10–20% for generated files[2].
PhotoPrism plan fit
| Plan | vCPU | RAM | Disk | Price (checked October 2026) | Meets PhotoPrism minimum | Meets recommended | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger — KVM 2 | 2 | 8 GB | 100 GB NVMe | $8.79/mo promo, paid upfront; renews at $14.99/mo[6] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| Hostinger — KVM 4 | 4 | 16 GB | 200 GB NVMe | $12.99/mo promo, paid upfront; renews at $28.99/mo[6] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| Hostinger — KVM 8 | 8 | 32 GB | 400 GB NVMe | $25.99/mo promo, paid upfront; renews at $49.99/mo[6] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| Hetzner — CX23 (Cost-Optimized) | 2 | 4 GB | 40 GB NVMe | from €5.99/mo excl. VAT; hourly billing with monthly cap; listed as not available in some locations at check time[7] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute Regular 2 vCPU / 4 GB | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB SSD | $20.00/mo[8] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute High Performance 2 vCPU / 4 GB | 2 | 4 GB | 100 GB NVMe | $24.00/mo[8] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute High Performance 4 vCPU / 8 GB | 4 | 8 GB | 180 GB NVMe | $48.00/mo[8] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| DigitalOcean — Basic 4 GiB / 2 vCPU | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB SSD | $24.00/mo GiB as listed[9] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| DigitalOcean — Basic 8 GiB / 4 vCPU | 4 | 8 GB | 160 GB SSD | $48.00/mo GiB as listed[9] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| DigitalOcean — Basic 16 GiB / 8 vCPU | 8 | 16 GB | 320 GB SSD | $96.00/mo GiB as listed[9] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
“Meets” is a mechanical comparison of the plan's listed vCPU/RAM/disk against the published figures cited on this page — not a performance test. Your apps, users and data add load on top. GiB (DigitalOcean) and GB are treated as equal here.
Only plans meeting PhotoPrism's minimum are shown.
Browse every option in the photo galleries directory. For a whole-server view see best VPS for self-hosting.
FAQ
What is the most popular self-hosted Google Photos alternative?
By GitHub stars in the awesome-selfhosted dataset (October 2026), Immich leads the photo galleries category, followed by PhotoPrism and Ente.
How much RAM does Immich need?
Immich's docs specify 6 GB minimum and 8 GB recommended, with 4 GB possible if machine learning is disabled.
Can PhotoPrism run on a small VPS?
PhotoPrism asks for at least 2 cores and 3 GB RAM on a 64-bit OS, plus at least 4 GB of swap.
Sources (checked October 2026)
- awesome-selfhosted-data (CC BY-SA 3.0) — https://github.com/awesome-selfhosted/awesome-selfhosted-data
- Immich docs: Requirements — https://docs.immich.app/install/requirements
- Immich official docker-compose.yml (latest release) — https://github.com/immich-app/immich/releases/latest/download/docker-compose.yml
- PhotoPrism docs: Setup / System Requirements — https://docs.photoprism.app/getting-started/
- PhotoPrism official compose.yaml — https://dl.photoprism.app/docker/compose.yaml
- Hostinger VPS hosting pricing — https://www.hostinger.com/vps-hosting
- Hetzner Cloud Cost-Optimized plans — https://www.hetzner.com/cloud/cost-optimized
- Vultr pricing — https://www.vultr.com/pricing/
- DigitalOcean Droplet pricing — https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/droplets