How to Replace Google Photos with Self-Hosted Alternatives
Why Replace Google Photos?
Google Photos’ free unlimited storage ended in 2021. Now you’re paying $3-10/month for Google One storage. That’s $36-120/year to store photos on someone else’s server, where Google can scan them, use them for AI training, or change the terms anytime.
Self-hosting your photos costs $0/month after the initial hardware investment. A $200 mini PC with a $100 hard drive gives you years of photo storage with full privacy.
Your Options
| App | Difficulty | Feature Match | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immich | Easy | 95% | Best choice |
| PhotoPrism | Easy | 80% | Good alternative |
| LibrePhotos | Medium | 75% | Decent |
| Lychee | Easy | 50% | Too basic |
Our Recommendation
Use Immich. It’s the closest thing to Google Photos that exists in the self-hosted world. Mobile auto-backup, facial recognition, map view, sharing — it’s all there. Setup takes 10 minutes with Docker Compose.
Migration Guide
- Export from Google Photos: Go to Google Takeout, select Google Photos, and download your archive.
- Extract the archive on your server.
- Use the Immich CLI to bulk-upload:
immich upload --recursive /path/to/photos - Verify: Check that photo dates and metadata transferred correctly.
- Install the mobile app and enable auto-backup for new photos.
What You’ll Miss
- Google’s ML magic: Google’s photo search and auto-categorization is best-in-class. Immich’s ML is good but not quite at Google’s level.
- Effortless sharing: Sharing a Google Photos album with non-tech family is trivial. Immich sharing requires them to access your server.
What You’ll Gain
- Privacy: Your photos stay on your hardware. No scanning, no AI training.
- No monthly cost: After hardware, storage is essentially free.
- Full control: No terms of service changes, no storage limit surprises.
- Speed: Local network access means instant photo loading.
See the full roundup: Best Self-Hosted Photo Management