Self-hosted photos mainly comes down to Immich or Ente
The cheapest private photo cloud option was mostly answered with Immich. Immich is described as close to in both look and everyday use, so it can replace or support an existing setup for one person. It can be installed with Docker, and one person said it was quick to set up and start using.
Ente is presented as the stronger privacy choice because each account uses , with photos encrypted on the device before they reach the server. Ente may have fewer features than Immich, but it is still seen as a serious option and is designed to run lightly. Its server can run as a small Go program on small , old laptops, and low-end devices.
For the quickstart setup, Ente needs at least 1 GB of memory and 1 CPU core, and a PostgreSQL container needs a Unix-compatible filesystem such as ZFS, EXT4, or BTRFS. Nextcloud is also mentioned, but mainly as something to try if it is already running, not as a fresh install just for photos.
Key points
- Immich was the most repeated recommendation for a photo cloud.
- Immich is the better fit if the goal is a -like experience.
- Ente is the stronger privacy option because it uses .
- Ente’s quickstart setup lists at least 1 GB of memory and 1 CPU core.
- Nextcloud is worth trying mainly if it is already part of the server setup.