Ente Photos vs. Amazon Photos

Last verified: September 2026

Ente Photos and Amazon Photos both let you back up, store, organize, and share photos across devices.

A key difference is how each service approaches photo storage: Ente is a dedicated photo storage and management service with end-to-end encryption by default. Amazon Photos is a cloud photo storage service that offers unlimited photo storage to eligible Amazon Prime members and integrates with the broader Amazon ecosystem.

Quick Comparison

Questions	Ente Photos	Amazon Photos
Are my photos end-to-end encrypted?	Yes, by default	Standard storage uses encryption in transit and at rest
Is it open source?	Yes, independently audited	No
Is it designed specifically for photos?	Yes	Yes
Does it recognize faces?	Yes, on-device	Yes
Can I search and organize photos?	Yes	Yes
Does it have map/location features?	Yes	Yes
How much free storage do I get?	10 GB (20 GB with referral)	5 GB for non-Prime users
Is unlimited photo storage available?	No	Yes, for eligible Prime members
Can I automatically back up phone photos?	Yes	Yes
Does it have an official Linux desktop app?	Yes	No

Privacy & Security

Both Ente and Amazon Photos encrypt data, but they use different encryption models.

With Ente, your photos are end-to-end encrypted on your device before upload. Ente does not have the keys required to decrypt your photos. This means Ente cannot access the contents of your photo library.

Read about Ente's encryption architecture →

Ente's apps are also open source, and its architecture and source code have undergone an independent security audit.

Read about Ente's security audit →

Amazon Photos protects photos during transfer and storage, but standard Amazon Photos storage is not end-to-end encrypted in the same way as Ente. With Ente, photos are encrypted before upload and Ente does not hold the keys needed to decrypt them.

Read the Amazon Photos Terms of Use →

Both Ente and Amazon Photos are designed around photo storage and provide features for finding, organizing, and sharing your library.

Ente includes face recognition, Magic Search, similar-image detection, curated memories, map views, albums, and organization by date and location. Face recognition and Magic Search run on your device rather than requiring Ente to access the contents of your photo library.

Learn more about Ente's features →

Amazon Photos also provides photo search and organization features, including people, places, dates, and other ways to browse your library.

Learn more about Amazon Photos features →

Photo management

Both Ente and Amazon Photos provide dedicated experiences for managing a personal photo library rather than treating photos simply as general files.

Ente organizes photos around people, albums, memories, dates, locations, and search, with supported machine-learning features running on your device.

Amazon Photos also provides dedicated photo organization and browsing features and is particularly convenient for people already using Amazon Prime.

Both Ente and Amazon Photos let you share photos and albums with other people.

Ente supports shared and collaborative albums, comments and likes, Collect links, Trip layouts, embedded albums, and custom domains. You can share albums, let others contribute photos, or collect photos from a group. Ente's shared albums and collaborative features are end-to-end encrypted.

Amazon Photos provides photo and album sharing, including sharing features designed for families and groups within the Amazon Photos ecosystem.

Pricing & Storage

Plan	Ente Photos	Amazon Photos
Free	10 GB (20 GB with referral)	5 GB for non-Prime users
Entry paid plan	50 GB – $2.49/month	100 GB – $1.99/month
Family sharing	Up to 6 people total	Family Vault, up to 5 additional members
Data replication	3 copies across 3 cloud providers in the EU	Amazon's infrastructure
Customer support	Human support team	Amazon customer support

Pricing, storage allowances, and Prime benefits may vary by region and can change over time.

Check current pricing: Ente | Amazon Photos

What does unlimited photo storage with Amazon Prime include?

For eligible Amazon Prime members, Amazon Photos offers unlimited storage for photos, making it a strong option for people with large photo libraries who already pay for Prime.

Video storage is handled separately and is subject to the storage allowance included with the account. Additional storage can be purchased if needed.

Learn more about Amazon Photos storage →

Ente does not offer unlimited storage. Instead, both photos and videos count toward your selected storage plan, with end-to-end encryption by default.

Read about Ente's storage optimization →

Backup & Data Quality

Both Ente and Amazon Photos can automatically back up photos and videos from supported devices and preserve your photos in their original quality.

Ente supports automatic mobile backup and provides desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Photos and videos are stored in their original quality without compression, with photo metadata preserved.

Learn more about backup and sync with Ente →

Amazon Photos also provides automatic photo and video backup through its mobile and desktop apps, with desktop support for Windows and macOS.

Learn more about Amazon Photos backup →

What if I use a lot of video storage?

With Ente, photos and videos use the same storage allowance. Amazon Prime's unlimited storage benefit applies to eligible photos, while videos count toward a separate storage allowance.

If you have a large video library, compare how much total photo and video storage you need when choosing between the two services.

Data Portability & Export

Both services let you download your photos, but their export workflows differ.

Ente is designed around data portability. You can export your photo library through the desktop app or use Ente's command-line tools, making it possible to maintain a local copy of your library outside Ente.

Learn more about exporting from Ente →

Amazon Photos also lets you download photos and videos. The available workflow can differ depending on whether you're downloading selected items through the web experience or using the desktop app for a larger library.

Learn more about downloading from Amazon Photos →

If being able to regularly maintain a complete local copy of your photo library is important to you, it's worth comparing the export workflow as well as the upload experience before choosing a service.

Ente Photos vs. Amazon Photos: Which Is Better for You?

Choose Ente Photos if:

You want end-to-end encryption for your photos and videos by default.
You want supported photo-search and face-recognition features to run on your device.
You prefer open-source software that can be independently inspected.
You want photos and videos handled within the same storage allowance.
Easy data export and maintaining control over your library are priorities.
You use Linux and want an official desktop app.
You want dedicated encrypted photo-sharing and collaboration features.

Choose Amazon Photos if:

You're an eligible Prime member and want unlimited photo storage.
You have a very large photo library and relatively fewer videos.
You already use Amazon's ecosystem.
You want a dedicated photo storage service without paying separately for photo storage as an eligible Prime member.
Amazon's family photo-sharing features fit your needs.

Switching From Amazon Photos to Ente

You can move your photo library from Amazon Photos to Ente by first downloading your photos and videos to your computer.

Once they're stored locally, import the resulting folders into Ente using the desktop app.

Your photos and videos are then uploaded to your end-to-end encrypted Ente library.

Follow the step-by-step Amazon Photos migration guide→

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Ente replace Amazon Photos?

Yes. Both services are designed for storing and managing photo libraries and provide automatic backup, organization, search, sharing, and cross-device access.

The biggest differences are their storage and privacy models. Ente provides end-to-end encryption by default and stores photos and videos within your selected storage plan. Amazon Photos offers unlimited photo storage to eligible Prime members, while video storage uses a separate allowance.

Is Amazon Photos end-to-end encrypted?

Standard Amazon Photos storage does not use the same end-to-end encryption model as Ente.

With Ente, photos and videos are end-to-end encrypted on your device before upload, and Ente does not hold the keys needed to decrypt them.

Is Amazon Photos free with Prime?

Eligible Amazon Prime members receive unlimited photo storage through Amazon Photos. Video storage is subject to a separate storage allowance.

Availability and benefits can vary by region, so check the current Amazon Photos terms for your account.

Which gives me more free storage, Ente or Amazon Photos?

Ente provides 10 GB of free storage for photos and videos, 20 GB with referral code.

Amazon Photos provides 5 GB of storage for non-Prime users, while eligible Prime members receive unlimited photo storage as part of their membership.

Does Amazon Photos have face recognition?

Amazon Photos provides people-based photo organization and search features.

Ente also provides face recognition, but the processing runs on your device rather than requiring Ente to access the contents of your photo library.

Does Amazon Photos have photo search?

Yes. Amazon Photos provides tools for searching and browsing a photo library.

Ente provides Magic Search and face recognition, with supported machine-learning features running on your device.

Can Amazon Photos automatically back up my phone photos?

Yes. Amazon Photos provides automatic backup for photos and videos on supported mobile devices.

Ente also provides automatic photo and video backup on iOS and Android.

Does Amazon Photos have unlimited video storage?

No. Amazon Prime's unlimited storage benefit applies to eligible photos. Videos count toward the separate storage allowance associated with the account.

Ente counts both photos and videos toward the same storage plan.

Does Ente compress my photos?

No. Ente stores your photos and videos in their original quality without compression and preserves photo metadata.

Does Ente have a Linux app?

Yes. Ente provides an official desktop app for Linux, as well as Windows and macOS.

Amazon Photos does not currently provide an official Linux desktop app.

Can I export my photos from Ente?

Yes. Ente provides export through its desktop app as well as command-line tools for downloading your photo library.