Ente vs Immich: Encryption, Self-Hosting and Pricing
Updated
Ente and Immich are both open-source photo apps, and you can run either one yourself. Ente encrypts each photo on your device before upload, so only you hold the keys. Immich's maintainers say end-to-end encryption is incompatible with how Immich works, so the server can read the files (Immich).
Immich is self-hosted. You deploy the server, keep it updated, and handle storage, networking and backups.
The short answer
- Immich is for running the server yourself. Search and face recognition run on that server, and you handle updates, backups and storage.
- Ente encrypts every photo on your device, including on the hosted plan, so you don't have to run a server. Face recognition and Magic Search run on your phone or computer.
- Both are open source and self-hostable. Immich does not sell a hosted service. Ente does, with 10 GB free.
How Ente compares with Immich
Privacy and hosting
Privacy and hosting first, then the photo features. Prices are further down.
| Feature | Immich |  Ente Photos |
|---|---|---|
| End-to-end encrypted photos | Not available: No, out of scope | Available: Yes, on your device |
| Open source | Available: Yes, over 116,000 GitHub stars | Available: Yes, apps and server |
| Use without running a server | Conditions or a different workflow: Partly, third-party hosting | Available: Yes, Ente's hosted service |
| Minimum RAM and CPU | Conditions or a different workflow: 6 GB RAM, 2 cores | Available: Yes, 1 GB RAM, 1 core |
| Copies of your photos | Conditions or a different workflow: Your disks; encrypted backup not launched | Available: Yes, 3 copies on paid plans, 1 on free |
Features and apps
| Feature | Immich | Ente Photos |
|---|---|---|
| Face recognition | Available: Yes, on the server | Available: Yes, on your device |
| Search by what's in a photo | Available: Yes, in the browser | Available: Yes, on your device |
| Automatic phone backup | Available: Yes, Wi-Fi only by default | Available: Yes, iOS and Android |
| Share with a link | Available: Yes, password and expiry | Available: Yes, end-to-end encrypted |
| Official desktop app | Not available: No desktop client listed | Available: Yes, Windows, macOS, and Linux |
Is Immich encrypted?
Not end to end. Immich has to read your files to build the search index, the faces, the map and the memories on the server. Disk encryption protects the drive if someone steals the hardware. HTTPS protects the connection. Neither stops the server, or anyone who administers it, from reading the photos. A VPN does the same job as a private network, not as end-to-end encryption.
The Locked Folder hides photos behind a PIN. Immich's documentation doesn't describe it as encrypted.
In April 2026, Immich v2.7.0 announced a managed backup service with end-to-end encrypted backups. As of v3.3.3 (14 October 2026) that service had not launched. The announcement is about backup copies, not about encrypting the library Immich uses every day. The architecture page explains how the keys work, and Ente's cryptography has been independently audited, most recently in a CERN-funded audit.
Ente Photos vs. Immich: Which Is Better for You?
Choose Ente Photos if:
- You want end-to-end encrypted photo and video storage.
- You don't want to run or maintain a server.
- You want on-device face recognition and Magic Search.
- You want managed storage, redundancy, and backups.
- You want encrypted sharing that doesn't depend on exposing your own server.
- You want official desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- You want both the client and server code to be open source.
- You want the option to self-host while retaining end-to-end encryption.
Choose Immich if:
- You specifically want to self-host your photo library.
- You already have a NAS, home server, VPS, or homelab.
- You want direct control over your storage infrastructure.
- You're comfortable managing updates, backups, networking, and storage.
- You want server-side face recognition and search.
- You want a Google Photos-like experience running on infrastructure you control.
- You prefer managing the underlying system yourself rather than using managed cloud storage.
Storage & pricing
Current Ente Photos plans are on the pricing page.
Ente Photos
10 GB free
- Extra 10 GB with a referral code for new users.
- Earn 10 GB when a friend upgrades to a paid plan.
50 GB for $2.99/month
Billed monthly
Immich
Free software
Keys add no features.
Individual key $25
Paid once, for one user
Prices are in USD unless otherwise indicated. Local prices and taxes may differ.
Move from Immich to Ente
Read the full upload guide. Immich keeps originals on disk. Albums themselves live in the database.
- 1
Copy the originals.
Under your Immich upload location, check both upload/<userID> and library/<userID>. Both can contain originals if you have changed the storage-template setting. Copy any external library folders too; those files stay at their configured paths. See Immich's backup guide.
- 2
Don't expect album folders unless you set them up.
Albums are database records. Folder names match albums only if the storage template includes the album name. Otherwise you are uploading files, and you choose how Ente should group them.
- 3
Upload the folders to Ente.
In the Ente desktop app, click Upload → Folder, choose Separate albums when each folder should become an album, review the counts and click Start upload.
- 4
Turn on phone backup and save the recovery key.
Turn on backup in Ente Photos. If you lose both your password and your recovery key, Ente can't unlock the photos for you.
Try Ente alongside Immich. Uploading to Ente doesn't delete anything from Immich. Check your albums and dates before you clean anything up.
Frequently asked questions
Does Immich encrypt photos?
Not end to end. Immich says that kind of encryption doesn't fit how the app works. You can encrypt the disk and the connection. The Locked Folder is a PIN hide, not a documented encrypted vault. An end-to-end encrypted backup service was announced in April 2026 and had not launched as of v3.3.3 on 14 October 2026. Ente encrypts every photo before upload.
Do I need my own server to use Immich?
Usually. There is no hosted service from the Immich team. You run it on a NAS, home server or VPS, or you pay a third-party host such as PikaPods from $6.80 a month. Ente has a hosted service, and you can self-host it too.
Is Immich free?
The software is free. You still pay for hardware or a host. An individual product key is $25 and applies to one user. A server key is $100 and covers the whole server, including every user. Neither key adds features. Immich says it probably won't save you money.
What if I want something other than Immich or Ente?
See the Immich alternatives page for other photo apps.
Start with 10 GB free
