9 Best Alternatives to Google Photos on Your Own Server for Photo Backup [2023]

Is your phone gallery full of photos?

The fact is that selfies and photos are always on our phones. However, selecting the best photos and organizing them is not automatic.

It will take you a lot of time, but if you organize it well, your presentation will be more attractive.

However, revealing your photos is a nuisance to anyone (even if your operating system stores and sorts your photos). But don’t worry! You can discover and enhance your photos with many open source tools and control who can see them.

Check out these self-hosted photo apps.

What is a self-service photo app?

The self-service photo application allows users to manage photos and videos, store them on servers and share them with friends and family.

It also provides users with a secure and private way to store and share photos and videos. That way, they can maintain control over their content.

In addition, the user also has the ability to customize the interface and functions of the application for the purposes that suit him best.

Google Photos Limitations

• No more unlimited storage: If you start using Google Photos after June 2021, you won’t be able to use unlimited storage. Google Pixel users can still use this feature.
• Increase your editing capabilities: You can edit your photos using Google Photos, but the editing features are limited and the effects are not great. There should be more editing options in Google Photos.
• Folder without password protection: Google Photos is not password protected. There are photos that you don’t want to show to others because they are fragile.
• Loss of privacy: You can use Google Photos to access all your photos and videos, but it compromises your privacy. It also uses facial recognition to recognize people in photos, which some people find scary.

Why is it worth looking for an alternative?

Initially, Google Photos offered unlimited storage for many of its services. However, there is a limit to the amount of storage you can have with the service.

There was a problem syncing Google Photos with your smartphone gallery. When you delete a photo or video from the Gallery app, it will remain in Google Photos.

If you’re looking to switch from Google Photos, there are plenty of great alternatives. Here are the best options!

IMMICH

IMMICH is a new project developed by Alex Tran, who is actively involved in its development. The app offers automatic image backup and is heavily influenced by Google Photos in terms of functionality and user interface.

IMMICH excels at self-service applications based on maturity. Android and iOS apps are available now, although the repository has yet to be ready for production.

Advantages

• You can use the CLI to bulk load.
• There is some reverse geocoding.
• You can watch and upload videos.
• Backing up your favorite albums is easy.
• There is customer support for multiple users.

IMMICH is a great alternative to Google Photos for those who want to back up their photos and videos from their mobile phone.

Piwigo

Piwigo is a self-hosted, open source app that helps you manage your photos and videos. It allows you to host data, take control or use cloud hosting.

Piwigo was founded in France and is intended for individuals, teams and organizations. If you have privacy issues with Google Photos or other services, Piwigo is a great alternative.

Piwigo photo management has several features and precise controls.

Advantages

• You can host it yourself.
• The source code is open source.
• Designed to be mobile friendly.
• You can browse by date.
• Import your metadata automatically.

Piwigo is an excellent solution for customers in the photo industry. There is also a mobile application.

Photoprism

The PhotoPrism app allows you to view, organize and share your photos using a decentralized network. This app automatically tags and finds your photos without disrupting your experience. You can use it on your computer, private server or in the cloud.

Their goal is to make organizing and accessing your photos as easy as possible and with as little privacy as possible. PhotoPrism is designed from the ground up to work wherever you need it without sacrificing freedom, privacy or functionality. You can use PhotoPrism on Windows, Linux, and Mac, and it’s free with a community version.

Advantages

• You can easily view RAW files and photos.
• Its search filters allow you to find specific photos.
• Identify your family and friends.
• Automatically classify images by content and location.
• Back up iOS and Android phones with PhotoSync.

PhotoPrism can be a great solution if you are interested in facial recognition.

looks like

Lychee is a web app that lets you manage and share your photos just like the original app. It contains everything you need to protect your photos. You can upload, move, rename, describe, delete or search for your photos, all from your browser.

You can also password protect albums. Depends on you. You can navigate through the images using the keyboard or make them public for others to see. Lychee is free.

Advantages

• It lets you drag and drop Dropbox files.
• It supports Open Graph and Twitter tabs for sharing images.
• This is why your server runs on Imagick.
• Supports EXIF ​​and IPTC metadata.
• Protect your photos with controls.

Lychee is a simpler photo management app, perfect for running a basic online gallery.

photostructure

PhotoStructure’s self-service app makes it easy to organize, view and share large photo and video collections. Automatically organizes and removes duplicate photos. You can use PhotoStructure on Windows 10, macOS, Ubuntu or Docker.

PhotoStructure is a subscription-based service that will never seek to profit from data sharing or advertising. Most of the new features will only be available to Plus subscribers. In addition, there is a limit of one household per PhotoStructure Plus subscription.

Advantages

• A self-service application that runs only on your computer.
• Installing PhotoStructure is very simple.
• You’ll have a responsive, usable desktop with PhotoStructure.
• You can import all your photos and videos.
• PhotoStructure’s search grammar makes it easy to find what you’re looking for.

Installing and using PhotoStructure is easy.

Lomorage

Lomorage is a self-service application that allows users to manage and share photos. The app’s intuitive user interface makes it easy to upload and organize your photos. There are also features like bookmarking, searching and advanced editing.

In addition, Lomorage allows you to share photos with family and friends on popular social media platforms. Lomorage allows you to back up and manage your photos and videos on the server on your behalf. You can enjoy it wherever you are, whether at home or on your phone.

Advantages

• It has fast, reliable incremental backup.
• It supports live photos, slow motion, raw DNG files and more.
• Keep the original file without affecting quality or metadata.
• You can sync your photos across all your devices.
• There is an offline mode to view photos without internet.
• You can search by location, date or text on the photo.

Lomorage is still in beta, but most features will be available soon.

PicAppport

PicAppport allows you to organize and store photos and videos on your own server. This platform allows users to securely store files in a private cloud to access them from anywhere. An easy-to-use interface makes managing your photos a breeze.

The app also allows for automatic backups, content sharing with friends and family, facial recognition, and the use of the GPL-3.0 license.

A user management system provides a way to control the content and features that users can see. The plugins and add-ons available in PicApporto allow you to adapt it to different scenarios.

Advantages

• Picapport is intuitive and easy to use, so even beginners can use it.
• PhotoPortal gives you fast and reliable access to your photos, videos and more.
• It automatically backs up your media to the cloud, so you’re safe.
• It allows you to share photos and videos with your friends.
• PicAppport works with Windows, Mac OS X, iOS and Android, giving you access to your media from anywhere.

PicAppport is a great self-service app for businesses and families.

Gallery of pigs 2

PiGallery 2 is a great self-service app for Android devices. It’s designed to run on a Raspberry Pi, but you don’t need to own one to install it. Instead, use Docker to install it, use Docker-compose, or create packages with Node.java.

This application is known for its speed and simplicity. By pointing it to the images directory, you can access your images from any browser and device. The application automatically creates a gallery, and subdirectories contain albums.

You can search photos using logical logic and keywords. It is suitable for collections of up to 100,000 images when each gallery contains a maximum of 5,000 images.

This is a great option for anyone looking for a reliable, easy-to-use app.

Advantages

• A user interface that is intuitive and easy to use.
• Access password-protected photos and videos.
• You can share photos and videos with family and friends.
• Automatically sync photos and videos to the cloud.
• Organize your photos and videos into albums and categories.

PiGallery 2 is packed with features and can be customized to your liking.

Free photos

LibrePhotos is an open source photo management application with facial recognition and multi-user support. The app is a self-service clone of Google Photos that highlights cool charts and is based on OwnPhotos.

Unlike commercial services, your photos are stored in the cloud and scanned/indexed for machine learning and ad targeting. Your data never ends up on a third-party server. Your personal information remains private so you can enjoy the same privacy and power as with commercial services.

Advantages

• It works with all types of photos, even raw ones.
• Video support is available.
• A timeline view is available.
• You can scan images into the file system.
• It is suitable for multiple users.

You can use your photos in LibrePhotos without worrying about hackers and data leaks. It still needs to simplify the setup process so that anyone can use it.

Abstract!

Today, we can take pictures of each other anywhere and store them on the Internet. Self-service apps simplify taking photos in the same way.

You don’t have to worry about storage. Some are great for sharing your work, whether you’re doing it on your phone or camera. We hope these self-service photo apps make your life easier!

Then check out the best AI photo editing software and apps for professionals.