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Indie alternatives to iCloud Photos
4 products made by independent developers and small teams that do what iCloud Photos does, 4 of them with a free plan. Free and open-source options come first.
At a glance
| Product | Price | Open source | Self-host | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ente Photos | Free plan | Yes | – | Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux |
| Immich | Free plan | Yes | Yes | Self-hosted, iOS, Android, Web |
| Mylio Photos | Free plan | – | – | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android |
| PhotoPrism | Free plan | Yes | Yes | Self-hosted, Web |
The alternatives
1. Ente Photos
End-to-end encrypted photo storage
Encrypted cloud storage for photos and videos with apps for all major platforms and an open-source codebase.
Free plan · Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux · Website ↗
3. Mylio Photos
Organize photos across your devices
Photo organizer that catalogs and syncs photo libraries across devices without requiring cloud storage.
Free plan · Mac, Windows, iOS, Android · Website ↗
4. PhotoPrism
AI-powered self-hosted photo library
PhotoPrism is a self-hosted app for browsing, organizing and sharing photos with automatic tagging and maps.
Free plan · Self-hosted, Web · Website ↗
Questions
Is there a free alternative to iCloud Photos?
Yes. 4 of the 4 indie alternatives listed here have a free plan or are free: Ente Photos, Immich, Mylio Photos and PhotoPrism.
Is there an open-source alternative to iCloud Photos?
Ente Photos, Immich and PhotoPrism are open source.
Can I self-host an alternative to iCloud Photos?
Yes: Immich and PhotoPrism can run on your own server.
Which iCloud Photos alternatives work on Mac, Windows, iPhone or Android?
On Mac: Ente Photos and Mylio Photos. On Windows: Ente Photos and Mylio Photos. On Linux: Ente Photos. On iPhone and iPad: Ente Photos, Immich and Mylio Photos. On Android: Ente Photos, Immich and Mylio Photos. On the web: Ente Photos, Immich and PhotoPrism.
What makes these alternatives to iCloud Photos “indie”?
They are built by independent developers or small teams rather than large companies. Each one is listed because it does the same core job as iCloud Photos.
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