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PhotoPrism

Self-hosted, AI-assisted photo library for people who want a private Google Photos alternative on their own server. Free Community Edition.

Our take: PhotoPrism gives you most of what people like about cloud photo apps while keeping files on your own disks, and the free Community Edition is enough for many households.

Best forPrivate self-hosted photos
ReviewedPricing: Freemium
7.2 out of 105 criteria · see breakdown
Try PhotoPrismFree; Essentials EUR 2.00/mo billed annually

PhotoPrism is a self-hosted photo and video library with face recognition, AI labels and world maps, built for people who want their pictures on their own server instead of a big-tech cloud. The Community Edition is free and open source; paid memberships start at EUR 2.00 a month billed annually.

The bottom line

A strong free choice for self-hosters who browse and search big libraries; pick Immich if automatic phone backup matters most.

Our score

Reviewed by the Conversion Gems editorial team. Hover a facet to focus it; click to pin.Tap a facet to focus it.

What it is, and why we rate it

One line each. Open a row for detail.

What it really isAn open-source photo and video library you host yourself, with face recognition, AI labels and maps in a browser interface.
Our takePhotoPrism gives you most of what people like about cloud photo apps while keeping files on your own disks, and the free Community Edition is enough for many households.
The trade-offs are setup work and phones: you run Docker on a server with enough RAM, and there is no native mobile app, so backup from a phone needs a WebDAV app. Paid memberships are cheap but billed yearly.
Why we rate itIt offers face recognition, AI tagging, maps and broad RAW and video support for free on your own server.
The catchYou run and maintain the server yourself, and there is no native phone app.

Best / not good for

Best for
  • Self-hosters leaving Google Photos or iCloud
  • Photographers with large RAW and video archives
  • Families who want photos on their own NAS
Not good for
  • People who want automatic backup from a native phone app
  • Users who do not want to manage Docker or a server
Trade-offs

Friction report

Trade-offs to know before signing up.

  1. Time to value
    An hour or more: install with Docker on a server or NAS, point it at your photo folders, then wait for indexing, which depends on library size.
  2. Scale breakpoint
    A web UI for managing users needs Plus or a team licence; commercial use by teams needs Starter at EUR 79 a month billed annually.
  3. Walled garden
    Low: files stay in your own folders, metadata can be written to YAML sidecar files, and sync works over standard WebDAV.
Still a fit?
If none of these block you, start on the free plan.
Try PhotoPrism

PhotoPrism editions and prices

PlanPriceWho it's forWhat it adds
CommunityFreePersonal, self-hostedAGPL licence, core library, maps, community support
EssentialsEUR 2.00/moPersonal, self-hostedExtra user roles, 3D vector and satellite maps, enhanced geocoding
Plusfrom EUR 6.00/moPersonal, self-hostedUser management UI, vector graphics, private members chat
PikaPodsfrom $6.50/moManaged hostingHosted for you; 150 MP maximum resolution
StarterEUR 79.00/moTeams up to 10 usersCommercial licence, email and chat support
Businessfrom EUR 219.00/mo25 to 150 usersRemote setup and onboarding, SLA
Enterprisefrom EUR 1,499.00/moLarge organizationsCustom licensing, branded theme, enterprise SLA

From PhotoPrism's pricing pages (editions and teams), checked 4 October 2026. Essentials, Plus and all team plans are billed annually; PikaPods is billed by PikaPods.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is PhotoPrism free?

Yes. The Community Edition is free, open source under the AGPL licence and self-hosted with no storage limit. Paid personal memberships add features: Essentials costs EUR 2.00 a month and Plus starts at EUR 6.00 a month, both billed annually (checked 4 October 2026).

How much does PhotoPrism cost for teams?

Team licences are billed annually: Starter EUR 79.00 a month for up to 10 users, Business from EUR 219.00 a month for 25 to 150 users, and Enterprise from EUR 1,499.00 a month (checked 4 October 2026).

What is PhotoPrism?

PhotoPrism is a privacy-first photo and video library from PhotoPrism UG in Berlin. You install it on your own server, NAS or Raspberry Pi, and it indexes, tags and maps your pictures in a browser interface.

Does PhotoPrism have an iOS app?

Not a native one. PhotoPrism lists its mobile option as a progressive web app (PWA) plus PhotoSync, and its docs say any app that supports WebDAV can sync photos between your phone and PhotoPrism.

PhotoPrism vs Immich: which should I use?

Both are free, self-hosted and AGPL-licensed. Immich has native Android and iOS apps with automatic phone backup. PhotoPrism focuses on browsing, search, maps and wide format support, with phone sync through WebDAV apps.

What hardware does PhotoPrism need?

PhotoPrism's docs ask for at least 2 CPU cores, 3 GB of RAM and a 64-bit operating system, with RAM matching the number of cores and SSD storage recommended for faster indexing.

PhotoPrism alternatives

Other ways to store and organize your photos:

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Sources checked October 4, 2026: PhotoPrism editions and pricing, PhotoPrism team plans, PhotoPrism home page, PhotoPrism system requirements, PhotoPrism mobile sync docs, PhotoPrism on GitHub.

Conversion Gems independently reviews every tool.

Tags

#PhotoPrism#SelfHosted#PhotoManagement

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