Ditching Google Photos: A User's Journey with Immich

For many years, Google Photos was the go-to service for storing and managing photos. However, its limitations have made it less appealing to users. The free storage tiers are shrinking, and the added monthly costs can add up quickly.

Another reason to leave Google Photos is that it silently expanded AI training on user media across various services, often opting users in by default through settings outside Web & App Activity controls.

A self-hosted photo library, such as Immich, offers a more private and cost-effective solution. This open-source platform allows users to store their photos and videos on hardware they own, giving them full control over their data.

Immich runs as a stack of Docker containers, which package software with everything needed to run. The Postgres database is the catalog that records photo information without storing the actual files. The cache keeps frequently accessed data close at hand for quick server responses. A machine-learning service powers face detection and smart search using CLIP-based AI models.