Comparison
Immich vs Nextcloud
Immich and Nextcloud both let you take back your photos from Big Tech by self-hosting — but they scope the job differently. Immich is purpose-built for photos and videos, with a Google-Photos-style experience; Nextcloud is a broad files-and-collaboration suite where photos are one feature among many. Here's the honest split.
Choose Immich if
Choose Immich if photos and videos are the point: a fast, Google-Photos-like experience with ML search, face recognition and mobile auto-backup, all on hardware you control.
Immich Trust Report ›Choose Nextcloud if
Choose Nextcloud if you want one self-hosted home for everything — files, documents, calendar and contacts — with photos as part of a broader collaboration suite.
Nextcloud Trust Report ›| Scope | ||
| Focus | Photos & video Purpose-built | Files & collab Photos is one app |
| License | AGPL-3.0 Open source | AGPL-3.0 Open source |
| Hosting | Self-hosted Docker | Self-hosted or providers |
| Photo experience | ||
| ML search · face recognition | Yes On-device models | Partial Via apps |
| Mobile auto-backup | Yes iOS & Android apps | Yes Files/Photos apps |
| Timeline & albums | Yes Photos-first UI | Basic |
| Beyond photos | ||
| Files · docs · calendar | — Photos only | Yes Full suite |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
| Price | Free | Free + hosting |
The bottom line
Choose Immich if
Choose Immich if photos and videos are the point: a fast, Google-Photos-like experience with ML search, face recognition and mobile auto-backup, all on hardware you control.
Choose Nextcloud if
Choose Nextcloud if you want one self-hosted home for everything — files, documents, calendar and contacts — with photos as part of a broader collaboration suite.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Immich and Nextcloud?
Immich and Nextcloud both let you take back your photos from Big Tech by self-hosting — but they scope the job differently. Immich is purpose-built for photos and videos, with a Google-Photos-style experience; Nextcloud is a broad files-and-collaboration suite where photos are one feature among many. Here's the honest split. In short: choose Immich if choose Immich if photos and videos are the point: a fast, Google-Photos-like experience with ML search, face recognition and mobile auto-backup, all on hardware you control. Choose Nextcloud if choose Nextcloud if you want one self-hosted home for everything — files, documents, calendar and contacts — with photos as part of a broader collaboration suite.
Is Immich or Nextcloud cheaper?
At our last review, Immich is listed at “Free · open source” and Nextcloud at “Free · Enterprise from €71.29/user/yr”. Pricing is recorded as published by each developer and re-checked when the report is refreshed.
Which of Immich and Nextcloud supports more platforms?
Immich runs on Self-hosted (Docker) · iOS · Android · web. Nextcloud runs on Windows 10+ · macOS 12+ · Linux · iOS 17+ · Android 9+.
Are Immich and Nextcloud both safe to use?
Both carry an independent Altapp Trust Report. Immich: 6/9 of nine checks verified, last full review Jul 19, 2026. Nextcloud: 8/9 of nine checks verified, last full review Jul 17, 2026. Each covers source verification, data and permissions, and known risks. Altapp publishes no score of its own — the count is a tally of what could be independently confirmed.