Comparison

Immich vs ente

Immich lands on Depends, and ente lands on Worth it.

Immich

Depends

Confidence: Medium

Buy it if you already run a home server and want Google Photos features without Google.

Read the full report

ente

Worth it

Confidence: Medium

Buy if you're privacy-first and happy paying a premium for end-to-end encrypted photo backup across devices.

Read the full report

Immich versus ente
Compare	Immich	ente
Verdict	Depends	Worth it
Best for	Homelabbers comfortable with Docker	Privacy-first individuals
Who it's not for	Non-technical users without a server	Bargain hunters wanting cheapest per-GB storage
Privacy	Multiple CVEs disclosed in 2025-2026 (auth bypass, XSS, privilege escalation, OAuth account hijacking); keep patched and limit internet exposure.¹⁰	End-to-end encrypted, open source, and audited; one 2026 server-side authorization-bypass CVE disclosed.
Support quality	Community-driven; managed hosting via Elestio exists	No support evidence reviewed
Public sentiment	Self-hosters love it once running, but report setup friction, family-sharing headaches, and occasional reliability doubts.^⁶	Privacy-focused users are largely enthusiastic, with price the recurring complaint.¹⁶
Biggest gotcha	Exposing Immich to the internet without VPN or firewall is the top attack vector users get burned on¹²	CVE-2026-16751: emergency-recovery approval bypass enabling account takeover; confirm patched status.

Pick Immich when

Homelabbers comfortable with Docker
Privacy-focused families leaving Google Photos
Photo hoarders with local storage
Self-hosting communities and resellers

When Immich is not a fit

Non-technical users without a server
Anyone wanting zero-maintenance backup
Buyers needing vendor SLAs or support contracts
Families who resent fiddling with permissions

Pick ente when

Privacy-first individuals
Google/Apple Photos refugees
Open-source and self-host enthusiasts
Multi-device families wanting E2EE

When ente is not a fit

Bargain hunters wanting cheapest per-GB storage
Users dependent on Google's AI search and editing
Non-technical folks expecting effortless self-hosting
Businesses needing shared team photo workflows

Sources

Immich official siteimmich.app
official
Immich purchase pagebuy.immich.app
official
Licensing announcement . purchase a license to support Immichgithub.com
official
Immich joins FUTOimmich.app
news
Immich is great… until you try using it with familyreddit.com
review
Immich great...until it isn'treddit.com
review
And just like that Immich already surpassed Google Photos for me!reddit.com
review
Immich vs PhotoPrism: Which Self-Hosted Photo Manager for Your Familyblog.elest.io
review
80000 GitHub Stars and I'm Just Finding This?! . Immichlinuxblog.io
review
CVE-2026-59258: Immich Auth Bypass Vulnerabilitysentinelone.com
security
Account hijacking through OAuth2 . GitHub advisorygithub.com
security
Immich security considerations for remote accessreddit.com
security
Ente Photos official siteente.com
official
Android Authority hands-on reviewandroidauthority.com
review
Review of Ente Photos (jwestall.com)jwestall.com
review
Reddit: I love Ente, what's the catch?reddit.com
review