6144 MB RAMamd64 / arm64TypeScript / DartMediumAGPL-3.0-onlyVersion v3.3.5
Instead of a subscription
Self-hosted alternatives to iCloud Photos
iCloud Photos syncs the camera roll across Apple devices and charges by storage tier once the free allowance runs out. A self-hosted library accepts uploads from the same phones and keeps the originals on your disk.
Catalog
Recipes that cover it
4096 MB RAMamd64 / arm64Go / JavaScriptMediumAGPL-3.0-onlyVersion 261007
Requirements
Side by side
| Application | Minimum RAM | Disk estimate | Database | Installation difficulty | Backup | Recipe verification | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immich | 6144 MB RAM | 20 GB | PostgreSQL | Medium | Yes · Restore tested | Fully verifiedRecheck overdue · 0 dCheck is current | AGPL-3.0-only |
| PhotoPrism | 4096 MB RAM | 10 GB | MariaDB | Medium | Yes | Fully verifiedRecheck overdue · 0 dCheck is current | AGPL-3.0-only |
The bill
The subscription against a server
Both figures are editable, because only you know which of them you actually pay. The server is sized from the figure the recipe recommends — the same one the catalog calls a comfortable fit on your profile — and not from the cheapest row of a price list.
Immich asks for 8 GB of RAM, 2 vCPU and 20 GB of disk — $48 a month on DigitalOcean Basic.
The difference
- Per month
- $38.01
- Per year
- $456.12
- Over three years
- $1,368.36
The subscription wins on price by $456.12 a year. What hosting it buys you here is the data, not the money.
Not counted: your own time, a domain, and a backup kept anywhere other than that same server. A machine you already run costs nothing extra — set the server to zero.
iCloud Photos · iCloud+, 2 TB, billed monthly, price checked 2026-09-10Server prices: DigitalOcean Basic, checked 2026-09-10
Migration
What changes when you host it yourself
The data stops leaving your network, and so does the responsibility for it: backups, the restore you have actually tested, and the disk it all sits on.
Feature parity is never exact. Read what each recipe states about limitations and the smoke test before planning a migration.
The bill turns into work: updates, certificates and an eye on the release notes. The catalog shows how much of that each recipe asks for.
Categories
Guides with these applications
- Services that never need a public addressKeep household services behind loopback, a private network or a VPN. Private access still needs application authentication, safe initialization and backups.
- A family cloud without the subscriptionFiles, photos and device sync for a household. Decide who holds each copy, how access is granted and where the off-server backup lives.
- A media library you ownFilms, music, audiobooks, podcasts and photographs from your own files. Match clients, storage and transcoding needs before choosing the server.