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Head-to-head · Immich Hosting

DigitalOcean Immich vs Elestio Immich

  • Updated Sep 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 7 checks side by side
Higher score DigitalOcean Immich #4 in Immich Hosting 7.7/10 From $24/mo ✓ 1 of 3 features Visit DigitalOcean
Elestio Immich #9 in Immich Hosting 6.6/10 From $11/mo · 3-day trial Free trial✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Elestio

DigitalOcean Immich leads on 1 check, Elestio Immich on 4, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 7 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreDigitalOcean Immich · 7.7/10
  • Lowest starting priceElestio Immich · $11/mo
  • Free trialonly Elestio Immich
  • Most featuresElestio Immich · 3 of 3

DigitalOcean Immich scores higher on our rubric for immich hosting: 7.7 against 6.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #9.

Elestio Immich is cheaper to start at $11/mo against $24/mo. Elestio Immich offers managed updates; DigitalOcean Immich doesn't. Elestio Immich offers backups; DigitalOcean Immich doesn't. DigitalOcean Immich leads on included storage: 80 GB versus 60 GB. On deployment, Elestio Immich gives you Managed where DigitalOcean Immich offers One-click.

DigitalOcean Immich is the better fit for DIY users wanting a mainstream Immich droplet. Elestio Immich is the better fit for teams wanting managed Immich and operations tooling.

  • DigitalOcean Immich fits best

    DIY users wanting a mainstream Immich droplet

  • Elestio Immich fits best

    Teams wanting managed Immich and operations tooling

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you click some links. It never changes our verdict. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature DigitalOcean Immich 7.7/10 Visit ↗ Elestio Immich 6.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 7.7 6.6
Ranking #4 in Immich Hosting #9 in Immich Hosting
Best for DIY users wanting a mainstream Immich droplet Teams wanting managed Immich and operations tooling
Pricing model Paid Paid
Starting price $24/mo $11/mo (best)
Free plan — —
Free trial — ✓ (best)
Deployment Cloud Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web, Linux Web
Built for Solo, Small business Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features DigitalOcean Immich 1/3 · Elestio Immich 3/3
Managed updates — ✓ (best)
Backups — ✓ (best)
Custom domain + SSL ✓ ✓
Specs
Included storage 80 GB (best) 60 GB
Deployment One-click Managed
Scaling Manual Manual
Our review
Pros
  • Preconfigured one-click image includes Immich and Docker Compose
  • Deploy through the control panel or API, with SSH server access
  • Automatic TLS certificates when a domain points to the server
  • Managed installation, configuration, and scheduled software updates
  • Daily snapshots, remote backups, and expandable storage volumes
  • Metrics, logs, audit trail, alerts, and migration support
Cons
  • Core Droplet service is unmanaged, so server administration is yours
  • The $24/month base plan does not include backups
  • Updates and scaling require your own administration
  • No free plan; the trial lasts three days
  • Starting price varies with provider, region, and server resources
  • Service scaling is manual rather than automatic
Our verdict

DigitalOcean Immich is a cloud Droplet image for people who want to host their own Immich photo and video library rather than use a managed Immich service. The one-click image includes Immich and Docker Compose, while DigitalOcean supplies…

Read the review →

Elestio Immich is managed hosting for Immich, a self-hosted photo and video backup application. It is aimed at people and teams who want to run Immich on a dedicated virtual machine without handling routine installation, configuration,…

Read the review →
  1. DigitalOcean ImmichImmich Hosting 7.7From $24/mo
  2. Elestio ImmichImmich Hosting 6.6From $11/mo · 3-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • DigitalOcean Immich — where it wins

    • Preconfigured one-click image includes Immich and Docker Compose
    • Deploy through the control panel or API, with SSH server access
    • Automatic TLS certificates when a domain points to the server

    Where it doesn't

    • Core Droplet service is unmanaged, so server administration is yours
    • The $24/month base plan does not include backups
    • Updates and scaling require your own administration

  • Elestio Immich — where it wins

    • Managed installation, configuration, and scheduled software updates
    • Daily snapshots, remote backups, and expandable storage volumes
    • Metrics, logs, audit trail, alerts, and migration support

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan; the trial lasts three days
    • Starting price varies with provider, region, and server resources
    • Service scaling is manual rather than automatic

More comparisons

All immich hosting comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026

Last updated · How we research and update