Immich vs iCloud Photos

Immich9.2Visit iCloud Photos8.5Visit

Higher score Immich #2 in Image Hosting 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Immich

vs

iCloud Photos #8 in Image Hosting 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit iCloud Photos

• Immich fits best

  Self-hosters wanting a private photo library

• iCloud Photos fits best

  Apple users syncing photos across devices

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Side by side

Feature	Immich 9.2/10 Visit ↗	iCloud Photos 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.5
Ranking	#2 in Image Hosting	#8 in Image Hosting
Best for	Self-hosters wanting a private photo library	Apple users syncing photos across devices
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Mobile	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS
Features Immich 0/4 · iCloud Photos 3/4
API access	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Private sharing	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Custom domain	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Image transformations	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Storage limit	Not checked yet	50 GB
Bandwidth limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Max file size	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Automatic mobile backup with original-file retention Facial recognition, contextual search, and duplicate detection Sharing, API access, and broad self-hosted platform coverage	Automatic photo and video synchronization across supported devices Shared Photo Library supports up to five other people Web, Windows File Explorer, and PhotoKit access
Cons	Requires users to deploy and operate their own server infrastructure Storage capacity depends on the operator's infrastructure Desktop access is centered on the web interface	The free plan includes only 5 GB of storage Its strongest fit is within the Apple device ecosystem No custom image-domain feature is included
Our verdict	Immich is an open-source, self-hosted application for managing personal photos and videos. It provides a web interface and official Android and iOS apps for uploading, browsing, organizing, searching, and sharing media. Automatic mobile… Read the review →	iCloud Photos stores photos and videos in iCloud and synchronizes them across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Windows PCs, and web browsers. It is aimed at Apple users who want one photo library available through the Photos app, iCloud.com,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Immich — where it wins

  • Automatic mobile backup with original-file retention
  • Facial recognition, contextual search, and duplicate detection
  • Sharing, API access, and broad self-hosted platform coverage

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires users to deploy and operate their own server infrastructure
  • Storage capacity depends on the operator's infrastructure
  • Desktop access is centered on the web interface

• iCloud Photos — where it wins

  • Automatic photo and video synchronization across supported devices
  • Shared Photo Library supports up to five other people
  • Web, Windows File Explorer, and PhotoKit access

  Where it doesn't

  • The free plan includes only 5 GB of storage
  • Its strongest fit is within the Apple device ecosystem
  • No custom image-domain feature is included

• Immich9.2/10 · Free plan

  A capable open-source photo library for people who want to manage their own infrastructure.

  Visit ImmichFull verdict →
• iCloud Photos8.5/10 · Free plan

  A strong Apple-centered photo library with web and Windows access.

  Visit iCloud PhotosFull verdict →