Synology Photos vs Ente Photos

Synology Photos8.9Visit Ente Photos8.1Visit

Higher score Synology Photos #4 in Photo Storage Services 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 6 features Try Synology Photos

vs

Ente Photos #11 in Photo Storage Services 8.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 6 features Visit Ente Photos

• Synology Photos fits best

  Synology NAS owners wanting a private library

• Ente Photos fits best

  Privacy-focused families and individuals

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	Synology Photos 8.9/10 Visit ↗	Ente Photos 8.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.1
Ranking	#4 in Photo Storage Services	#11 in Photo Storage Services
Best for	Synology NAS owners wanting a private library	Privacy-focused families and individuals
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile, Browser extension	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome extension	Web, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Features Synology Photos 6/6 · Ente Photos 6/6
Original-quality storage	✓	✓
Face search	✓	✓
Shared albums	✓	✓
Family sharing	✓	✓
Desktop app	✓	✓
Video backup	✓	✓
Specs
Free storage	Not checked yet	10 GB
Our review
Pros	Searches by people, places, tags, metadata, and camera attributes Supports RAW, full-resolution photos, mobile backup, and video backup Adds permissions, protected links, face recognition, and automatic albums	End-to-end encrypted photo and video backups On-device face grouping and natural-language search Open-source apps with family sharing and duplicate removal
Cons	Requires a Synology NAS and installed drives Face and object recognition depend on compatible NAS models Synology Image Assistant is a separate desktop utility	Paid storage tiers top out at 2,000 GB Advanced organization features depend on on-device AI The Starter plan lists storage but no price
Our verdict	Synology Photos is a self-hosted photo and video management application for Synology NAS devices running DiskStation Manager. It suits individuals and households that want a private media library, as well as groups that need shared folders… Read the review →	Ente Photos is a freemium service for backing up, organizing, searching, and sharing photos and videos. It suits individuals and families who want end-to-end encryption across web, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and Windows. The Free plan… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Synology Photos — where it wins

  • Searches by people, places, tags, metadata, and camera attributes
  • Supports RAW, full-resolution photos, mobile backup, and video backup
  • Adds permissions, protected links, face recognition, and automatic albums

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires a Synology NAS and installed drives
  • Face and object recognition depend on compatible NAS models
  • Synology Image Assistant is a separate desktop utility

• Ente Photos — where it wins

  • End-to-end encrypted photo and video backups
  • On-device face grouping and natural-language search
  • Open-source apps with family sharing and duplicate removal

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid storage tiers top out at 2,000 GB
  • Advanced organization features depend on on-device AI
  • The Starter plan lists storage but no price

• Synology Photos8.9/10 · Free plan

  A capable private photo library for Synology NAS owners who want control and depth.

  Try Synology PhotosFull verdict →
• Ente Photos8.1/10 · Free plan

  A privacy-focused photo backup service with strong search, sharing, and family features.

  Visit Ente PhotosFull verdict →