Immich Self-Hosting: Best VPS 2026

Why Immich Instead of Google Photos?

Google Photos is convenient – but your photos train Google's AI, storage is limited (15 GB), and you depend on a US corporation.

Immich offers 95% of Google Photos features: Auto-upload, face recognition, map view, memories – but your photos stay on YOUR server.

Immich is more resource-hungry than many self-hosted apps – the AI features need decent power.

The Machine Learning features (face recognition, object detection) run during import. For large libraries, this initially takes several hours!

Usage	RAM	CPU	Storage
5,000 photos	4 GB	2 cores	100 GB
20,000 photos	8 GB	4 cores	300 GB
50,000+ photos	16 GB	4+ cores	500+ GB

For beginners with up to 20,000 photos, we recommend Netcup RS 2000 with 8 GB RAM and 320 GB SSD for about €9/month.

For larger libraries, Contabo Cloud VPS M offers 16 GB RAM and 400 GB SSD for about €10/month.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much storage per photo?

Average: 3-5 MB per photo. 20,000 photos need about 60-100 GB. Immich also stores thumbnails and ML data – plan 50% extra.

Does face recognition work well?

Yes! Immich uses the same ML models as Google Photos. Recognition accuracy is comparable. Initial processing takes time though.

Can I migrate from Google Photos?

Yes! Use Google Takeout to export, then import into Immich. The Immich CLI tool makes bulk imports easy.