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.
Hardware Requirements
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 |
Our Recommendation
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.