Ente Photos
End-to-end encrypted photo backup with a server you can host yourself
Our verdict
#1 of 4 in Self-hosted photo libraries · If your server is small or rented
Pros
- The lightest server of the four
- The server can't read your photos or their metadata
- Restores Takeout dates, places and albums without extra tools
- Two-factor login and passkeys
Cons
- Photos are stored encrypted, so you can't browse or reuse them as files on the server
- The install script runs a web app, PostgreSQL and MinIO object storage next to the server
- Background sync isn't yet consistent on iOS and some Android phones, by Ente's own account
- No search for text inside photos
Who should skip:People who want their photos kept as ordinary files they can open without Ente's apps.
Rankings and alternatives
- #1 of 4 Self-hosted photo libraries If your server is small or rented
- Immich #2 For a family on a roomy home server
- LibrePhotos #3 For searching folders you already have
- PhotoPrism #4 For one admin with a folder archive
Self-hosted photo libraries scores
Evaluated Nov 7, 2026 Evidence ↓- Phone backup 5
5/5 means: Official apps on Android and iOS upload new photos in the background
Official iOS and Android apps upload new photos in the background without opening the app. The docs warn that background sync isn't yet consistent on iOS and some Android devices.
- Search and recognition 4
4/5 means: Four of the six
Four of the six. Face grouping, natural-language magic search, a map view and a duplicate remover. Detect Text works on one photo at a time and builds no searchable index; automatic captions aren't documented.
- Sharing with family 4
4/5 means: Other accounts can be given shared albums they add their own photos to
Collaborators can add photos to shared albums. Sharing a whole library at once needs the recipient to be on your family plan, and the docs don't say whether family plans exist on a self-hosted server.
Rests partly on what the sources don't mention, which is a weaker signal than what they say.
- Setup and upkeep 2
2/5 means: Three extra services
The quickstart runs three services besides the museum server, a web app, PostgreSQL and MinIO object storage, plus a socat container that only forwards traffic.
- Server memory 5
5/5 means: Under 2 GB
A minimum of 1 GB of RAM; the heavy work runs on the client devices.
- Privacy from the server 5
5/5 means: All photos are encrypted on your devices before upload; the server never holds the keys
Files and their metadata are encrypted on your device before upload.
- Works with your folders 1
1/5 means: Photos must be uploaded and are kept in a form only the app can open
Photos must be uploaded and are stored encrypted, so only Ente's apps can open them. The desktop app can watch folders on your computer and upload new files.
- Moving from Google Photos 5
5/5 means: The app reads dates and places from the JSON files itself and recreates the Google Photos albums
The desktop app imports Takeout, reads the JSON files for each photo, and turns Takeout's folders into separate albums.
- Sign-in security 3
3/5 means: Two of the four
Two of the four. Two-factor login and passkeys; single sign-on and app passwords aren't documented.
- Free when self-hosted 5
5/5 means: Every documented feature is free, with no paid tier for self-hosting
The self-hosted server is the same open-source code Ente runs, and the admin can lift each user's storage limit with the CLI. The docs describe no paid tier for self-hosting.
Rests partly on what the sources don't mention, which is a weaker signal than what they say.
Evidence and sources
Self-hosted photo libraries scores
Phone backup 4 quotes
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“Background sync: New photos are uploaded automatically without needing to open the app”
ente.com/help/photos/features/backup-and-sync · checked -
“Background sync isn't currently consistent on iOS and on certain Android devices. We're actively working on a fix.”
ente.com/help/photos/features/backup-and-sync · checked -
“Install Ente Photos on Apple devices from the iOS App Store.”
ente.com/help/photos/getting-started/installation · checked -
“Ente Photos for Android can be downloaded through multiple channels based on your preference.”
ente.com/help/photos/getting-started/installation · checked
Search and recognition 5 quotes
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“Face recognition in Ente helps you find and organize photos by the people in them.”
ente.com/help/photos/features/search-and-discovery/face-recognition · checked -
“Magic search lets you find photos using natural language descriptions of their content.”
ente.com/help/photos/features/search-and-discovery/magic-search · checked -
“Detect Text runs on demand and does not build a searchable index across your library, so searches still rely on metadata, machine learning tags, and descriptions.”
ente.com/help/photos/features/utilities/detect-text · checked -
“Map view lets you explore your photos on an interactive map based on the GPS location data embedded in your photos.”
ente.com/help/photos/features/search-and-discovery/map-and-location · checked -
“Open Settings > Free up space > Remove duplicates, review the duplicates found, and confirm to remove them.”
ente.com/help/photos/features/albums-and-organization/storage-optimization · checked
Sharing with family 3 quotes
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“Use Collaborator for participants who should only add and view photos without management responsibilities.”
ente.com/help/photos/features/sharing-and-collaboration/collaboration · checked -
“Library sharing lets you share the albums you own with a family member in one action.”
ente.com/help/photos/features/sharing-and-collaboration/library-sharing · checked -
“The recipient must be an active member of your family plan.”
ente.com/help/photos/features/sharing-and-collaboration/library-sharing · checked
Setup and upkeep 4 quotes
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“Docker: Required for running Ente's server, web application and dependent services (database and object storage).”
ente.com/help/self-hosting/installation/requirements · checked -
“image: ghcr.io/ente/web”
github.com/ente-io/ente/blob/main/server/quickstart.sh · checked -
“image: postgres:15”
github.com/ente-io/ente/blob/main/server/quickstart.sh · checked -
“# Resolve "localhost:3200" in the museum container to the minio container.”
github.com/ente-io/ente/blob/main/server/quickstart.sh · checked
Server memory 2 quotes
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“RAM: A minimum of 1 GB of RAM is required for running the cluster (if using quickstart script).”
ente.com/help/self-hosting/installation/requirements · checked -
“The server is capable of running on minimal resource requirements as a lightweight Go binary, since most of the intensive computational tasks are done on the client.”
ente.com/help/self-hosting/installation/requirements · checked
Privacy from the server 2 quotes
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“Your files are encrypted on your device before being uploaded to our servers.”
ente.com/help/photos/faq/security-and-privacy · checked -
“Just like the photos and videos, all metadata (including exif creation time, location, description etc) is also end-to-end encrypted.”
ente.com/help/photos/faq/security-and-privacy · checked
Works with your folders 2 quotes
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“Your files are encrypted on your device before being uploaded to our servers.”
ente.com/help/photos/faq/security-and-privacy · checked -
“On desktop, you can use watch folders to automatically backup photos from specific directories on your computer.”
ente.com/help/photos/features/backup-and-sync · checked
Moving from Google Photos 2 quotes
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“Ente reads those JSON files, matches them to each photo or video, and encrypts the metadata before upload.”
ente.com/help/photos/migration/from-google-photos · checked -
“Photos are automatically organized into separate albums based on the folder structure within the ZIPs”
ente.com/help/photos/migration/from-google-photos · checked
Sign-in security 2 quotes
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“Ente supports multiple 2FA methods for additional security:”
ente.com/help/photos/features/account · checked -
“You can use passkeys as a second factor to secure your Ente account.”
ente.com/help/photos/features/account/passkeys · checked
Free when self-hosted 2 quotes
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“Our entire source code, including the server is open source. This is the same code we use on production.”
ente.com/help/self-hosting · checked -
“You can use ente admin update-subscription to increase storage quota and account validity (duration).”
ente.com/help/self-hosting/administration/cli · checked
Facts
License 1 quote
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“AGPL-3.0 license”
github.com/ente-io/ente · checked
Runs on 4 quotes
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“Docker: Required for running Ente's server, web application and dependent services (database and object storage).”
ente.com/help/self-hosting/installation/requirements · checked -
“This monorepo contains all our source code - the client apps (iOS / Android / F-Droid / Web / Linux / macOS / Windows) for both the products (and more planned future ones!), and the server that powers them.”
github.com/ente-io/ente · checked -
“Install Ente Photos on Apple devices from the iOS App Store.”
ente.com/help/photos/getting-started/installation · checked -
“Ente Photos for Android can be downloaded through multiple channels based on your preference.”
ente.com/help/photos/getting-started/installation · checked
Needs 3 quotes
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“Ente requires Docker Compose version 2.30 or higher.”
ente.com/help/self-hosting/installation/requirements · checked -
“RAM: A minimum of 1 GB of RAM is required for running the cluster (if using quickstart script).”
ente.com/help/self-hosting/installation/requirements · checked -
“Docker: Required for running Ente's server, web application and dependent services (database and object storage).”
ente.com/help/self-hosting/installation/requirements · checked
Notability
- Wikidata item Q125118851 · checked
- Page views, it.wikipedia.org (the edition with the most), Nov 2025 to Oct 2026 · checked
Users 1 quote
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“"installs_total":30960”
flathub.org/api/v2/stats/io.ente.photos · checked
Other quotes
Not cited by a score or fact 2 quotes
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“It performs well on small cloud instances, old laptops, and even low-end embedded devices.”
ente.com/help/self-hosting/installation/requirements · checked -
“If you wish to run Ente from source without using Docker, follow the steps described below:”
ente.com/help/self-hosting/installation/manual · checked