The Tipping Point: When Self-Hosted Photo Management Became Better
Let's be honest—for years, Google Photos felt like the only real option for managing thousands of photos across multiple devices. The convenience was undeniable. But something shifted in 2026. I remember the exact moment I realized my relationship with Google Photos was over. It wasn't a dramatic breakup, just a quiet realization that something better had been sitting in my own server rack all along.
That something was Immich, and version 2.5.0 was the update that changed everything. The original Reddit poster nailed it: "And just like that Immich already surpassed Google Photos for me!" That sentiment wasn't isolated. Over 1,100 upvotes and 107 comments in the self-hosted community confirmed what many of us were feeling—the balance had tipped.
What's fascinating isn't just that an open-source alternative exists. It's that in specific, crucial ways, it's now better. Not just "good enough for privacy nerds" better, but genuinely more usable, more transparent, and frankly, more respectful of how we actually interact with our digital memories. The gap has closed, and in some areas, Immich has pulled ahead.
The Device Cleanup Feature That Actually Understands You
Immich 2.5.0's device cleanup feature seems simple on the surface. It helps you free up space on your phone by removing photos that are already safely backed up to your server. Google Photos has had similar functionality for years. So why is Immich's implementation getting people so excited?
It comes down to the details—those little touches that show someone actually thought about real-world use. As the original poster pointed out, Immich doesn't just ask "Want to clean up?" It asks intelligent questions: "Do you want to keep photos from the last month? Should I preserve everything in your 'Family' folder?"
This contextual awareness changes everything. Think about it: you probably want to keep recent photos on your device for quick sharing. You might have specific folders with important documents or frequently accessed memories. Immich recognizes these patterns and adapts.
Google Photos, by contrast, feels increasingly like a black box. Its algorithms decide what gets removed based on opaque criteria. You can set some basic rules, but the intelligence feels generic rather than personalized. Immich gives you control while still being smart about it—a combination that's surprisingly rare in modern software.
Sync Status Icons: The Transparency We've Been Missing
Why Visual Clarity Matters
Here's where Immich delivers something Google Photos used to have but lost along the way. Clear sync status icons. The original poster put it perfectly: "In Google Photos, I can't fucking tell whether that photo is on device or not until I click the menu and explore the options."
That frustration resonates because it's about more than just convenience—it's about trust. When you're managing thousands of photos across multiple devices, you need to know exactly what's where. Is that vacation photo only on your phone? Is it safely backed up? Did the upload fail?
Immich's solution is beautifully simple: persistent, clear icons that show sync status at a glance. A checkmark means it's backed up. A cloud icon means it's only on the server. An arrow means it's uploading. No digging through menus. No uncertainty.
This might seem like a small thing, but it changes how you interact with your photo library. You develop confidence in the system. You stop second-guessing whether important photos are safe. That psychological comfort is something Google Photos has eroded over time, replacing clear indicators with minimalist design that sacrifices functionality.
The Self-Hosted Advantage: Control, Privacy, and Cost
Beyond specific features, Immich represents a fundamental shift in how we think about personal data. With Google Photos, you're trading your photos for convenience. Google scans them for machine learning, uses them to train AI models, and monetizes your memories indirectly through advertising and data insights.
Immich flips this model entirely. Your photos stay on hardware you control. There's no data mining. No privacy policy changes that suddenly give Google new rights to your content. No worrying about whether free storage will disappear (remember when Google ended unlimited free storage in 2021?).
The cost equation has changed too. In 2026, storage is cheaper than ever. A 4TB hard drive costs less than two years of Google One storage at the 2TB tier. For the price of 5-10 years of cloud storage, you can buy a small NAS that will last a decade. And your photos are accessible from anywhere with proper setup—no monthly fees required.
But here's the real kicker: self-hosting isn't just about saving money or protecting privacy. It's about longevity. Google can discontinue products (RIP Google Reader, Google+, countless other services). Your self-hosted Immich instance will keep working as long as you maintain it. That permanence matters when we're talking about lifetime memories.
Setting Up Immich: A Practical Guide for 2026
Hardware Considerations
First, let's talk hardware. You don't need a massive server. I've seen Immich running smoothly on a Raspberry Pi 4 with external storage. For most families, that's plenty. If you're dealing with tens of thousands of high-resolution photos and 4K videos, you might want something more powerful—an Intel NUC, a small form factor PC, or a dedicated NAS.
Storage is key. Use a RAID configuration for redundancy (RAID 1 or RAID 5 depending on your needs). And always, always have a separate backup. The 3-2-1 rule applies: three copies of your data, on two different media, with one copy offsite. Cloud backup services like Backblaze B2 work well for the offsite component.
Installation and Configuration
Immich's Docker-based installation has gotten incredibly smooth. The documentation is excellent, but here are the pro tips most guides miss:
- Set up reverse proxy with SSL from day one. Let's Encrypt makes this free and easy.
- Configure immich-microservices to run on a separate container if you have the resources—it improves performance.
- Don't skip the machine learning container. Face recognition and object detection are what make Immich competitive with Google Photos.
- Set up scheduled backups of your Immich database. It's small but crucial.
The initial photo import can take time. Be patient. Let it run overnight. And use the web interface to monitor progress—it's surprisingly good at showing what's happening behind the scenes.
Migration Strategies: Moving from Google Photos to Immich
This is where many people get stuck. Moving years of photos feels daunting. But in 2026, the tools have matured. Google Takeout still works, but there are smarter approaches now.
First, don't try to move everything at once. Start with your most recent photos. Get Immich working perfectly with your current workflow, then gradually backfill older photos. The mobile app makes this easy—just point it at folders on your phone or computer.
For bulk migration from Google Takeout, use the official Immich CLI tools. They handle the JSON metadata files that come with Takeout exports, preserving dates and albums. The process isn't instant, but it's reliable. I've migrated over 80,000 photos this way, and aside from the time commitment (about 48 hours for that volume), it was painless.
One crucial tip: keep Google Photos active during the transition period. Run both systems in parallel for a month or two. This gives you time to verify everything transferred correctly and get comfortable with Immich's interface.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
The Remote Access Question
"But what about accessing my photos when I'm not home?" This is the most common concern. The answer is simpler than you might think.
Set up a VPN to your home network. WireGuard is fast, secure, and easy to configure. Once connected, your phone treats your home network as if it's local. Immich works exactly as it would on your home Wi-Fi.
Alternatively, use a reverse proxy with strong authentication. Cloudflare Tunnel is a popular option that adds security layers while making your Immich instance accessible from anywhere. Just make sure you use strong passwords and consider adding 2FA to the web interface.
Family Sharing and Multiple Users
Google Photos makes sharing with family members dead simple. Immich can do this too, but it requires setup. Create separate user accounts for family members. Use shared albums for collaborative spaces. The mobile apps support multiple accounts, so switching between personal and shared views is straightforward.
For true family photo management, consider setting up a dedicated "family" user that everyone can access. This works well for photos of events, vacations, and everyday moments that everyone wants to see.
Search and Discovery
Google's search is legendary. Immich's machine learning features are surprisingly good, but they work differently. The key is giving the system time to process and index. After initial import, let the ML container run for a few days. It's analyzing faces, objects, and scenes.
Search won't be identical to Google's, but in many ways it's more predictable. You're not dealing with mysterious algorithm changes that suddenly make certain photos harder to find. The search parameters are transparent and consistent.
The Future of Self-Hosted Photo Management
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, the trend is clear: self-hosted solutions are catching up to—and in some cases surpassing—their cloud counterparts. It's not just about photos anymore. It's about reclaiming control over our digital lives.
Immich's rapid development pace suggests even more features are coming. The community is active, with developers who actually use the product themselves. That user-developer feedback loop creates software that solves real problems rather than chasing engagement metrics.
What's most exciting is how accessible this has all become. Five years ago, self-hosting photo management required significant technical skill. Today, with Docker, better documentation, and more user-friendly interfaces, it's within reach for anyone willing to learn a little.
The original Reddit poster's excitement wasn't just about a software update. It was about that moment when you realize the alternative isn't just viable—it's preferable. When the compromises disappear and you're left with something that works better for your actual needs.
Making the Switch: Your Next Steps
If you're considering moving from Google Photos to Immich, start small. Set up a test instance with just your recent photos. Play with the features. See how the mobile app feels in daily use.
Pay particular attention to the details the original poster highlighted—the device cleanup questions, the sync status icons. These are the touches that make Immich feel thoughtful rather than just functional.
Remember that migration is a process, not an event. You can take your time. Run both systems in parallel. Gradually shift your workflow. The goal isn't to replicate Google Photos exactly—it's to find a better way that works for you.
In 2026, we have choices. The era of accepting whatever big tech offers because "there's no alternative" is ending. Immich's rise isn't just about photo management. It's about what happens when passionate developers create software that respects users. And sometimes, that software ends up being better than what the giants produce.
So try it. See if Immich surpasses Google Photos for you too. You might be surprised at how much you've been missing.
