Family photo libraries are the trickiest kind. Everyone wants to see them, most people cannot host them, and the paid services keep changing pricing. Google Photos ended the free unlimited tier. Amazon Photos is winding down. Apple’s family plan works only if the whole family uses Apple hardware. We tested seven apps for family photo sharing on desktop-hosted setups and lined them up by who owns the data, what remote access looks like, and how many people can browse without setting up VPN clients.
Five of these are open source and self-hosted. Two are paid services that still make sense if privacy is not the top concern. Two support end-to-end encryption. All seven let a grandparent view photos on their phone without installing anything technical.
What to look for in a family photo app
The needs are different from a solo library.
- Multi-user support with per-album access
- Face grouping and shared “people” tags across users
- A viewer that works on grandparents’ phones and tablets
- Backup from iOS and Android without the app crashing at 3 AM
- Timeline plus album views (both matter for families)
- Duplicate detection because everyone backs up the same wedding photo
- Reasonable storage costs at 500 GB and up
Multi-user support is where hosted services still win. Self-hosted has caught up, but only three of the open-source options treat family sharing as a first-class feature.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Self-host? | Free plan | Starting price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immich | Best-in-class self-hosted | Yes | Full featured | $0 | Community loved |
| PhotoPrism | AI face grouping self-hosted | Yes | Full featured | $0 or $5/mo | Solid |
| Nextcloud Photos | Existing Nextcloud users | Yes | Full featured | $0 | Widely used |
| Ente Photos | End-to-end encrypted sharing | Yes | 5 GB | $2.99/mo | Trusted |
| PhotoStructure | Long-term archive quality | Yes | Full featured | $0 or $50/yr | Newer |
| Google Photos | Non-technical families | No | 15 GB shared | $1.99/mo (100 GB) | Widely used |
| Apple iCloud Photos | Apple-only families | No | 5 GB | $0.99/mo (50 GB) | Trusted |
The apps
1. Immich, best-in-class self-hosted
Immich shipped 1.0 in 2024 and quickly became the community default. The mobile apps for iOS and Android auto-backup like Google Photos, the web UI has timeline, albums, map view, and face grouping, and multi-user support is real: each family member gets their own login and their own visible library, with shared albums where wanted.
Where it falls short: needs a real server (a Pi 4 handles a small family library, a NUC handles a big one). Face-recognition training runs on CPU by default and can peg it for a day on a large library.
Pricing:
- Free and open source
- Optional Immich Cloud subscription is on the roadmap
- Hosted variants from third parties from $5/mo
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux (Docker Compose)
Download: Immich
Bottom line: the default self-hosted answer for family photo sharing in 2026.
2. PhotoPrism, best for AI face grouping self-hosted
PhotoPrism ships one of the best face grouping models in the free tier. It also handles RAW files, video thumbnails, and duplicate detection with less resource use than Immich on the same hardware. Multi-user support is stable and mature.
Where it falls short: the mobile experience is web-only (no native app). Backup from a phone means using WebDAV or a third-party app.
Pricing:
- Free (self-host)
- Membership: $5/mo, funds development, adds early access features
- One-time payment $150 for lifetime membership
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux (Docker)
Download: PhotoPrism
Bottom line: install if you want the best face grouping and do not need a phone app.
3. Nextcloud Photos, best for existing Nextcloud users
Nextcloud Photos is a first-class app inside Nextcloud. If you already run Nextcloud for files, adding photos means enabling one module. Sharing works the same as any Nextcloud folder: create a public link, set an expiry, done.
Where it falls short: face recognition and object detection require the Recognize community app, which is heavier than Immich or PhotoPrism at the same scale.
Pricing:
- Free (self-host)
- Nextcloud Enterprise pricing for organisations
- Hosted third-party Nextcloud from around $5/mo
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux (Docker, snap, or bare metal)
Download: Nextcloud
Bottom line: the pick if you already have Nextcloud and want photos alongside files.
4. Ente Photos, best end-to-end encrypted sharing
Ente is the only end-to-end encrypted service on this list that also has real family sharing. Each family member gets 25 GB out of a shared family plan of 200 GB or more, and every photo is encrypted client-side before it touches Ente’s servers.
Where it falls short: encryption limits some features. Public web viewer for shared albums is available but slower than plaintext competitors.
Pricing:
- Free: 5 GB
- Individual: $2.99/mo for 50 GB
- Family: $7.99/mo for 200 GB (shared)
- Family: $14.99/mo for 1 TB (shared)
Platforms: web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux (also self-hostable server)
Download: Ente
Bottom line: the pick when privacy is the top concern and you still want a real hosted service.
5. PhotoStructure, best for long-term archive quality
PhotoStructure treats itself as a photo library that will still work in 20 years. Everything is stored as your original files in a folder structure of your choice, and the database is optional metadata layered on top. If PhotoStructure disappears tomorrow, your files are untouched.
Where it falls short: multi-user support is per-instance, not per-user. Sharing means running a second instance or exposing the library read-only.
Pricing:
- Free for personal use
- PhotoStructure Plus: $50/year (search, sync, mobile improvements)
- Lifetime license: $200
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux (Node.js or Docker)
Download: PhotoStructure
Bottom line: install if archive integrity matters more than the newest AI features.
6. Google Photos, best for non-technical families
Google Photos is still the hosted default. Everyone in your family already has a Google account, the app is on every phone, and sharing an album with grandma takes three taps. Face grouping is state of the art and the search is genuinely useful.
Where it falls short: Google reads your photos to train models unless you opt out, and the free tier is capped at 15 GB shared with Gmail and Drive.
Pricing:
- Free: 15 GB (shared with Google account storage)
- One 100 GB: $1.99/mo
- Two 200 GB: $2.99/mo (family sharing)
- Premium 2 TB: $9.99/mo (family sharing)
Platforms: web, iOS, Android; Google Photos backup app on Windows and macOS
Download: Google Photos
Bottom line: the pick for families that will never install a server, and the best experience for grandma on her phone.
7. Apple iCloud Photos, best for Apple-only families
Apple iCloud Photos works best when everyone in the family uses an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Shared Library is a real feature: photos taken by any family member land in one shared bucket that everyone edits and organises together.
Where it falls short: Windows and Android access is limited to the browser and a shaky Windows app. The whole system falls apart the moment one family member switches to Android.
Pricing:
- Free: 5 GB (shared with iCloud Backup)
- 50 GB: $0.99/mo
- 200 GB: $2.99/mo (family sharing)
- 2 TB: $9.99/mo (family sharing)
- 6 TB: $29.99/mo (family sharing)
Platforms: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, web, Windows (limited)
Download: iCloud
Bottom line: the pick only when every family member is on an Apple device today and plans to stay.
How to pick the right one
If you want the simplest option: Google Photos. If you want to own the data: Immich. If you want end-to-end encryption: Ente. If you already run Nextcloud: Nextcloud Photos. If you write your own scripts and want files untouched: PhotoStructure. If you want the best face grouping without a phone app: PhotoPrism. If everyone in your family is on Apple: iCloud Photos.
Self-hosted setups take a weekend. Hosted services take five minutes. The tradeoff is who owns the data, how much you pay every month, and what happens if the vendor changes pricing again.
FAQ
What is the best free family photo app?
For self-hosted, Immich or PhotoPrism. For hosted, Google Photos free tier. Immich and PhotoPrism are functionally unlimited if you own the storage.
Can I share photos with grandparents who are not technical?
Yes. Immich and Ente both generate public web links that work in any browser with no login. Google Photos and iCloud send shared album links the same way.
Which family photo app has the best iPhone backup?
Immich and Ente both have background upload that keeps working reliably. Google Photos is still the reference, and iCloud is invisible if you are on Apple.
Do these apps handle RAW files?
PhotoPrism and PhotoStructure both preserve RAW originals and generate previews. Immich handles common RAW formats but is weaker on Fuji and less common bodies.
Can I move from Google Photos without losing dates?
Yes. Google Takeout exports with EXIF plus a JSON sidecar. Immich, PhotoPrism, and Ente all have importers that read the JSON and restore correct dates.
