PhotoPrism

Self-Hosted

AI-powered open-source photo gallery for self-hosting

Overview

PhotoPrism is an AI-enhanced self-hosted photo gallery that organizes your images and videos locally. It uses facial recognition, object detection, and geotagging to sort media without third-party cloud dependency. Supports RAW, HEIC, and various video formats. Deploy via Docker, Kubernetes, or traditional servers with detailed docs. Features include album creation, sharing, search by people/objects/places, and privacy controls—ideal as a privacy-first alternative to proprietary services like Google Photos.

Self-Hosting Resources

Find Official Image on Docker Hub View Source & Docs

Below is a reference structure for docker-compose.yml. ⚠️ Do NOT run blindly. Replace placeholders with official values.

docker-compose.template.yml TEMPLATE


version: '3'
services:
  photoprism:
    image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
    container_name: photoprism
    ports:
      - "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Key Features

AI-driven organization (facial, object, location tagging)
Broad media format support (RAW, HEIC, videos)
Flexible deployment (Docker/Kubernetes/bare metal)

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is PhotoPrism hard to install?

PhotoPrism is easiest to install via Docker (using official compose files), which requires basic Docker knowledge. Non-technical users may need to follow step-by-step docs, but it works on NAS devices, cloud servers, or local machines with minimal setup time.

? Is it a good alternative to Google Photos?

Yes—PhotoPrism offers similar AI-powered organization (facial/object tagging) but keeps media local, avoiding cloud privacy risks. It lacks Google’s automatic mobile backup, but makes up for it with full control over your data.

? Is it completely free?

The core PhotoPrism software is open-source and free. Optional paid tiers (Plus) add priority support, early feature access, and advanced cloud sync, but all main gallery and AI features are available at no cost.

Top Alternatives

Google Photos Compare

Apple Photos Search Google

Amazon Photos Search Google

Tool Info

Pricing Open Source

Category Photo Galleries

Platform Self-Hosted

Pros

⊕ Privacy-focused (no cloud uploads)
⊕ AI features without subscription
⊕ Supports niche media formats (RAW/HEIC)

Cons

⊖ Requires server resources (CPU/GPU for AI tasks)
⊖ Docker knowledge recommended for setup
⊖ Premium features (priority support, advanced sync) in paid tiers