Immich
Self-hosted photo and video management system featuring RAW support, facial recognition, and CLIP visual search.
Store RAW files, run facial recognition, and search image content without third-party cloud services.
Immich is a self-hosted media management tool designed to replace cloud photo services. It gives you full ownership of your media library while providing AI-powered visual search, facial recognition, and automated mobile backups. Photographers needing local control over large RAW archives will find it especially valuable.
What it is
Immich ingests photos and videos across mobile and web interfaces, rendering metadata, EXIF details, and interactive map views. It runs local machine learning models like CLIP to enable natural language visual searches and automatic facial clustering. The platform also offers album sharing, photo stacking, user-defined storage hierarchies, and raw format support.
Who it's for
It suits photographers and tech-savvy creators who want complete control over raw storage and metadata on their own hardware. It is not suitable for users who prefer a turnkey cloud subscription without managing server maintenance, databases, or network configurations.
Key features
CLIP and Face Search
Search your library using natural language content descriptions or query cluster groups built from facial recognition.
RAW Format Support
Back up and view raw photograph files directly across mobile and web interfaces.
Custom Storage Hierarchy
Organize files on disk according to user-defined folder structures rather than locked database paths.
Partner and Shared Albums
Share entire libraries or specific collections with partners and public guests through secure access links.
Up and running in 3 steps
Our honest verdict
What's great
- Includes CLIP-based visual search and automatic facial recognition models.
- Supports native RAW image previewing and metadata EXIF parsing.
- Allows custom directory layouts on host disk storage.
- Provides companion mobile apps for automated background backup.
Where it falls short
- Requires setting up and maintaining a dedicated host server or container environment.
- Machine learning features like CLIP search require noticeable server CPU or GPU resources.
- Demands a strict 3-2-1 backup strategy since file safety rests entirely on your hardware.
- Web interface lacks offline viewing capability.
Pricing & license
Immich is free to install and run under the AGPL-3.0 license. The only direct costs are the hardware, hosting infrastructure, and storage drives you supply yourself.
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FAQ
Does Immich support camera RAW files?
Yes, Immich supports viewing and backing up raw camera formats across both web and mobile platforms.
How does Immich search for images without tag metadata?
It uses localized CLIP models and object detection to index visual content so you can search using natural descriptive text.
