4 Google Photos replacements that give you privacy without the self-hosting headache

Published Sep 22, 2026, 5:30 PM EDT Ever since he got his first smartphone, the legendary Nokia 6600, back in 2005, Goran became obsessed with technology. This obsession had only gotten worse after he received his first gaming PC a couple of months later. He fell in love with video games in the early '90s, shortly after embarking on his gaming journey with the Sega Master System II and SNES. Since then, he has built dozens of PCs, played thousands of games, and authored hundreds of articles about PC hardware, gaming hardware, and video games. He knows everything there is to know about the PC gaming and PC hardware space, and while his console gaming knowledge isn't as comprehensive, he considers himself a console veteran. Goran has almost a decade of experience writing about tech and video games for numerous web publications including TechSpot, TechPowerUp, and EsportsHeadlines. He has been writing for How-To Geek since December 2022. When he isn't gaming or deciding which component of his PC to upgrade next, you can find him strolling around Novi Sad while listening to music and contemplating what to play next. Google Photos is the default way to back up photos for more than a billion people around the world, and the service works so well that many of us never even think about switching to something else. But if you care about your privacy and would like to share as little of your personal data with Google as possible, backing up your photos to Google Photos becomes a liability. And while you could self-host a photo and video management solution, such as Immich, setting up your own server and then dealing with the everyday quirks that are par for the course when self-hosting a service that needs to be available 24/7 is too much for many people. Instead, you can opt for a privacy-focused cloud storage service for your photos, which lets you avoid sharing your memories with Google while keeping the convenience Google Photos gives you. Here are four of the best privacy-centric Google Photos alternatives out there. Ente Photos Probably the best Google Photos alternative Ente Photos is an end-to-end encrypted photo and video storage app that lets you upload your memories in their original quality and offers 10GB of free storage. The app's fully open source and available on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and iOS, as well as on the web, so you won't be limited to accessing it on your Android phone. The service's Android app packs all the features you'd expect from an accessible Google Photos alternative: smart albums, automatic backup, face recognition, shared albums, photo widgets, on-device AI photo search, two-factor authentication, and a hidden vault. The desktop app also gives you simple exports and an easy way to import your library from Google Photos. Paid plans start at $2.49 per month for 50GB of storage, and if you decide to subscribe, you can share your storage with up to five family members at no extra cost. Proton Drive Photos Proton Drive supports automatic photo backup Credit: Proton Drive Did you know that Proton Drive supports photo storage? If you're already using the service, there's nothing stopping you from storing your photos in it as well. The Proton Drive app is end-to-end encrypted, GDPR-compliant since it's developed in Europe, and is available on most major platforms, including a web client. Aside from photos, Proton Drive lets you store all of your files in a secure cloud storage vault, and its apps are open source. Feature-wise, Proton Drive Photos isn't too shabby. You can upload your photos in their original quality, enable automatic backup, browse your library in a Google Photos-like timeline view, view your photos even when you're offline, have favorite memories, and organize photos into albums. You also get 5GB of storage for free. Plans start at $4.99 a month for 200GB of storage, but if you go for the $12.99 Proton Unlimited plan ($9.99 a month if billed annually), you get 500GB of storage plus access to Proton VPN, Proton Mail, and the Proton password manager, which isn't a bad deal. It's also worth noting that Proton has a family plan that costs $29.99 a month. Internxt Photos Internxt Photos is the one to pick if you want a lifetime plan Credit: Internxt Photos Internxt Photos is all about privacy, with the open-source service supporting post-quantum encryption, two-factor authentication, and password-protected file sharing. Aside from cloud storage for your memories, each paid plan also comes with a VPN. Feature-wise, Internxt Photos offers 1GB of free storage, photo and file backup, albums for organizing your photos, and apps for all major mobile and desktop operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, plus a web client. Note that, like Proton Photos, Internxt Photos is part of Internxt's main cloud storage app. The biggest downside of Internxt Photos is that the service doesn't offer automatic photo backup. Instead of automatically backing up the folders you choose, you have to upload everything manually in the app. Plans are also less flexible than the competition's, with Internxt Photos only offering yearly plans that are billed monthly, with the most affordable plan starting at 10 euros a month. On the flip side, first-time users get an 80% discount, and the service is one of the rare solutions offering lifetime plans, which are pricey but might be worth it for you, especially when they're discounted. Cryptee Cryptee is all about privacy, but comes with a major caveat Credit: Cryptee Our last entry, Cryptee, is a unique one. Instead of being available on the Play Store, Cryptee's Android client is a progressive web app you can download directly from Cryptee's website, since the service puts a massive focus on privacy. Aside from Android, you can also install Cryptee on iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS. Feature-wise, Cryptee is a fully end-to-end encrypted photo and video storage solution that supports uploads in original quality, as well as creating and sharing albums. However, like Internxt Photos, Cryptee doesn't support automatic backup. On the other hand, beyond photo and video backup, Cryptee includes a robust encrypted document editor that also works well for writing code. It also lets you back up all your files and is fully GDPR-compliant. While Cryptee only offers 100MB of free storage, its monthly plans start at €3 for 10GB of storage you can use however you want. It's pricey, but Cryptee is one of the most privacy-centric photo storage services around. Privacy doesn't have to mean a lack of convenience As you can see, you don't have to give up the best Google Photos features if you want your memories to be fully private and accessible only to you. That said, if you want to go a step further, like skipping app stores entirely with Cryptee, you'll have to give up automatic photo backup. On the other hand, both Ente Photos and Proton Drive Photos offer an excellent level of privacy and security that should be enough for most users, while also supporting automatic backup.