Let me be honest with you — I made the switch from Google Photos to Immich about a year ago, and I haven’t looked back. I run Immich on my Synology DS720+ NAS at home, and my entire photo library — over 40,000 photos and videos — is now backed up privately, without paying Google a single rupee every month.
But is Immich right for you? That depends entirely on what you value — convenience, privacy, cost, or control. In this post, I’m going to break it all down honestly, as someone who has actually used both.
The Problem Most Indians Face with Google Photos
It starts innocently enough. You get a new Android phone, Google Photos is pre-installed, and it silently backs up every photo you take. For years, it feels magical — free backup, face recognition, search by location, AI memories. And then one day, you get the notification: “Your Google Account storage is almost full.”
Every Google Account comes with just 15GB of free storage — shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. For anyone who shoots even a moderate amount of photos and videos, that 15GB disappears frighteningly fast. A single 4K video from your phone can eat up 500MB. A family holiday’s worth of photos? Say goodbye to 2–3GB in a weekend.
So you’re pushed towards Google One. Here’s what Google is charging Indian users in 2026:
- 15GB — Free (shared across Gmail + Drive + Photos)
- 200GB — ₹199/month (AI Plus plan)
- 2TB — ₹650/month (Google One Premium)
- 5TB — ₹1,950/month (Google AI Pro plan)
- 10TB — ₹3,250/month (Google One Premium)
That ₹199/month for 200GB sounds reasonable — until you do the math. That’s ₹2,388 per year, just for photo storage. And as your library grows, you’ll inevitably need to upgrade. Over 5 years, you could easily spend ₹15,000–₹25,000 just keeping your memories on Google’s servers.
This is exactly where Immich enters the picture.
What Is Immich?
Immich is a free, open-source, self-hosted photo and video backup solution. Think of it as your own private Google Photos — running on a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device or even a spare PC at your home. Your photos never leave your house. No subscription fees. No storage limits beyond your own hard drives. No Google algorithm scanning your memories.
The project has grown incredibly fast — from a niche developer tool to a polished, genuinely impressive app that gives Google Photos a serious run for its money. It has a beautiful mobile app for both Android and iOS, automatic background backup, face recognition, album sharing, timeline view, and even AI-powered search.
Immich vs Google Photos: Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | Google Photos | Immich |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ₹199–₹3,250/month (after 15GB) | Free (you own the hardware) |
| Storage Limit | Paid plans up to 10TB+ | Unlimited (limited only by your hard drives) |
| Auto Backup (Mobile) | ✅ Excellent | ✅ Works well (iOS + Android app) |
| Face Recognition | ✅ Industry-leading AI | ✅ Good, runs locally on your NAS |
| Search by Object/Place | ✅ Excellent (Google AI) | ✅ Good (improving rapidly) |
| Album Sharing | ✅ Easy, link-based | ✅ Supported |
| Memory/Highlights | ✅ “This day last year” etc. | ✅ Basic memories feature |
| Video Playback | ✅ Smooth, transcoded | ✅ Good (transcoding supported) |
| Privacy | ❌ Google can access your data | ✅ 100% private, stays at home |
| Internet Required | ✅ Works anywhere | ⚠️ Needs port forwarding or VPN for remote access |
| Setup Difficulty | ✅ Zero setup | ⚠️ Requires NAS or server + Docker |
| Data Ownership | ❌ Google owns the infrastructure | ✅ You own everything |
| Works During Internet Outage | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (local network access) |
The Real Cost Comparison for Indians
Let’s talk rupees. This is where Immich makes the most sense for Indian users.
Say you have 100GB of photos and videos today — a very typical number for a smartphone user who’s been shooting for 3–4 years. On Google One, you’d need the ₹199/month plan. Over 5 years, that’s ₹11,940. And as your library grows past 200GB, you’ll need to upgrade to a pricier plan.
With Immich, your only cost is the NAS hardware. A Synology DS220+ costs around ₹18,000–₹22,000 with a couple of 4TB hard drives — giving you 8TB of usable storage. That’s a one-time cost. No monthly fees. No renewal reminders. No surprise “your storage is full” notifications.
Within 3–4 years, Immich on a NAS is cheaper than Google One. And the NAS does much more than just store photos — it can run your home media server, handle file backups, run security cameras, and more.
Where Google Photos Still Wins
I’ll be honest — Google Photos isn’t going to disappear from my phone entirely. There are areas where it’s genuinely better:
- AI Search: Google’s ability to find “that photo at the beach with Rahul in 2019” is still unmatched. Immich is catching up, but Google’s years of AI investment shows.
- Zero Setup: For someone who just wants it to work with no effort, Google Photos wins hands down. Install the app, sign in, done.
- Access Anywhere: Google Photos works perfectly whether you’re in office, on a flight with limited data, or travelling abroad. Immich requires some configuration for reliable remote access.
- Shared Libraries with Non-Tech Family: Getting your parents or spouse to install and trust a self-hosted app is harder than sharing a Google Photos album link.
Where Immich Wins for Indians Specifically
India has some specific advantages that make Immich particularly attractive:
- Power cuts and internet outages are common: With Immich on a NAS with a UPS, your photos are accessible locally even when your ISP is down or there’s a power cut. Google Photos? Completely useless during an outage.
- Data privacy concerns: Indian users are increasingly aware that big tech companies store, analyse, and — controversially — use your photos to train AI models. With Immich, your family photos stay exactly where they belong: with your family.
- Long-term savings: ₹199/month sounds small today, but with India’s growing middle class and increasing photo/video consumption, storage needs will only grow. Owning your infrastructure is the smarter long-term bet.
- No algorithm deciding what you see: Google Photos’ “memories” feature occasionally surfaces photos you’d rather not see — a painful reminder, an ex, an event you’d prefer to forget. Immich gives you full control.
Who Should Use Immich?
Immich is ideal for you if:
- You already have or are planning to buy a NAS (Synology, QNAP, etc.)
- You’re comfortable with basic tech setup — running Docker, basic networking
- You value privacy and don’t want your photos on Google’s servers
- You have a large photo library (200GB+) and the Google One bills are adding up
- You want unlimited storage without recurring costs
Who Should Stick with Google Photos?
Google Photos remains the better choice if:
- You don’t own a NAS and have no plans to buy one
- You’re not comfortable with any kind of server setup
- You share photos frequently with non-tech-savvy family members
- You’re heavily reliant on Google’s AI search and memories features
- You travel a lot and need reliable remote access without extra configuration
How to Get Started with Immich
If you’ve decided Immich is for you, here’s the quick-start path:
- Get a NAS: A Synology DS220+ or DS223 is the most beginner-friendly option in India. Available on Amazon.in for around ₹18,000–₹22,000 with drives.
- Install Docker on your NAS: Synology’s Container Manager makes this straightforward.
- Deploy Immich via Docker Compose: The official Immich documentation has a simple copy-paste setup that takes about 20 minutes.
- Install the Immich mobile app: Available free on both Android and iOS. Point it to your NAS IP and it starts backing up automatically.
- Set up remote access: Use Synology’s QuickConnect or a reverse proxy for accessing your photos from outside home.
We’ll be publishing a detailed step-by-step Immich setup guide specifically for Indian users very soon — so stay tuned or subscribe to our newsletter.
Final Thoughts
Immich vs Google Photos isn’t really a fight — they’re tools for different kinds of people. Google Photos is the automatic, effortless, pay-and-forget option. Immich is for those who want control, privacy, and long-term savings.
As someone who’s made the switch and runs Immich daily on a Synology NAS, I can tell you — the peace of mind of knowing your family photos are sitting safely on drives in your own home, not on some server farm in California, is genuinely priceless. And so is not getting that ₹199 deduction reminder every month.
If you’re already paying for Google One and have ever wondered “is there a better way” — the answer is yes, and it’s called Immich.
Have questions about setting up Immich on your NAS? Drop them in the comments below — I read and reply to every one.
