Switching from Google Photos to 3 open-source, offline, and private alternatives
By
Faisal Rasool
An everything bagel for the brain. Substantive, layered, well-seasoned.
Summary
The article describes the author's personal experience switching from Google Photos to three open-source, offline, privacy-focused alternatives: Aves Libre (a gallery app), Ente (an end-to-end encrypted backup service), and PhotoPrism (a self-hosted AI-powered photo management platform). The author explains the limitations of Google Photos (privacy concerns, subscription costs, proprietary lock-in) and details how each open-source alternative addresses specific needs—Aves Libre for daily gallery browsing, Ente for secure cloud backup, and PhotoPrism for advanced organization and AI features. The article concludes that the switch is worth it for those who value privacy and control over their data.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledGoogle Photos is a great service, but it's not without its drawbacks. For one, it's not private. Google scans your photos to improve its AI, and it uses your data to serve you ads.
Aves Libre is a beautiful, fast, and feature-rich gallery app that respects your privacy. It's fully offline, so your photos never leave your device.
Ente is an end-to-end encrypted backup service that lets you back up your photos and videos securely. It's open-source, so you can verify that it's doing what it says.
PhotoPrism is a self-hosted photo management platform that uses AI to organize your photos. It's like having your own Google Photos, but on your own server.
I'm never going back to Google Photos. These three open-source apps have given me back control over my photos.
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