Best VPS for Immich in 2026

Immich is the open-source, self-hosted photo and video management solution that works just like Google Photos — but you own every byte. Running it on a VPS gives you automatic phone backups, AI-powered search, shared albums, and a beautiful timeline accessible from anywhere. No subscriptions. No data mining. No storage limits beyond what you provision.

What is Immich?

Immich is a high-performance, self-hosted alternative to Google Photos and iCloud Photos. It’s designed from the ground up for speed and a native mobile experience:

• Automatic phone backup — iOS and Android apps that sync photos and videos in the background
• AI-powered search — find photos by describing what’s in them (“dog on the beach”, “birthday cake”)
• Face recognition — automatic face detection and grouping across your entire library
• Timeline view — browse your photos by date with a smooth, responsive UI
• Shared albums — create albums and share them with family and friends
• Map view — see where your photos were taken on a world map
• Memories — “On this day” style flashbacks from past years
• Partner sharing — share your entire library with a partner account
• Video support — full video playback with transcoding and thumbnail generation
• EXIF data — full metadata viewing and editing

Why Choose Immich Over Google Photos?

• Complete privacy — your photos never touch Google, Apple, or any third party
• No storage limits — limited only by your VPS disk space, not a subscription tier
• No AI training — your family photos aren’t training someone else’s model
• Full data ownership — export everything, anytime, in original quality
• No compression — originals stored as-is, no “storage saver” downgrades
• Open source — actively developed with a passionate community

Why Host Immich on a VPS?

• Access anywhere — your photo library on any device with a web browser or the mobile app
• Automatic backup — phones back up over cellular or Wi-Fi, no matter where you are
• Better uptime — data center reliability beats a home server on your DSL line
• Faster uploads — data center bandwidth for smooth photo sync
• No port forwarding — no fiddling with your home router or dynamic DNS

Immich VPS Requirements

Immich is more resource-hungry than most self-hosted apps because of machine learning features (face recognition, smart search, object detection). Here’s what you need:

Requirement	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	2 vCPU	4+ vCPU
RAM	4GB	8GB+
Storage	50GB SSD	200GB+ NVMe
Bandwidth	2TB	Unmetered
OS	Ubuntu 22.04+	Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Important: The machine learning features (face recognition, CLIP search) are the biggest resource consumers. Initial processing of your existing photo library will spike CPU and RAM hard. Once the backlog is processed, ongoing usage is much lighter. You can also disable ML features to run Immich on smaller instances.

Top VPS Picks for Immich

1. Hetzner Cloud (Best Overall)

€5.83/mo | 2 vCPU, 8GB RAM, 40GB SSD

Hetzner is the standout choice for Immich:

• 8GB RAM handles Immich’s ML processing comfortably
• 2 vCPU is enough for face recognition and smart search
• 20TB included bandwidth — sync your entire phone gallery without worry
• EU and US data centers — good for GDPR compliance
• Attach Hetzner Volumes for expandable photo storage (€4.40/mo per 100GB)

Why it’s best for Immich: The 8GB RAM at under €6/mo is critical. Immich’s ML models load into memory, and 4GB gets tight. Hetzner gives you breathing room at an unbeatable price.

2. Contabo (Best for Large Photo Libraries)

€4.99/mo | 4 vCPU, 8GB RAM, 50GB NVMe

For families or photographers with large collections:

• 4 vCPU powers through initial ML processing of your backlog
• 8GB RAM for smooth operation even during heavy indexing
• 50GB NVMe base — upgrade to 400GB for larger libraries
• Unlimited bandwidth — back up every photo without throttling
• Storage add-ons available at competitive rates

Why it’s best for large libraries: The 4 vCPU at under €5/mo crushes through face recognition and smart search indexing. Unlimited bandwidth means your family can all sync simultaneously.

3. Hostinger VPS (Best Value Entry Point)

$5.99/mo | 1 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 50GB NVMe

A solid starting point for individuals:

• 4GB RAM works for Immich with ML features (tight but functional)
• 50GB NVMe — enough for ~10,000 photos to start
• 24/7 live chat support for VPS beginners
• 4TB bandwidth

Why it’s best for getting started: Lowest barrier to entry with decent support. Start here, and upgrade when your library grows.

4. DigitalOcean (Best Developer Experience)

$24/mo | 4 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 80GB SSD

For users who value managed infrastructure:

• Block storage volumes for expandable photo storage
• Automated backups and snapshots — protect your memories
• Excellent monitoring dashboards
• Great documentation and community tutorials

Note: DigitalOcean costs more per GB of RAM, but the platform reliability and backup features give peace of mind for something as precious as your photo library.

5. Vultr (Best Global Coverage)

$12/mo | 2 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 55GB NVMe

Good for low-latency access worldwide:

• 25 data center locations — pick the one closest to you
• Fast NVMe storage for snappy thumbnail loading
• Hourly billing — test before committing
• $100 free credit for new users
• Block storage available for photo storage

Note: 2GB RAM is tight for Immich with ML features enabled. Consider disabling smart search or upgrading to the 4GB plan ($18/mo).

Quick Immich Setup

Step 1: Get Your VPS

Choose a provider and select Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with at least 4GB RAM.

Step 2: Install Docker

apt update && apt upgrade -y

# Install Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Step 3: Deploy Immich

# Create directory
mkdir -p /opt/immich && cd /opt/immich

# Download the official docker-compose and .env
wget -O docker-compose.yml https://github.com/immich-app/immich/releases/latest/download/docker-compose.yml
wget -O .env https://github.com/immich-app/immich/releases/latest/download/example.env

# Configure storage location
sed -i 's|UPLOAD_LOCATION=./library|UPLOAD_LOCATION=/opt/immich/library|' .env

# Generate a secure database password
DB_PASSWORD=$(openssl rand -base64 32)
sed -i "s|DB_PASSWORD=postgres|DB_PASSWORD=$DB_PASSWORD|" .env

# Start Immich
docker compose up -d

Step 4: Configure Firewall

ufw allow 2283/tcp   # Immich web UI
ufw allow 22/tcp     # SSH
ufw enable

Step 5: Access the Web UI

Open http://your-server-ip:2283 in your browser. Create your admin account on the first visit.

Step 6: Set Up Reverse Proxy (Recommended)

For HTTPS and a clean URL:

apt install -y nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx

cat > /etc/nginx/sites-available/immich << 'CONF'
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name photos.yourdomain.com;

    client_max_body_size 50000M;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:2283;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_buffering off;
        proxy_request_buffering off;
    }

    location /api {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:2283;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_buffering off;
        proxy_request_buffering off;
    }
}
CONF

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/immich /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx
certbot --nginx -d photos.yourdomain.com

Important: The client_max_body_size 50000M line is critical — without it, Nginx will reject large video uploads.

Step 7: Install the Mobile App

1. Download Immich from the App Store or Google Play
2. Enter your server URL (https://photos.yourdomain.com)
3. Log in with your admin account
4. Enable automatic backup in the app settings
5. Select which albums to back up

Provider Comparison

Provider	RAM	CPU	Price	Storage	Bandwidth
Hetzner	8GB	2 vCPU	€5.83	40GB SSD	20TB
Contabo	8GB	4 vCPU	€4.99	50GB NVMe	Unlimited
Hostinger	4GB	1 vCPU	$5.99	50GB NVMe	4TB
DigitalOcean	4GB	4 vCPU	$24	80GB SSD	4TB
Vultr	2GB	2 vCPU	$12	55GB NVMe	2TB

Immich Performance Tips

1. Allocate Enough RAM for Machine Learning

Immich’s ML models (face detection, CLIP for smart search) load into RAM. If you’re running tight on memory:

# Check current memory usage
docker stats --no-stream

# If ML is consuming too much, set limits in docker-compose.yml
# Under the immich-machine-learning service:
#   deploy:
#     resources:
#       limits:
#         memory: 3G

2. Disable ML Features on Small VPS

If your VPS has less than 4GB RAM, you can disable machine learning entirely and still get a great photo management experience:

In the Immich web UI: Administration > Machine Learning Settings > Disable all

You’ll lose smart search and face recognition but keep automatic backup, timeline, albums, and sharing.

3. Use External Storage for Photos

Keep your OS disk small and mount a separate volume for photos:

# Mount a Hetzner Volume or DO Block Storage
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1
mkdir -p /mnt/photos
mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/photos

# Add to fstab for persistence
echo '/dev/sdb1 /mnt/photos ext4 defaults 0 2' >> /etc/fstab

# Update Immich .env
# UPLOAD_LOCATION=/mnt/photos
docker compose down && docker compose up -d

4. Set Up Automatic Backups

Your photos are irreplaceable. Back them up:

# Daily backup of the database (photos are just files, back those up too)
cat > /etc/cron.daily/immich-backup << 'CRON'
#!/bin/bash
cd /opt/immich
docker compose exec -T immich_postgres pg_dumpall -U postgres | gzip > /opt/immich/backups/db-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql.gz
find /opt/immich/backups -name "*.sql.gz" -mtime +30 -delete
CRON
chmod +x /etc/cron.daily/immich-backup
mkdir -p /opt/immich/backups

5. Optimize Initial Import

When first uploading your existing photo library, expect heavy CPU usage for 24-48 hours as ML processes everything. Tips:

• Upload in batches rather than all at once
• Run the import overnight when you don’t need the server
• Monitor with docker stats and restart ML container if it OOMs:

docker compose restart immich-machine-learning

6. Keep Immich Updated

Immich moves fast — updates bring performance improvements and new features:

cd /opt/immich
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Check the release notes before updating. Breaking changes are clearly documented.

Immich vs Google Photos: Quick Comparison

Feature	Immich	Google Photos
Price	Free (you pay for VPS)	Free (15GB) / $2.99/mo (100GB)
Storage limit	Your VPS disk	Subscription-based
Privacy	Complete — self-hosted	Google scans and indexes photos
AI search	Yes (on your server)	Yes (on Google’s servers)
Face recognition	Yes	Yes
Original quality	Always	Only on paid plans
Sharing	Albums + partner sharing	Albums + shared libraries
Mobile app	iOS + Android	iOS + Android
Offline access	Via mobile app cache	Via mobile app cache
Data portability	Full — it’s your filesystem	Google Takeout (slow, messy)
AI training	Never	Potentially
Open source	Yes (AGPL-3.0)	No

FAQ

How much storage do I need for Immich?

Rough estimates based on photo quality:

• 5,000 photos (smartphone): ~25-50GB
• 20,000 photos: ~100-200GB
• 50,000+ photos with videos: ~500GB-1TB+

Smartphone photos average 3-8MB each. Videos are the real storage hogs — a single 4K video minute is ~350MB.

Can Immich handle multiple users?

Yes. Immich supports multiple user accounts, each with their own library, face recognition data, and album collections. Shared albums work across users. A VPS with 8GB RAM comfortably handles 3-5 active users.

Is Immich stable enough for production use?

Immich has matured significantly and is used by thousands of self-hosters daily. The developers are transparent about the project status and document any breaking changes. For extra safety, set up automatic database backups (see the backup section above).

How does Immich compare to Photoprism?

Both are excellent self-hosted Google Photos alternatives:

• Immich — mobile-first, better phone backup experience, faster development, more features
• Photoprism — more mature, lower resource usage, better for browsing existing collections

For most users who want automatic phone backup (the core Google Photos use case), Immich is the better choice.

Can I migrate from Google Photos to Immich?

Yes. Use Google Takeout to export your library, then upload to Immich:

1. Export from Google Takeout (select Google Photos, choose .zip format)
2. Download and extract the archives
3. Use the Immich CLI to bulk upload:

npm i -g @immich/cli
immich upload --recursive /path/to/google-photos-export

The CLI preserves EXIF data and dates. Expect the process to take hours for large libraries.

Does Immich support RAW photos?

Yes. Immich supports RAW formats from major camera brands (Canon CR2/CR3, Nikon NEF, Sony ARW, Fuji RAF, etc). It generates JPEG previews for fast browsing while storing the original RAW file.

Conclusion

For self-hosting Immich, Hetzner Cloud is the clear winner:

• 8GB RAM at €5.83/mo — essential for Immich’s ML features (face detection, smart search)
• 20TB bandwidth — sync every photo from every device without worrying about limits
• Expandable volumes for growing libraries at just €4.40/mo per 100GB
• EU and US data centers for privacy-conscious users

If you have a large family library or want faster initial processing, Contabo delivers 4 vCPU and unlimited bandwidth at €4.99/mo. For a simple start, Hostinger at $5.99/mo gets you running with solid support.

Immich on a VPS gives you everything Google Photos offers — automatic backup, AI search, face recognition, shared albums — with complete privacy, no storage limits, and no monthly subscription creep. Your memories belong to you.