European Alternatives to Google Photos
Google's photo backup and management service. Automatic face recognition, object search, Gemini integration to generate images from your memories.
Google Photos Features
- 15 GB free shared with Drive and Gmail
- Automatic face recognition and tagging
- Gemini Personal Intelligence integrated (April 2026)
- iOS, Android, web apps
- AI image generation from your photos
- Proprietary source code
Price: Free (15 GB shared on Drive) / Google One from 1,99€/month (100 GB) / 2 TB at 9,99€/month
Why leave Google Photos?
- Since April 2026, Gemini Personal Intelligence accesses your photos to generate personalized AI images
- Automatic face recognition enabled by default, creating a biometric database without explicit consent
- Hosted in the US, subject to the CLOUD Act which lets authorities access your photos
- Metadata (locations, dates, people) exploited to profile your habits and movements
- Gemini feature disabled by default in the EU but can be enabled — non-EU users lack this safety net
Recommended : Ente Photos
Dedicated end-to-end encrypted, open-source photo service based in Berlin. On-device face and object recognition — no server-side analysis.
Country : DE
Compatibility Scores
- Migration : 80/100
- GDPR : 100/100
- Features : 90/100
- Overall Score : 90/100
Ente Photos Features
- 10 GB free for life
- E2E encryption (photos, metadata, sharing)
- On-device AI for faces/objects/search
- Open-source iOS/Android/desktop/web apps
- Encrypted sharing with family (up to 5 people on a paid plan)
- Replicated across 3 EU datacenters
Price: Free (10 GB) / Plus at 2,99€/month (200 GB) / Pro at 9,99€/month (2 TB)
Why this choice?
Ente Photos is our recommendation for Google Photos users thanks to its built-in Google Takeout import tool and its real E2E encryption (photos + metadata). It's the most polished way to leave Google without losing face/object recognition (done 100% on-device, so private by design), while gaining German jurisdiction outside the CLOUD Act and freedom from Gemini on your memories.
Switch from Google Photos to Ente Photos
Strengths
- Built-in Google Takeout import tool into Ente
- 100% on-device AI face/object recognition (vs Google server-side)
- Real E2E encryption (photos + metadata + sharing)
- 10 GB free for life (vs 15 GB shared at Google)
- Berlin hosting, outside the CLOUD Act
Weaknesses
- No native Google Lens/Maps integration
- No generative Memories like Gemini
- Less free storage (10 GB vs 15 GB Google)
All Alternatives
- Ente Photos (DE) — Score : 90/100 (Recommended)
- Proton Drive Photos (CH) — Score : 84/100
- Infomaniak Photos (CH) — Score : 80/100