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by Philipp Rüegg
Pixel Union: the European alternative to Google Photos put to the test
5/5/2026
Translation: Megan Cornish
Pictures: Philipp Rüegg
I’m trying to break free from the clutches of the US tech industry. I’ve finally found a suitable cloud solution for my photos. Pixel Union is based on open-source platform Immich – and it’s almost perfect.
Google Photos is the best photo service there is. For years, I’ve used it to store and manage my growing photo archive. It’s fast, reliable, feature-rich and available on all systems. Like so much in the tech world, it comes from the USA. A year ago, I wrote about my attempt to break free from my digital dependence on America.
What I couldn’t find a suitable replacement for back then was Google Photos. Immich sounded the most promising. The open-source photo and video management platform looks like Google Photos and offers the same features. The downside is that I have to host it myself and take care of backups. I have my own server, but when it comes to managing my memories, I prefer to rely on professionals. That’s why Immich wasn’t the solution for me – until now.
Pixel Union’s a photo cloud provider from the Netherlands with servers in Germany and a backup in Finland. It’s based on a forked version of Immich and is available on the web and as a mobile app. On Android, you can choose between the Pixel Union and Immich apps, but only the latter’s available on iOS because the Pixel Union app’s still being developed. According to co-founder Bram Koch, it’ll simplify onboarding and connecting to your own domain. I can’t see any differences between the current versions of the apps. The web version of Pixel Union also offers the same functionality as self-hosting Immich.
The service offers up to 16 gigabytes of free storage – one more than Google. 150 gigabytes cost €29.50 per year or €2.95 per month. 450 gigabytes are €49.50 per year or €4.95 per month. The current maximum is 2 terabytes for €99.50 per year or €9.95 per month. Storage can be shared, so other users don’t need their own subscriptions.
I’ve been using Pixel Union for about a month now and I’m almost completely satisfied.
Data transfer and setup
To transfer photos and videos to Pixel Union, the first step is downloading them via Google Takeout. Then you transfer the individual RAR files using a tool from Pixel Union. With Apple Photos, it’s a bit more complicated if you want to keep all your data and albums. But there are instructions for that. Thankfully, a simple import function is in the works.
Importing images works perfectly, including all metadata such as date and location. Immich offers local face recognition, allowing you to view specific people with a single click. This was one of my favourite features in Google Photos. Unfortunately, the face recognition doesn’t quite match Google’s level. Maybe because it hasn’t been trained on my image data for years. It meant I had to spend half an hour manually matching faces. It was more fun than I expected. Photos I’d long forgotten about suddenly reappeared.
I can also search images by keyword. This works almost as reliably as Google Photos. Google Photos uses slightly stricter filters, which is why an image might occasionally be missing. For example, when searching for «New York», Immich doesn’t suggest the relevant album. I also have to search in English on Immich.
The automatic reminders that appear at the top of the app are also copied from Google Photos. It’s a nice feature that I use frequently.
Limitations and workarounds
One of the most important functions of photo services is sharing. In Immich, this works just as easily as with Google. Automatic image-sharing with specific people is planned but isn’t an option yet.
On Google Photos, I automatically share all the pictures I take of our children with my wife. This feature’s probably a remnant of my previous US Google account and apparently isn’t available here. Immich does offer «Partner Sharing», where everyone involved shares all images. But that would mean spamming my wife with photos from hardware reviews. The element of surprise of any gift ideas would also disappear pretty quickly.
The feature is on Immich’s roadmap, but I can’t wait that long. Since Immich’s an open-source project, I don’t have to. There are several workarounds. Pixel Union provides the link to your Immich server, so you can use additional features as if you were hosting the service yourself.
On my Unraid server, I install a small tool that automatically puts all the pictures of me and my family into an album. I then share this with my wife – that way she’s always up to date.
The ability to launch Immich directly from the camera app is also in development. When I take a photo, I usually want to view or share it immediately. However, clicking on the small preview image in the photo app opens Google Photos, and you have to switch to Immich manually.
Sharing photos spontaneously with other Immich users is more cumbersome than with Google Photos. When you share an image via the Google Photos app, I can send it directly to a Google Photos contact. They then receive it uncompressed, directly in their app. With Immich, I have to move it to a shared album, send a link or share it via another service such as Signal. Then it gets compressed again.
Otherwise, sharing’s straightforward. You can share albums with people in a few clicks, even if they don’t use Immich. They can upload their own pictures if I allow it. Password protection and expiration dates are also options.
The editing mode could be improved. Aside from cropping and a few filters, there’s not much on offer. If you want to change the white balance or sharpness, you’ll have to use a different app. The web client only allows cropping.
Another advantage of Google Photos is its ability to function as a digital picture frame with a Nest Hub or Pixel tablet. However, some experts have already found alternatives. Immichframe or Immich Kiosk – which I use as an Android app or run as a Docker container on my server – allows you to have a digital picture frame even with Immich. It does require more tinkering than the other options, though. At least, that’s the case if, like me, you’re clueless about these things and blindly follow instructions. I still managed to get it working, even if it’s not quite perfect yet.
Verdict: a worthy alternative, despite the stumbling blocks
If you’re looking for a European alternative to Google Photos without having to host your own photo server, I recommend Pixel Union. Based on the open-source project Immich, it offers the look and most of the features of Google Photos. It backs up data quickly and reliably and is available on all platforms. You can search images by keywords or people, and this works flawlessly with local face recognition. Sharing images – with Immich users as well as others – is also easy.
If you’re switching from Google Photos, the transition’s incredibly easy. Things are a bit more complicated for iCloud users, but it’s still not rocket science.
Some features I’m familiar with from Google don’t work with Immich, or only with workarounds. If you rely on these features but don’t have your own server, you’ll have to wait until they’re added later. Since my primary goal is to find an ethical product rather than a better one, I’m still happy with Pixel Union. Overall, I’m getting a comparable Google Photos alternative for almost the same price, but from Europe.
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chAs a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.
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