Cloud storage decision
Ente Photos
Prefer self-hosting the existing open-source Ente repo rather than reimplementing; the official repository provides the core loop, so run their code or host it instead of building from scratch.
Visit website↗$1/mo
$12/yr
Read off the official pricing page.
$20one-off6 h to build
$6/mo10 h/mo upkeep
On cash alone, building overtakes the subscription at 8 seats.
Open-source builds that already do this
Every project below is open source and already does this job today. Fork one, self-host it, or take the parts you need - the build prompt further down assumes an empty file, and this is the shortcut past that. Licences differ; check the one on each card before you ship. All Ente Photos alternatives, with the arithmetic →
What a replacement has to do
- Client-side encrypt photos, upload encrypted blobs, store and serve encrypted objects, provide web UI for browsing thumbnails and generating share links
What it still won’t have
- Official audited encryption provenance and published protocol details
- Polished cross-platform native apps (Android/iOS/Desktop) and on-device ML features
- Their multi-cloud 3-replica storage strategy
- Human support and managed family-plan billing
- Public roadmap and CI maintained by the Ente team
What remains hard
- Product polish and ongoing maintenance
First-year cost
Keep paying
Paying is—cheaper in year one.
On cash alone, building overtakes the subscription at 8 seats.
Money you would actually spend
Time you would spend
—
What you would spend
What we assumed
The verdict above measures whether you could build it. This one is only about money.
Runnable build prompt
Build a minimal self-hosted Ente-like photo backup service using: React web UI, a small Node.js/Express API, PostgreSQL for metadata, and S3-compatible object storage. Implement: (1) client-side encryption of photos before upload (WebCrypto AES-GCM), (2) authenticated upload endpoints that store encrypted blobs and metadata, (3) background thumbnail generation service producing web-friendly previews, (4) web UI to authenticate, list albums, view thumbnails, and download encrypted originals, (5) password-protected expiring public link generation that maps to stored objects. Out of scope: native mobile apps, multi-cloud triple-replication, on-device ML search, audited cryptographic review. Include error handling, input validation, and automated tests for upload/download, encryption round-trips, and link expiration.
How we checked
How the score was reached
- Self-host verdict base92
- An open-source build was found+5
- 5 cited sources+3
- Price verified on pricing page+3
- Evidence score99
The base comes from the verdict. Everything under it is a check that either happened or did not, and each one is a fact frozen in this record rather than a judgement made at render time - so the same evidence always produces the same number.
How scoring works →Cited sources · 5
Every page the run actually retrieved.
- official productEnte Photos (product page)
- official pricingEnte Photos (pricing page)
- official docsEnte - Features
- open sourcehudikhq/hoodik
- open sourcehaiwen/seafile
Integrity checks
What held up, and what did not.
