Pixel Gallery Android

Comparison

Pixel Gallery vs Immich

Verdict: Pick Immich if you want backup to hardware you own and are happy to run a server. Pick Pixel Gallery if you want faces, smart search and cleanup with zero setup. Both can run side by side.

Immich is a self-hosted photo platform: you run the server, and AI features run there. Pixel Gallery needs no server; faces, search and cleanup run on the phone.

Last updated . Immich website

Pixel Gallery vs Immich at a glance

Pixel Gallery vs Immich feature comparison, data as of November 8, 2026.
Capability Pixel Gallery Immich
Photos stay on the phone Yes Pixel Gallery never uploads your photos or videos. Partly Uploads to a server you run yourself, not a third-party cloud; backup is chosen per album
Works without an account Yes No The app needs a self-hosted Immich server and a login on it
On-device smart search Yes SigLIP2 model, ~375 MB optional download. No CLIP smart search exists but runs on your self-hosted server, not on the phone.
Face grouping Yes Runs on the phone. Yes Facial recognition and clustering run on your self-hosted server
Duplicate and similar cleanup Yes Yes ML duplicate detection with a review-duplicates tool, on the server
Encrypted metadata database Yes Not documented
No ads Yes Yes Play listing shows no ads
No subscription Yes Free, plus an optional one-time Premium purchase. Yes Free; optional one-time supporter key that unlocks nothing; you pay for your own server hardware
Cloud backup No Pixel Gallery has no cloud. Backup is up to you. Yes Automatic and background backup to your own server
Open source No Yes AGPL-3.0
Works without a server or setup Yes No
AI runs on the phone Yes No Machine learning runs on your server.
iOS and web apps No Yes
Multi-user, partner sharing and shared albums No Yes
Photo and video editor Yes Not documented
Sources (5)
  1. Immich on GitHub, accessed
  2. Immich on Google Play, accessed
  3. Immich docs: Duplicates utility, accessed
  4. Immich blog: product keys, accessed
  5. Immich GitHub discussion #2266: view local photos, accessed

If you want Immich’s smart features but not the server, yes. Immich is a superb self-hosted platform, but it does nothing without a server you install and maintain, and its AI runs there. Pixel Gallery puts face grouping, semantic search and cleanup on the phone itself.

What does Immich do better?

  • Backup to your own hardware. Automatic background backup, with a server you control.
  • Sharing and users. Multi-user, partner sharing, shared albums and public links.
  • Every platform and open source. iOS and web clients, AGPL-3.0, very active development.
  • Zero setup. Install the app and it starts indexing. No server, no account.
  • Works anywhere. Search and faces do not depend on reaching your server.
  • Gallery features. Photo and video editor, stories, statistics and collages.
  • An encrypted index. The metadata database on the phone is encrypted.

Who should pick which?

Pick Immich if you already self-host or want a household photo server. Pick Pixel Gallery if you want a smart gallery today without running anything. Together they cover gallery and backup.

Keep the Immich app for background backup and set Pixel Gallery as the default gallery. Both read the same local files.

What makes Pixel Gallery different

  • On-device AI

    Faces, semantic search, text recognition and captions run on the phone. Gemini Nano captions on supported devices.

  • Never uploads your photos

    Pixel Gallery never uploads your photos or videos. No account, no cloud library.

  • Encrypted metadata database

    The index of faces, places, text and embeddings is encrypted on the device.

  • No ads, no subscription

    Free to use with no ads. Premium is a one-time purchase.

Beyond the table

20 more things Pixel Gallery does

The table sticks to where Pixel Gallery and Immich differ most. This is the rest of the app, all on the phone. Features marked Premium are part of the one-time purchase.

On-device AI

Search & discover

Organize

Create & edit

Insights

Sharing

Experiences

Gallery basics

All features What's in Premium

Pixel Gallery vs Immich: questions

Can I use the Immich app without a server?

No. The Immich app needs a self-hosted Immich server and a login on it. Pixel Gallery needs no server and no account.

Does Immich do face recognition on the phone?

No. Immich runs face recognition, smart search and duplicate detection on your server. Pixel Gallery runs them on the phone.

Can I use Immich and Pixel Gallery together?

Yes. Let Immich back up your camera folder to your server and use Pixel Gallery as the gallery on the phone.

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Free on Google Play

Requires Android 13 or newer. No account. Optional one-time Premium upgrade.

Get it on Google Play Details & requirements