Immich
Novu
| Feature | Immich | Novu |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $0/mo | Free / from $0.0025/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | self-hosters, families, privacy-focused-users, photographers | saas-developers, product-teams, startups, notification-heavy-apps |
| Founded | 2022 | 2021 |
| Photo Backup | ✓ | ✗ |
| Facial Recognition | ✓ | ✗ |
| Smart Search | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shared Albums | ✓ | ✗ |
| Memories | ✓ | ✗ |
| Map View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mobile Apps | ✓ | ✗ |
| Multi Channel Notifications | ✗ | ✓ |
| Notification Center | ✗ | ✓ |
| Subscriber Preferences | ✗ | ✓ |
| Workflow Editor | ✗ | ✓ |
| Digest | ✗ | ✓ |
| Templates | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Hostable | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Immich Pros
- Full Google Photos replacement (self-hosted)
- AI face recognition and smart search
- Mobile apps with automatic background backup
- Shared albums and partner sharing
✗ Immich Cons
- Self-hosting only (no managed cloud option)
- Resource-intensive (especially ML features)
- Still in active development (breaking changes possible)
✓ Novu Pros
- Single API for all notification channels
- Open-source with self-hosting option
- Built-in notification center UI component
- Subscriber preference management included
✗ Novu Cons
- Complex setup for advanced use cases
- Documentation has gaps for edge cases
- Self-hosted version requires maintenance
The Verdict
Immich is built for self hosters and families, with a focus on photo-backup and facial-recognition. Novu targets saas developers and product teams and leads with multi-channel-notifications and notification-center.
Both tools come in at similar price points ($0/mo for Immich, $0.0025/mo for Novu), so pricing won't make the decision for you.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Immich edges out on user ratings (4.7 vs 4.3). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: Immich has a slight overall edge — but if single api for all notification channels matters most to you, Novu may still be the right call.