Imadeo is a free, open-source, self-hosted photo and video library for hardware you control. It organizes media by capture date, people, pets and image content, with a timeline and year rail for browsing. People, cats and dogs are recognized locally as photos arrive; you can name, merge or correct matches. Search accepts descriptions of what a picture shows as well as filenames, dates, albums and folders. Perceptual hashing groups visually matching photos, including resized or re-saved copies, for review. Albums work alongside real folders, and upload preserves folder structure. Originals remain ordinary files in directories for independent copying or backup. Docker Compose deployment runs on a NAS, home server or Linux machine, including listed Synology, Unraid and TrueNAS environments. Android and iOS apps connect to your server and can back up a camera roll. Processing stays on that server.
Who it is for
Imadeo suits people wanting a private photo and video library on hardware they manage. It is appropriate for users comfortable operating storage, backups, networking and optional integrations themselves.
What is good
- Free and open source
- Local people and pet recognition
- Description-based visual search
- Original files remain independently accessible
- Android and iOS camera backup
What to know first
- No hosted media service
- Self-hosting does not automatically encrypt data
- Locked items are not encrypted
- Email invitations require SMTP setup
Verdict
Imadeo offers local organization, search, duplicate review and mobile backup without a hosted media service. You must provide and secure the server, storage, backups and network access.
Compared on photo storage services
- Original-quality storage
- Yes
- Face search
- Yes
- Shared albums
- Yes
- Video backup
- Yes
