Ente Photos vs Internxt vs Peergos

All three are privacy-first alternatives to mainstream cloud storage that keep data encrypted before it leaves the user's device, but they are not…

Ente Photos

Freemium · From Free (10 GB storage)

Best for: Individuals and families who want a polished, independently audited, end-to-end encrypted replacement for Google Photos or iCloud Photos, with on-device face recognition and family storage sharing.

Internxt

Freemium · From Free (1GB); paid plans from approximately $1-4/month

Best for: Users who want general-purpose encrypted cloud storage with post-quantum cryptography, formal compliance certifications, and the option of a one-time lifetime storage payment instead of a recurring subscription.

Peergos

Open Source · From Free (self-hosted or free public beta account)

Best for: Privacy-conscious, technically comfortable users who want a fully open-source, free platform that combines encrypted file storage with private messaging and social networking, self-hosted or via the free public beta.

At a Glance

 Ente PhotosInternxtPeergos
Primary categoryCloud StorageCloud StorageCloud Storage
RatingNot documentedNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumOpen Source
Starting priceFree (10 GB storage)Free (1GB); paid plans from approximately $1-4/monthFree (self-hosted or free public beta account)
Free planYesYesYes
Free trialNot documentedNot documentedNot documented
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Mac, WindowsWeb, iOS, Android, Mac, WindowsAndroid, Mac, Windows
Team collaborationNot documentedNot documentedNot documented
AI featuresNot documentedNot documentedNot documented
Public APINot documentedNot documentedNot documented

Standout Differences

Ente Photos focuses specifically on photo and video backup

Ente is built around a Google Photos or iCloud Photos replacement, with on-device face recognition and a CLIP-powered magic search that never sends unencrypted data to Ente's servers, plus family plans that split a single quota across up to five members.

Ente Photos

Internxt adds post-quantum encryption and compliance certifications

Internxt layers post-quantum cryptography on top of standard AES-256 zero-knowledge encryption and holds GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 compliance backed by independent penetration testing, plus bundled Send, Meet and Mail apps and one-time lifetime plans up to 50TB.

Internxt

Peergos is the only fully free, no-company option

As a volunteer-driven open-source project, Peergos has no subscription pricing at all: users get client-side encrypted storage, a secure messenger, encrypted email and a private social layer for free, either self-hosted or through the public beta.

Peergos

Both Ente Photos and Peergos support genuine self-hosting

Technically inclined users can run their own server for either tool using the same open-source codebase that powers the hosted service, while Internxt offers no self-hosted deployment option.

Ente Photos, Peergos

Free tiers differ significantly in size and shape

Ente Photos gives 10GB free with annual account activity, Internxt gives 1GB free for life, and Peergos is free indefinitely through self-hosting or the public beta rather than a capped storage allowance.

Ente Photos, Internxt, Peergos

Feature-by-Feature

Encryption and Security

FeatureEnte PhotosInternxtPeergos
End-to-end / zero-knowledge encryptionAvailableAvailableAvailable
Independent third-party security auditAvailableAvailableAvailable
Post-quantum cryptographyNot documentedAvailableNot documented
Encrypted metadata (filenames, structure)AvailableNot documentedAvailable

Storage and Deployment

FeatureEnte PhotosInternxtPeergos
Free plan storageAvailableAvailableAvailable
Self-hosting optionAvailableUnavailableAvailable
One-time lifetime storage plansUnavailableAvailableUnavailable

Feature Scope

FeatureEnte PhotosInternxtPeergos
Photo-specific tools (face recognition, magic search)AvailableUnavailableUnavailable
Built-in messaging or social featuresUnavailableLimitedAvailable
Formal compliance certifications (GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, ISO 27001)Not documentedAvailableNot documented

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

Ente Photos

Free — $0 Forever (requires annual account activity)
50 GB — Approximately $2.49-$2.99/month Monthly or annual (annual billing is discounted)
200 GB — Approximately $4.99/month Monthly or annual (annual billing is discounted)
1 TB — Approximately $9.99/month Monthly or annual (annual billing is discounted)
2 TB — Approximately $19.99/month Monthly or annual (annual billing is discounted)
Self-Hosted — Free (infrastructure costs apply) Self-managed

Internxt

Free — Free N/A
Essential — From approximately $1-3/month Monthly or annual
Premium / Ultimate — From approximately $4-10/month Monthly or annual
Lifetime Plans — $450-$950 one-time One-time payment

Peergos

Public Beta / Self-Hosted (Open Source) — Free N/A

Pros & Cons

Ente Photos

Pros

  • Genuine end-to-end encryption verified by three independent security audits, not just encryption in transit or at rest
  • Fully open-source under AGPL-3.0 with a real self-hosting option for users who do not want to trust any hosted provider
  • Bootstrapped and not dependent on venture capital, which the founders position as reducing pressure to monetize user data
  • Cross-platform coverage including F-Droid builds for users avoiding Google Play services, plus family plans for shared storage

Cons

  • Free tier is limited to 10 GB, which is modest for users with large existing photo libraries
  • Self-hosting requires technical comfort with running a Go server and managing infrastructure
  • On-device machine learning features such as face recognition and magic search are not available on the web client, only mobile and desktop apps
  • As a smaller, bootstrapped company, it lacks the deep ecosystem integrations (smart home displays, OS-level features) that Google Photos and iCloud Photos offer

Internxt

Pros

  • True zero-knowledge encryption means Internxt cannot access or hand over readable user data
  • One-time lifetime storage plans avoid ongoing subscription costs
  • Post-quantum encryption is a forward-looking differentiator versus most competitors
  • EU-based (Spain) hosting appeals to GDPR-conscious individuals and businesses
  • Bundled VPN, antivirus and encrypted sharing add value beyond plain storage

Cons

  • Smaller company and ecosystem than incumbents like Google Drive or Dropbox
  • Fewer third-party app integrations compared to mainstream cloud storage providers
  • Free tier storage (1GB) is modest compared to some competitors' free offers
  • Collaboration features (real-time document editing, etc.) are less developed than Google Workspace
  • Zero-knowledge design means lost passwords can result in permanently inaccessible data

Peergos

Pros

  • Strong, audited (Cure53) end-to-end encryption of both data and metadata
  • Fully open source under GPL/AGPL licenses
  • Combines file storage, messaging, email, and social networking in one privacy-first platform
  • Self-hosting option gives full control over infrastructure
  • Free public beta available for users who do not want to self-host

Cons

  • Smaller community and ecosystem compared to mainstream cloud storage providers
  • Self-hosting requires technical setup and ongoing maintenance
  • Feature set and polish are less mature than commercial alternatives like Dropbox or Tresorit
  • Limited mobile app maturity compared to established competitors

Use Cases

Choose Ente Photos: Individuals and families who want a polished, independently audited, end-to-end encrypted replacement for Google Photos or iCloud Photos, with on-device face recognition and family storage sharing.
Choose Internxt: Users who want general-purpose encrypted cloud storage with post-quantum cryptography, formal compliance certifications, and the option of a one-time lifetime storage payment instead of a recurring subscription.
Choose Peergos: Privacy-conscious, technically comfortable users who want a fully open-source, free platform that combines encrypted file storage with private messaging and social networking, self-hosted or via the free public beta.

Ente Photos

  • Privacy-conscious personal photo backup — Individuals who want automatic cloud backup of their phone photos and videos without a provider being able to scan, mine, or view their content.
  • Shared family photo storage — Families who want to pool storage under one subscription, share encrypted albums of kids or events, and let everyone access photos across devices.
  • Self-hosted media archive — Technical users and organizations who want full control over where their photo data physically lives by running their own instance of Ente's open-source server.

Internxt

  • Privacy-conscious personal storage — Individuals store photos, documents and backups with encryption the provider itself cannot read.
  • GDPR-compliant business storage — EU businesses use Internxt for file storage that satisfies GDPR data residency and protection requirements.
  • Long-term archival with lifetime plans — Users who want to avoid recurring subscriptions pay once for a fixed storage allocation.

Peergos

  • Private encrypted file storage — Privacy-conscious users store personal files with client-side encryption that even the server operator cannot read.
  • Self-hosted alternative to commercial cloud storage — Organizations and activists self-host Peergos to avoid dependence on centralized cloud storage providers.
  • Private social networking and messaging — Users who want to communicate and share updates without exposing their social graph use Peergos's messenger and social layer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which of these three is cheapest for basic encrypted storage?

Peergos is free with no subscription at all, whether self-hosted or via the public beta. Among paid options, Internxt's Essential plan starts around $1-3 per month for 1TB, while Ente Photos starts around $2.49-$2.99 per month for 50GB, so Internxt offers more storage per dollar at the entry tier, while Ente's free 10GB tier is larger than Internxt's free 1GB.

Is Ente Photos good for storing files other than photos and videos?

Ente Photos is purpose-built around photo and video backup, sharing and on-device search rather than general file storage. Users who need to store arbitrary documents and files alongside encrypted media may find Internxt's general-purpose cloud drive or Peergos' encrypted filesystem a better fit.

Can I really use Peergos for free forever?

Yes. Peergos is a volunteer-driven open-source project with no subscription pricing. Users can either self-host their own instance on local disk or S3-compatible storage, or use the free public beta at peergos.net, with cost limited only to whatever infrastructure a self-hoster chooses to run.

Which tool has the strongest encryption guarantees?

All three implement true end-to-end or zero-knowledge encryption verified by independent audits: Ente Photos by Cure53, Symbolic Software and Fallible; Internxt with penetration testing behind its GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 compliance; and Peergos by Cure53. Peergos goes furthest by also encrypting metadata like filenames and the social graph, while Internxt is the only one of the three to add a post-quantum cryptography layer.

Do any of these support self-hosting instead of a hosted subscription?

Ente Photos and Peergos both offer genuine self-hosting: technically inclined users can deploy their own server from the same open-source codebase that powers the hosted service. Internxt does not offer a self-hosted deployment option; it is available only as a hosted service.

Which is best for a family that wants to share storage?

Ente Photos has a dedicated family plan that lets a paid subscriber share their storage quota with up to five additional family members, each getting their own private encrypted space. Internxt and Peergos do not document an equivalent multi-member family sharing feature in the same way.

Read the full Ente Photos review · Read the full Internxt review · Read the full Peergos review