If you are looking for a private alternative to Google Photos or iCloud, you have more options than ever. But each one takes a different approach. Here is how Stingle Photos compares to the three main competitors in the E2EE photo backup space.
Ente.io
Best for: Users who want a polished, audited service with no self-hosting required.
Ente is the most similar to Stingle in terms of approach. It is fully open-source, end-to-end encrypted, and cross-platform. It has been audited by Cure53 and offers 10GB free (vs Stingle 1GB). Pricing starts at $5/month for 100GB (Stingle is $2.99/month). Ente has a web client and album sharing via link, which Stingle does not yet have but is building.
Key differentiator for Stingle: Stingle offers a built-in camera on both iOS and Android that captures photos directly into the encrypted gallery (never touches system photos). Stingle also has a desktop app built in Rust. Stingle is significantly cheaper for paid plans.
Immich
Best for: Technical users who want to self-host on their own hardware.
Immich is the gold standard for self-hosted photo management. It offers automatic backup, facial recognition, CLIP-based semantic search, and timeline view. It is free and open-source but requires Docker and a server to run.
Key differentiator for Stingle: Stingle is zero-knowledge by default — even Stingle cannot see your photos. Stingle works out of the box with no server setup, plus offers the option to self-host via Docker.
Proton Drive
Best for: Existing Proton users who want integrated file storage.
Proton Drive offers encrypted file storage from the Proton ecosystem. However, it is a general file storage service, not a photo-specific app. It lacks photo-specific features like gallery view, albums, built-in camera, and auto-backup of photos only.
Key differentiator for Stingle: Stingle is built specifically for photos and videos. Gallery view, albums, built-in camera, auto-backup — everything designed around the photo experience.
Where Stingle Stands Out
- Pricing: Most affordable paid plans ($2.99/mo for 100GB vs Ente $5/mo)
- Built-in camera: Unique feature — capture directly into encrypted gallery
- Desktop apps: Native Rust apps for Windows, Mac, Linux
- Self-host option: Full Docker setup available
- Open source: GPLv3, all code on GitHub
Where Stingle is Catching Up
- Web client: Coming soon
- Share album via link: Coming soon
- AI search: On-device, E2E encrypted — coming soon
- Third-party audit: Planned for Q4 2026
Bottom line: If you want an affordable, open-source, zero-knowledge photo backup that works across all your devices without needing to self-host — Stingle is the best value in the market right now.