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Comparison · Collab

Immich vs Komga

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Immich and Komga — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:self-hosted

Immich vs Komga: at a glance

FeatureImmichKomga
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score0.06.3
Sparks · 30d01
Top themesphoto-management, self-hosted, release-candidate, major-versionself-hosted, frontend-rewrite, comics-manga, archive-formats
Last editorial update17d ago6d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Immich?

Immich is four release candidates into v3 with every feature note published somewhere else.

The visible release stream is a v3.0.0 RC series — rc.0 through rc.3, cut over eleven days in June — and each entry is the same template: a release-candidate disclaimer, a database and library backup warning, and instructions to move IMMICH_VERSION from v2 to v3 or the rolling v3-rc tag. The actual release notes live on a work-in-progress preview page outside the changelog.

Read the full Immich trajectory →

What is Komga?

Komga is rewriting its web UI in the open, shipping the beta alongside the old one.

Komga's release cadence is dominated by NextUI, a ground-up rewrite of the web interface that landed in beta with 1.26.0 and is served next to the existing UI at /next rather than replacing it. The three patch releases that followed within 48 hours were almost entirely NextUI shakedown work — scroll restoration, selection behavior, stylesheets failing to load under Tomcat. Underneath the interface work the server keeps widening format support, with rar5 handling in plain Java and solid rar4 archives earlier in the summer.

Read the full Komga trajectory →

Immich vs Komga: editorial side-by-side

I
Immich
COLLAB
0.0

Immich is four release candidates into v3 with every feature note published somewhere else.

◆ Current state

The visible release stream is a v3.0.0 RC series — rc.0 through rc.3, cut over eleven days in June — and each entry is the same template: a release-candidate disclaimer, a database and library backup warning, and instructions to move IMMICH_VERSION from v2 to v3 or the rolling v3-rc tag. The actual release notes live on a work-in-progress preview page outside the changelog.

◆ Where it's heading

What the feed does show is a project running a disciplined pre-release: a rolling RC tag so testers do not have to chase point versions, and two-to-seven day turnarounds between candidates as bugs come in. What it does not show is a single feature, which means anyone tracking Immich through its changelog learns only that a major version is close, not what it changes.

◆ Prediction

A v3.0.0 stable release follows once the RC turnaround lengthens; the entries give no basis for predicting what it contains, because none of them describe it.

K
Komga
COLLAB
6.3

Komga is rewriting its web UI in the open, shipping the beta alongside the old one.

◆ Current state

Komga's release cadence is dominated by NextUI, a ground-up rewrite of the web interface that landed in beta with 1.26.0 and is served next to the existing UI at /next rather than replacing it. The three patch releases that followed within 48 hours were almost entirely NextUI shakedown work — scroll restoration, selection behavior, stylesheets failing to load under Tomcat. Underneath the interface work the server keeps widening format support, with rar5 handling in plain Java and solid rar4 archives earlier in the summer.

◆ Where it's heading

The project is running a long, deliberately cautious frontend migration: both UIs ship in the same binary, the feature gap is tracked publicly in an issue, and users opt in by URL. That arrangement should persist across several minor versions before the old WebUI is retired. The parallel v2 referential API suggests the rewrite is also being used to revise the server contract rather than only restyle the client.

◆ Prediction

Near-term releases should keep closing the NextUI feature gap issue by issue, with patch releases landing within days of each other. The old WebUI is unlikely to be removed before NextUI reaches parity and browser refresh stops falling back to it.

Alternatives to Immich and Komga

Other Collab products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Immich or Komga.

See all Immich alternatives → · See all Komga alternatives →

Recent activity from Immich and Komga

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 7d agoKomgaTranslation updates and a release tooling fix
  2. 7d agoKomgaNextUI beta fixes: scroll, selection, and loading states
  3. 9d agoKomgaNextUI beta: a parallel rewrite of the Komga web interface
  4. 9d agoKomgaFix missing NextUI stylesheets when served from Tomcat
  5. 1mo agoKomgaSolid RAR4 archive support
  6. 1mo agoImmichThird v3 candidate fixes issues found in rc.2
  7. 2mo agoImmichSecond v3 candidate fixes issues found in rc.1
  8. 2mo agoImmichRolling v3-rc tag introduced for prereleases
  9. 2mo agoImmichFirst v3 release candidate opens the major-version cut
  10. 3mo agoKomgaFixes for EPUB parsing, Kobo, KOReader, and OPDS2

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Immich and Komga?

Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted — within Collab. Komga is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Immich better than Komga?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Komga is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Immich?

Top Immich alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Immich alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/immich for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Komga?

Top Komga alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Komga alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/komga for the full list with editorial commentary on each.