Simpplr
Simpplr publishes the research that names the gap, then ships the product that closes it
Comparison · Collab
Immich vs Memos
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Immich and Memos — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:self-hosted
Immich vs Memos: at a glance
What is Immich?
Immich's v3.2 RC ships a new search UI and face clustering, advancing self-hosted photo discovery.
Immich is in active release cadence: v3.0 landed workflows, plugins, mobile editing, HLS streaming, and OCR; v3.2 is now in its third RC with a new search UI, face cluster groups, and a rebuilt search API. The RC turnaround pace suggests the team is in cleanup mode ahead of a stable release. It's a self-hosted Google Photos alternative with a large community of contributors across server, mobile, and web.
What is Memos?
Memos adopts calendar versions and rebuilds writing around one block editor.
Memos has moved to calendar versioning, with 26.10 candidates following 0.31 and versions now written YY.MM.N. 26.10.0-rc.2 replaces the editor with one block editor shared by writing and reading, and turns the instance-wide memo length and upload caps into ordered per-user usage limits that also cover memo count and total storage. rc.1 added editor suggestions and transcription of existing audio attachments, and Spaces now follow the user across Timeline, Calendar, Map and Attachments.
Immich vs Memos: editorial side-by-side
Immich
6.3COLLAB
Immich's v3.2 RC ships a new search UI and face clustering, advancing self-hosted photo discovery.
◆ Current state
Immich is in active release cadence: v3.0 landed workflows, plugins, mobile editing, HLS streaming, and OCR; v3.2 is now in its third RC with a new search UI, face cluster groups, and a rebuilt search API. The RC turnaround pace suggests the team is in cleanup mode ahead of a stable release. It's a self-hosted Google Photos alternative with a large community of contributors across server, mobile, and web.
◆ Where it's heading
The product is moving from Google Photos parity toward differentiation through extensibility and AI-assisted organization. Workflows and plugins opened the automation surface in v3.0; the new search UI and cluster groups in v3.2 close the discovery gap. That combination — automation plus better semantic search — is the basis for a self-hosted photo library that replaces cloud products in daily use rather than just archiving them.
◆ Prediction
v3.2 stable will ship within days given the current RC pace. After that, expect the workflow engine to get additional triggers and actions, and possibly AI-assisted album creation tied to the new cluster groups and search API.
Memos
5.0COLLAB
Memos adopts calendar versions and rebuilds writing around one block editor.
◆ Current state
Memos has moved to calendar versioning, with 26.10 candidates following 0.31 and versions now written YY.MM.N. 26.10.0-rc.2 replaces the editor with one block editor shared by writing and reading, and turns the instance-wide memo length and upload caps into ordered per-user usage limits that also cover memo count and total storage. rc.1 added editor suggestions and transcription of existing audio attachments, and Spaces now follow the user across Timeline, Calendar, Map and Attachments.
◆ Where it's heading
Spaces made Memos multi-user, and usage limits are what an administrator needs once several people share an instance. The candidate keeps spending compatibility to get there: upgrading signs everyone out because access tokens are bound to the password, and the old size settings are removed without migration, leaving defaults of 8 KiB per memo and 32 MiB per file. The HTTP layer also moved to the Go standard library, with operators asked to report reverse-proxy differences.
◆ Prediction
Expect 26.10.0 stable with those upgrade notes intact. Reverse-proxy reports against the new HTTP layer are the likeliest cause of another candidate.
Alternatives to Immich and Memos
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 Memos.
Whimsical
Whimsical's pitch to Miro and Lucid users: paste your work in and keep editing it
Staffbase
Staffbase's feed turns from employer brand to AI positioning, still with no release notes
HumHub
HumHub 1.19 has left beta, and its first patches are already carrying security fixes.
Pydio Cells
Cells 5.1 gives tag values their own access policies and endpoints.
Circle
Circle moves from building the community to selling inside it, with upsells and attribution.
See all Immich alternatives → · See all Memos alternatives →
Recent activity from Immich and Memos
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 6d agoMemosOne block editor, per-user usage limits and calendar versions
- 23d agoMemosEditor suggestions, audio transcription, unified browsing
- 1mo agoMemosCalendar and Map pages, moving memos between Spaces
- 1mo agoImmichv3.2.0 RC3: bug fixes before stable release
- 2mo agoImmichv3.2.0 RC2: search UI and face merge bug fixes
- 2mo agoMemosCollaborative Spaces, author-owned memos, and Saved Views ⚡
- 2mo agoImmichv3.2.0 RC1: new search UI, face cluster groups, memories view ⚡
- 2mo agoImmichv3.2.0-rc.0: fix: build release branch images instead of re-tagging main (#31064)
- 3mo agoMemosEmbedded MCP endpoint, live SSE updates, and revocable share links ⚡
- 3mo agoMemosMemos Web Clipper and a redesigned memo detail rail
- 4mo agoImmichv3.0.0 RC3: webhook actions and bug fixes
- 4mo agoImmichv3.0.0 RC2: bug fixes ahead of stable release
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Immich and Memos?
Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted — within Collab. Immich is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 0 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 Memos?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Immich is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 0 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 Memos?
Top Memos alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Memos alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/memos for the full list with editorial commentary on each.