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Comparison · Collab

Immich vs Readarr

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

Shared themes:self-hosted

Immich vs Readarr: at a glance

FeatureImmichReadarr
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score5.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesself-hosted, photo-management, backups, authenticationbook-management, self-hosted, maintenance-only, dormant
Last editorial update24m ago3mo ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Immich?

Immich's 3.4 candidate adds passkeys and built-in backups.

Immich is in its v3.4 release-candidate cycle. rc.1 added passkey sign-in, built-in backups using restic's parallel scan, JPEG XL decoding and encoding, mobile tags and workflow filters, plus security fixes around shared links, partner timelines, symlinks and OAuth cookies; rc.2 on 4 November contains bug fixes only. The v3.3 cycle before it brought people management, TensorRT-RTX acceleration and lighter ML models.

Read the full Immich trajectory →

What is Readarr?

Six releases of small fixes and translations, then nothing since June 2025.

Readarr's last six entries run from March to June 2025 and are uniformly small: a truncated root-folder path, remote image links for posters and covers, NLog message templating, disabled SelectInput options, Weblate translation batches. Every entry opens with the same instructions about switching to the develop branch and not updating inside a running Docker container. Nothing in this window adds capability, and no entry has appeared in over a year.

Read the full Readarr trajectory →

Immich vs Readarr: editorial side-by-side

I
Immich
COLLAB
5.0

Immich's 3.4 candidate adds passkeys and built-in backups.

◆ Current state

Immich is in its v3.4 release-candidate cycle. rc.1 added passkey sign-in, built-in backups using restic's parallel scan, JPEG XL decoding and encoding, mobile tags and workflow filters, plus security fixes around shared links, partner timelines, symlinks and OAuth cookies; rc.2 on 4 November contains bug fixes only. The v3.3 cycle before it brought people management, TensorRT-RTX acceleration and lighter ML models.

◆ Where it's heading

Each minor now runs through three or four public candidates before release. The 3.x line moved from discovery features (search, faces, memories) toward running Immich safely as a household's primary photo store: sharing controls, authentication and backups.

◆ Prediction

v3.4.0 stable should follow after one or two more candidates. Restoring from the new backups inside Immich is the natural follow-up if it isn't already part of 3.4.

R
Readarr
COLLAB
0.0

Six releases of small fixes and translations, then nothing since June 2025.

◆ Current state

Readarr's last six entries run from March to June 2025 and are uniformly small: a truncated root-folder path, remote image links for posters and covers, NLog message templating, disabled SelectInput options, Weblate translation batches. Every entry opens with the same instructions about switching to the develop branch and not updating inside a running Docker container. Nothing in this window adds capability, and no entry has appeared in over a year.

◆ Where it's heading

The pattern is a project in caretaker mode: auto-generated commit lists, incremental UI corrections, and internal work like using ReflectionOnly types to avoid loading assemblies unnecessarily. Volume held steady at roughly one release every one to two weeks until it stopped entirely. The entries themselves give no reason for the halt.

◆ Prediction

The changelog offers no signal of resumed development; without new entries there is nothing here to project forward beyond the fact that the feed went quiet after 0.4.18.

Alternatives to Immich and Readarr

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 Readarr.

See all Immich alternatives → · See all Readarr alternatives →

Recent activity from Immich and Readarr

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

  1. 4h agoImmichv3.4 RC2 is bug fixes only ahead of the stable release
  2. 5d agoImmichv3.4 RC adds passkeys, built-in backups and JPEG XL
  3. 1mo agoImmichv3.3 RC2 refines person sharing before release
  4. 1mo agoImmichv3.3 RC1 continues person-sharing work
  5. 1mo agoImmichv3.3 RC adds people management and TensorRT-RTX
  6. 2mo agoImmichv3.2.0 RC3: bug fixes before stable release
  7. 1y agoReadarr0.4.18.2805 avoids loading unnecessary assemblies
  8. 1y agoReadarr0.4.17.2801 returns remote image links for posters and covers
  9. 1y agoReadarr0.4.16.2793 fixes a truncated root folder path
  10. 1y agoReadarr0.4.15.2787 switches log messages to templates
  11. 1y agoReadarr0.4.14.2782 fixes adding an author before root folders load
  12. 1y agoReadarr0.4.13.2760 improves author status and loading-error display

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Immich and Readarr?

Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted — within Collab. Immich is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), 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 Readarr?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Immich is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), 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 Readarr?

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