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Comparison · Collab

Jellyfin vs Immich

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

Shared themes:self-hostedrelease-candidate

Jellyfin vs Immich: at a glance

FeatureJellyfinImmich
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score2.50.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesmedia-server, self-hosted, release-candidate, versioning-changephoto-management, self-hosted, release-candidate, major-version
Last editorial update4h ago4h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Jellyfin?

Jellyfin drops the 10. prefix and puts 12.0 through a three-candidate preview.

The project is running a 12.0 release candidate series alongside a 10.11.x stable line that has thinned to single-fix releases. The RC notes carry one substantive announcement: versioning drops the leading 10., so 10.11.x becomes 12.x, on the reasoning that the hard API break the old scheme anticipated is no longer planned. The stable line's last two releases were three GHSA security fixes and a UserManager lock helper.

Read the full Jellyfin trajectory →

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 →

Jellyfin vs Immich: editorial side-by-side

J
Jellyfin
COLLAB
2.5

Jellyfin drops the 10. prefix and puts 12.0 through a three-candidate preview.

◆ Current state

The project is running a 12.0 release candidate series alongside a 10.11.x stable line that has thinned to single-fix releases. The RC notes carry one substantive announcement: versioning drops the leading 10., so 10.11.x becomes 12.x, on the reasoning that the hard API break the old scheme anticipated is no longer planned. The stable line's last two releases were three GHSA security fixes and a UserManager lock helper.

◆ Where it's heading

Renumbering is the visible end of a decision made about the API — the project no longer expects the clean break that 10.x was holding a slot for, so the version number stops reserving one. Meanwhile 10.11.x is in wind-down posture, taking security backports and concurrency fixes rather than features, which is where the 12.0 work has clearly gone. The RC bodies themselves carry no feature detail, pointing at the forums instead.

◆ Prediction

Expect 12.0 to reach stable after the RC turnaround lengthens, with 10.11.x limited to security backports from that point; the entries do not say what 12.0 contains.

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.

Alternatives to Jellyfin and Immich

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 Jellyfin or Immich.

See all Jellyfin alternatives → · See all Immich alternatives →

Recent activity from Jellyfin and Immich

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

  1. 11d agoJellyfinThird 12.0 candidate; version scheme drops the 10. prefix
  2. 1mo agoJellyfinSecond 12.0 preview candidate
  3. 1mo agoImmichThird v3 candidate fixes issues found in rc.2
  4. 1mo agoJellyfinFirst 12.0 release candidate opens the preview series
  5. 1mo agoImmichSecond v3 candidate fixes issues found in rc.1
  6. 1mo agoImmichRolling v3-rc tag introduced for prereleases
  7. 1mo agoImmichFirst v3 release candidate opens the major-version cut
  8. 1mo agoJellyfinSingle lock-helper fix for UserManager
  9. 2mo agoJellyfinThree security advisories fixed on the stable line

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Jellyfin and Immich?

Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted, release-candidate — within Collab. Jellyfin is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 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 Jellyfin better than Immich?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Jellyfin is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 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 Jellyfin?

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

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.