PixelUnion is a privacy-first photo and video cloud storage service operated by a company in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. It positions itself as a European alternative to U.S. tech platforms such as Google Photos. The platform is built on a fork of the open-source Immich project, with a focus on EU data residency, no ads or tracking, and a managed experience for everyday users.
The product supports backups from iPhone and Android phones and is currently compatible with the native Immich App. Users can browse, share, and archive photos, as well as use features such as face recognition, AI object recognition, detailed search, map view, and advanced deduplication. For collaboration, there is no separate family plan, but all subscriptions include family features: users can invite family members or friends to create separate accounts under a personal subdomain and share the same storage pool. For developers and advanced users, PixelUnion supports the Immich API, API Key, and bulk uploads via Immich CLI, though the /api/system-config and /api/library endpoints are disabled for security reasons.
Pricing is subscription-based by storage capacity: 16GB is free forever, 150GB is β¬2.95/month, 450GB is β¬4.95/month, and 2000GB is β¬9.95/month. Annual billing is β¬29.50, β¬49.50, and β¬99.50 respectively. Plans from 3TB start at β¬14.95/month and can scale up to 15TB. Payments are processed by Stripe, with support for credit cards and iDEAL, and are charged in euros. On the security side, the main text explicitly states that data is stored in Germany, backups are kept in Finland, data is encrypted both in transit and at rest, and the service is GDPR-compliant.
The advantages are clear pricing, a free tier, features close to Immich, open API support, and a core emphasis on EU storage, green energy, and privacy commitments. The drawbacks are also fairly clear: the service is currently mainly aimed at EU residents; the mobile experience depends on the open-source Immich App; there is no built-in Google Takeout-style export and users need immich-go instead; registration requires a phone number; and inactive apps may briefly sleep, causing a loading delay when opened.
PixelUnion is best suited to individuals and families in Europe, as well as users who want to migrate away from Google Photos but do not have the ability or interest to self-host. For users in China, the main text does not provide information about access from mainland China, payment compatibility, or local network performance. Its terms of service also state that it currently only does business with EU residents, so its accessibility from China should be considered unknown. Alternatives include Google Photos, iCloud Photos, Ente Photos, Nextcloud Photos, or self-hosted Immich.
β This review is compiled from public sources and does not constitute a purchase recommendation. Verify all facts on the vendor's official site. Verify on pixelunion.eu official site.
pixelunion.eu is an EU SaaS Tools provider. TG4G tracks its product information, an overall rating of 7.0/10, and a China-accessibility score of Workable. Click "Visit Official Site" to reach pixelunion.eu directly.