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PixelUnion.eu
A Google Photos alternative in Europe, based on Immich
StorageArtificial IntelligencePhoto & Video
2025-05-19
61 likes

Product Introduction

  1. PixelUnion.eu is a European-based photo and video storage platform designed to provide secure, privacy-focused alternatives to American tech platforms. It offers encrypted storage hosted exclusively in EU data centers operated by EU companies, ensuring compliance with strict European data protection laws. The service includes a free tier with 16GB of storage, mobile app integration, and AI-powered features like facial recognition.
  2. The core value of PixelUnion.eu lies in its commitment to data sovereignty, privacy-first design, and resistance to surveillance capitalism models employed by U.S.-based cloud providers. It combines advanced AI capabilities with GDPR-compliant infrastructure, enabling users to store and organize media without compromising privacy.

Main Features

  1. PixelUnion.eu offers first-class facial recognition that operates locally without exporting biometric data, using on-device processing to identify friends and family in photos while maintaining privacy. This feature supports detailed image searching while keeping all analysis confined to user-controlled storage environments.
  2. The platform provides native mobile apps for iOS and Android through its integration with Immich, enabling instant photo backups with end-to-end encryption during transfer. Users can automatically sync full-resolution media from their devices to EU-based servers with configurable backup intervals and network restrictions.
  3. All data is stored in European Union data centers using AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.3+ in transit, with physical infrastructure operated by EU-registered companies. Storage plans range from 16GB (free) to 20TB (custom enterprise plans), featuring advanced deduplication to optimize space usage across photo libraries.

Problems Solved

  1. PixelUnion.eu addresses concerns about U.S. government data access requests through the Cloud Act by eliminating dependencies on American hyperscalers like AWS or Google Cloud. All infrastructure resides in German and French data centers operated by OVHcloud and Hetzner, with legal jurisdiction strictly under EU regulations.
  2. The platform specifically targets privacy-conscious European users, professional photographers requiring GDPR-compliant storage, and organizations prohibited from using U.S.-controlled cloud services under EU data protection directives.
  3. Typical use cases include securely archiving family photos with AI-powered organization, replacing Google Photos for EU citizens and businesses, and creating private media libraries accessible through full REST API integration for developers.

Unique Advantages

  1. Unlike competitors, PixelUnion.eu combines open-source transparency (through its Immich-based architecture) with commercial-grade reliability, offering detailed audit trails of data access attempts. The platform undergoes quarterly third-party security audits published publicly.
  2. Innovative features include privacy-preserving AI that processes facial recognition locally before encrypted upload, hybrid client-server deduplication algorithms, and EXIF metadata scrubbing tools to remove location data upon request.
  3. Competitive advantages include zero advertising or data monetization, unlimited upload bandwidth across all plans, and granular sharing controls that let users define expiration dates/download limits for shared content. Enterprise plans offer S3-compatible API access with 99.95% SLA guarantees.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  1. How does PixelUnion.eu ensure data privacy compared to Google Photos? PixelUnion.eu stores all data exclusively in EU data centers using local providers, encrypts files before upload through client-side encryption in its mobile apps, and completely avoids ad-targeting algorithms or third-party data sharing common in U.S. platforms.
  2. What happens if I exceed my storage limit? Users receive automated warnings at 80%, 90%, and 100% capacity, with options to upgrade plans directly through the web interface. The system continues accepting uploads for 14 days post-limit while preserving access to existing files.
  3. Can I migrate existing photos from other platforms? PixelUnion.eu provides a dedicated migration tool supporting direct transfers from Google Takeout, Apple iCloud, and Amazon Photos, including preservation of album structures and metadata through its CSV/JSON mapping system.
  4. Is facial recognition GDPR-compliant? The facial analysis runs entirely on users' devices during initial upload, converting biometric data into anonymized vector hashes that cannot be reverse-engineered. These hashes are stored separately from media files in encrypted databases.
  5. Do custom enterprise plans include dedicated support? All paid plans offer 24/7 email support with 4-hour response SLA, while enterprise contracts include dedicated account managers, custom retention policies, and optional on-premises deployment support for government clients.

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A Google Photos alternative in Europe, based on Immich | ProductCool