Google’s Photos app, initially intended as a default image viewing and editing app for Android, has evolved into one of the most popular photo backup services. However, its attractiveness began to wane when Google discontinued its unlimited storage offering in 2020, creating an opportunity for other photo backup services to emerge and gain popularity.

This shift in Google’s strategy has led to the growth of alternative photo backup services, particularly those that prioritize privacy. For individuals who are hesitant to entrust their personal photos to large tech corporations, private photo backup services have become increasingly appealing. This is where Ente, an innovative solution, comes into play.

Ente, an open-source project founded by Vishnu Mohandas, a former Google employee, offers end-to-end encrypted photo storage across multiple platforms. This means that the service is incapable of accessing users’ photos. The startup stores photos in three distinct locations to ensure enhanced reliability and accessibility. Furthermore, the open-source nature of the project allows users to inspect the code or even set up their own server to store their pictures securely.

Ente processes all user-facing features on-device, including face and location identification, theme creation, and memory curation. The processed information is then synced with other devices using end-to-end encryption. Additionally, users can utilize natural language to search for photos, such as “beach sunsets in India.”

The service provides a web client, as well as Android, iOS, and desktop apps, and includes 5GB of free storage. Users can upgrade to paid plans starting at $9.99 per month for 1TB of storage and can share one account with up to five people.

In an interview with TechCrunch, Mohandas expressed his concerns about Google’s privacy practices, which led him to develop Ente. “Google prioritizes security, but not user privacy. They don’t genuinely care about customer data or the potential implications of mishandling it. This is not surprising, given their primary focus on advertisements,” he stated.

Mohandas tried using Apple and Dropbox, but was dissatisfied with their interfaces and the difficulty of accessing pictures across different platforms and devices.

Ente, a bootstrapped company, has garnered significant traction, with over 150,000 registered customers who have collectively stored more than 165 million photos on the app. Despite this growth, Mohandas has no immediate plans to seek venture capital funding.

“The cost of a company like ours shutting down is substantial, as all our customers would need to retrieve their data. We prefer not to accept venture capital at this time and instead focus on growth that won’t lead to our shutdown,” Mohandas explained.

He attributed the strong open-source community surrounding Ente to the fact that all 12 employees were previously part of the community. The company also offers dedicated support for users who wish to self-host the app.

Mohandas acknowledged that privacy features alone are insufficient to sell a service like Ente. To address this, the company has focused on maintaining feature parity with services like Google Photos. Additionally, Ente is considering releasing an Android app that doesn’t require user login and offers local photo categorization features.