Dropbox
Cloud file storage and sync for teams and individuals
Ente
End-to-end encrypted cloud for photos and authenticators
Fully open source, end-to-end encrypted platform for storing photos and 2FA secrets. Audited by Cure53 and cryptography experts, with apps across all major platforms.
Overview
Secure Cloud Storage You Control
Ente provides a fully open source, end-to-end encrypted platform for storing sensitive data without trusting the service provider. Built on a foundation of zero-knowledge architecture, Ente has been independently audited by Cure53, Symbolic Software, and Fallible to ensure cryptographic integrity.
Two Flagship Products
Ente Photos delivers a complete alternative to Apple and Google Photos with 3x data replication, face detection, semantic search, private sharing, collaborative albums, and family plans. All features work seamlessly across iOS, Android, web, and desktop platforms while maintaining end-to-end encryption. The service offers 10GB free storage with paid tiers available, plus self-hosting options.
Ente Auth provides a free, forever-free 2FA authenticator built to replace deprecated solutions like Authy. Born from the same secure infrastructure as Ente Photos, it offers end-to-end encrypted backup and sync for your authentication secrets.
Built for Privacy
Every client app and the server code lives in this monorepo, enabling full transparency and community contribution. Whether you choose the hosted service or self-host, Ente ensures your data remains encrypted and accessible only to you.
Highlights
End-to-end encryption audited by Cure53 and cryptography experts
Cross-platform apps for iOS, Android, web, Linux, macOS, and Windows
Photos with face detection, semantic search, and collaborative albums
Free forever 2FA authenticator with encrypted cloud backup
Pros
- Independently audited cryptography and source code by leading security firms
- Complete transparency with fully open source client and server code
- Self-hosting option available for full data sovereignty
- 10GB free storage for Photos; Auth is completely free
Considerations
- Photos service requires paid subscription beyond 10GB free tier
- Self-hosting requires technical expertise and infrastructure management
- Smaller ecosystem compared to Google Photos or Apple Photos
- AGPL-3.0 license may limit commercial derivative use cases
Managed products teams compare with
When teams consider Ente, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.
Looking for a hosted option? These are the services engineering teams benchmark against before choosing open source.
Fit guide
Great for
- Privacy-conscious users seeking audited, zero-knowledge cloud storage
- Families needing secure photo sharing with collaborative albums
- Users migrating from Authy or seeking encrypted 2FA backup
- Organizations requiring self-hosted, end-to-end encrypted file storage
Not ideal when
- Users requiring free unlimited photo storage
- Teams needing enterprise SSO or advanced admin controls
- Users uncomfortable with paid subscriptions for cloud storage
- Organizations seeking proprietary licensing for white-label deployment
How teams use it
Family Photo Archive
Securely store and share family memories across devices with collaborative albums while maintaining privacy through end-to-end encryption and 3x data replication.
2FA Migration from Authy
Migrate all authenticator secrets to a free, encrypted platform with automatic cloud backup, eliminating vendor lock-in and ensuring access across devices.
Self-Hosted Photo Solution
Deploy Ente on your own infrastructure for complete data sovereignty while retaining face detection, semantic search, and cross-platform sync capabilities.
Privacy-First Content Creator Storage
Store raw photos and videos with semantic search and easy import/export, knowing content remains encrypted and inaccessible to the service provider.
Tech snapshot
Dart61%
TypeScript22%
Go9%
Swift2%
Rust1%
HTML1%
Frequently asked questions
How does end-to-end encryption work in Ente?
Ente uses zero-knowledge architecture where all data is encrypted on your device before upload. Only you hold the decryption keys, meaning Ente servers cannot access your photos or 2FA secrets. This has been audited by Cure53 and Symbolic Software.
Is Ente Auth really free forever?
Yes. Ente Auth is completely free with no storage limits or premium tiers. It was built as a community contribution while developing Ente Photos and will remain free indefinitely.
Can I self-host Ente instead of using the cloud service?
Yes. The entire monorepo includes server code, allowing you to self-host both Ente Photos and Ente Auth on your own infrastructure with full feature parity.
What platforms does Ente support?
Ente provides native apps for iOS, Android, web browsers, Linux, macOS, and Windows. All apps support both Ente Photos and Ente Auth with full feature synchronization.
How much free storage does Ente Photos offer?
Ente Photos includes 10GB of free storage. Paid plans are available for additional storage, and self-hosting provides unlimited storage limited only by your infrastructure.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 24,000
- Watchers
- 24,000
- Forks
- 1,417
LicenseAGPL-3.0
Repo age3 years old
Last commit5 hours ago
Self-hostingSupported
Primary languageDart
Last synced 4 hours ago