A free Google Photos alternative: photos only on your device, no cloud

By webpins.net, updated on October 1, 2026

Cloud photo services, such as Google Photos, keep your images on the company's servers. webpins does the opposite: it is a free, local alternative, where your photos stay only in your browser. Each approach has advantages, and this guide shows both frankly.

webpins is an independent project and has no connection with Google. “Google Photos” is a Google trademark and appears here only to give an example of the kind of service.

Side by side

A general comparison between the two kinds of service. For Google Photos, what the service itself says applies; check the details of your plan there.

Where webpins is different

• No sign-up required: you open it and use it. The account exists only for whoever wants the Professional plan or to write to us.
• The photos do not leave your device: there is no server to receive them, so nobody analyzes them or uses them for anything.
• Free, with no ads and no limit on photos beyond the space on your device.
• Works without internet after the first visit, and can be installed as an app.
• Password-protected albums, encrypted in the browser itself.

What webpins does not do

• It does not sync between devices: each browser has its own gallery. To take the photos elsewhere, you have to make a backup and restore it there.
• It does not create links to share albums with other people.
• It does not recognize faces or objects in photos: search is by name and caption.
• It does not back up to the cloud on its own: the backup is made by you, as a .zip file or in a folder on your computer.
• It depends on the browser to keep the data: if that is cleared, the photos are gone. That is why the backup matters.

Who it suits

webpins suits people who want an organized, private gallery, to view and arrange photos on their own device: trip collections, reference images, project photos, a personal archive. If you need to see the same photos on several devices automatically, or to share albums by link, a cloud service meets that need better.

You can use both

Nothing stops you from keeping the cloud service for everyday use and using webpins for what you would rather keep to yourself. Start with the guide on the private photo gallery.

Frequently asked questions

Is webpins really free?

Yes. The gallery is free and has no ads, and there is no limit on photos beyond the space the browser allows on your device. No account or card is needed.

Can I bring my photos over from Google Photos?

Yes, through Google Takeout, which exports your photos as .zip files. webpins accepts .zip files when adding photos and keeps the ones in JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, AVIF or BMP. Videos and HEIC photos are left out, and you set up your albums again in webpins.

Can I see the same photos on my phone and my computer?

Not automatically. Each browser has its own gallery. To move photos from one device to another, make a backup on one and restore it on the other.

Can I share an album by link, like in Google Photos?

No. The photos stay only on your device, so there is no web address to send. To show photos to someone, download them or play a slideshow on your screen.

Sources

• Google: how to download your Google data (Google Takeout)
• Google: how your Google storage works (15 GB free)