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Comparison · Collab

AFFiNE vs Immich

A side-by-side editorial comparison of AFFiNE and Immich — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

AFFiNE vs Immich: at a glance

FeatureAFFiNEImmich
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score6.30.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesself-hosting, canary builds, byok, mcpphoto-management, self-hosted, release-candidate, major-version
Last editorial update4d ago16d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is AFFiNE?

The nightly canary keeps shipping, and self-hosting just got a one-click path.

AFFiNE publishes a dated canary build most days alongside a slower beta line, and the two carry the same commits at different points on the maturity curve. The recent stream is maintenance-shaped: dependency security bumps in Mermaid and Electron, a journal lookup fix for trashed docs, retry handling for failed transcription jobs. The last directional move was workspace BYOK profiles with model catalogs and key rotation in early August, which sits on top of the MCP credential work from July.

Read the full AFFiNE trajectory →

What is Immich?

Immich is four release candidates into v3 with every feature note published somewhere else.

The visible release stream is a v3.0.0 RC series — rc.0 through rc.3, cut over eleven days in June — and each entry is the same template: a release-candidate disclaimer, a database and library backup warning, and instructions to move IMMICH_VERSION from v2 to v3 or the rolling v3-rc tag. The actual release notes live on a work-in-progress preview page outside the changelog.

Read the full Immich trajectory →

AFFiNE vs Immich: editorial side-by-side

A
AFFiNE
COLLAB
6.3

The nightly canary keeps shipping, and self-hosting just got a one-click path.

◆ Current state

AFFiNE publishes a dated canary build most days alongside a slower beta line, and the two carry the same commits at different points on the maturity curve. The recent stream is maintenance-shaped: dependency security bumps in Mermaid and Electron, a journal lookup fix for trashed docs, retry handling for failed transcription jobs. The last directional move was workspace BYOK profiles with model catalogs and key rotation in early August, which sits on top of the MCP credential work from July.

◆ Where it's heading

Two threads run in parallel. The AI thread is about who supplies and controls the model - BYOK profiles, MCP credentials, access modes - rather than adding model features. The other thread is self-host ergonomics, and the Render blueprint is the clearest recent instance: AFFiNE keeps lowering the cost of running your own instance while keeping the AI layer pluggable. Between those, the canary absorbs a steady flow of upstream security patches with little product change attached.

◆ Prediction

Expect the self-host track to keep collecting deploy targets and the BYOK work to extend to more provider surfaces; on current cadence the next 0.27 beta will consolidate the canary work rather than introduce anything new.

I
Immich
COLLAB
0.0

Immich is four release candidates into v3 with every feature note published somewhere else.

◆ Current state

The visible release stream is a v3.0.0 RC series — rc.0 through rc.3, cut over eleven days in June — and each entry is the same template: a release-candidate disclaimer, a database and library backup warning, and instructions to move IMMICH_VERSION from v2 to v3 or the rolling v3-rc tag. The actual release notes live on a work-in-progress preview page outside the changelog.

◆ Where it's heading

What the feed does show is a project running a disciplined pre-release: a rolling RC tag so testers do not have to chase point versions, and two-to-seven day turnarounds between candidates as bugs come in. What it does not show is a single feature, which means anyone tracking Immich through its changelog learns only that a major version is close, not what it changes.

◆ Prediction

A v3.0.0 stable release follows once the RC turnaround lengthens; the entries give no basis for predicting what it contains, because none of them describe it.

Alternatives to AFFiNE and Immich

Other Collab products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either AFFiNE or Immich.

See all AFFiNE alternatives → · See all Immich alternatives →

Recent activity from AFFiNE and Immich

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 5d agoAFFiNEOne-click self-host deploy via Render blueprint
  2. 6d agoAFFiNEFailed transcription jobs can be retried without being recreated
  3. 8d agoAFFiNETrashed journals no longer surface in date lookups
  4. 9d agoAFFiNEMermaid 11.16.1 patches an XY-chart denial-of-service flaw
  5. 10d agoAFFiNEElectron 39.8.10 fixes a spoofable code-sign check
  6. 13d agoAFFiNEAtlaskit drag-and-drop auto-scroll upgraded to v3
  7. 1mo agoImmichThird v3 candidate fixes issues found in rc.2
  8. 2mo agoImmichSecond v3 candidate fixes issues found in rc.1
  9. 2mo agoImmichRolling v3-rc tag introduced for prereleases
  10. 2mo agoImmichFirst v3 release candidate opens the major-version cut

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between AFFiNE and Immich?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. AFFiNE is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is AFFiNE better than Immich?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. AFFiNE is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to AFFiNE?

Top AFFiNE alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "AFFiNE alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/affine for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Immich?

Top Immich alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Immich alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/immich for the full list with editorial commentary on each.