Free
$0
Everything you need at home.
- Back up to one computer on your home Wi-Fi
- Full library on your phone at home
- Search, map, editor, and freeing up phone space
- Mirror to extra drives on your computer
Your photo library, on your own computer.
Preen backs up your phone’s photos and videos to your computer, then shows everything — phone and computer — in one timeline on your phone. No cloud: your photos stay on your own devices.
iPhone · Android · macOS · Windows · Linux
How it works
Set up in minutes. No server required.
No Docker, no NAS, no port forwarding. Install the desktop app, sign in on both devices, and you’re done.
Install Preen on your computer
Get the desktop app for macOS, Windows or Linux. Pick the folder or drive where your photos should live.
Sign in on your phone and computer
Install Preen on your iPhone or Android phone and sign in on both. They find each other on their own.
Tap Back Up
Your photos and videos copy to your computer, and your phone shows everything in one timeline.
Features
Everything you expect from a photo library.
Browse, search, edit and organize — with your photos stored on hardware you own.
One timeline
Photos on your phone and photos that live only on your computer, together in one scrolling library on your phone.
Full-resolution originals
Preen backs up the original files, not compressed copies — photos and videos alike.
Videos stream on demand
Play a video stored on your computer without downloading the whole file to your phone first.
Search your photos
Search by scenes, objects and places, or find photos with people in them. Photo analysis runs on your phone.
Map view
See your photos on a map by where they were taken.
Photo editor with masks
Adjust light and color, and apply changes to just part of a photo with masks.
Free up phone space
Remove originals from your phone once they’re safely backed up. They stay in your timeline.
Delete from backups
Remove a photo from your computers right from your phone. It’s deleted for good — there’s no trash.
A library for each person Preen+
Family members each get their own library on the same computers, and see only their own photos in Preen.
Mirror to more drives
Add a second drive and Preen keeps a copy on each. With Preen+, other computers you add keep a copy too.
Privacy
Your photos never live on our servers.
Preen connects your phone and your computer directly. We run the service that signs you in and introduces your devices to each other — your photos travel only between your own devices.
Encrypted, device to device
Photos travel over a direct, encrypted connection (WebRTC) between your phone and your computer.
Not stored, not readable by us
Your photos are never stored on our servers, and we have no way to read them.
Encrypted on your computer
Your library is encrypted on your own drives. Only your phone or your recovery phrase can open it.
A relay only when needed
If a direct path is impossible, Preen+ can use a relay that only passes along encrypted traffic.
Photo analysis runs on your phone
Scene and people detection happen on your phone; place names may use your phone’s location service.
Why Preen
A photo library on your hardware, without the homework.
Self-hosted photo servers
Usually mean setting up Docker or a server, and a VPN or port forwarding to reach your photos away from home.
File-sync apps
Copy files to your computer, but don’t give you a photo library to browse, search and edit on your phone.
Preen
An app on your computer, an app on your phone, one sign-in. You get a full photo library, and your photos stay on your own devices.
Pricing
Free at home. Preen+ for everywhere.
The storage is your own computer, so there’s no per-gigabyte charge.
Preen+
$2.99/ month
or $24.99 / year — about 30% less
- Everything in Free
- Back up and browse from anywhere
- Mirror your library to other computers you add
- A separate library for each family member
- Encrypted relay when a direct connection isn’t possible
Subscribe in the Preen app.
Get Preen
Install the desktop app on the computer that will keep your photos, then the app on your phone.
- Coming soon toApp Store
- Coming soon toGoogle Play
Are my photos uploaded to your servers?
No. Your photos go directly from your phone to your computer over an encrypted connection. They are never stored on our servers, and we can’t read them. Our servers handle your account and help your devices find each other.
What do I need?
An iPhone or Android phone, and a Mac, Windows or Linux computer with room for your photos. No Docker, no NAS, and no router or port-forwarding setup.
Does it work when I’m away from home?
The free version backs up and shows your full library when your phone and computer are on the same home Wi-Fi. With Preen+ you can back up and browse from anywhere.
What if my phone and computer can’t connect directly?
Preen always tries a direct connection first. When a direct path isn’t possible, Preen+ can fall back to a relay that only passes along encrypted traffic — it can’t see your photos and doesn’t store them.
What happens when my computer is off?
Photos still on your phone are always there. Photos that live only on your computer load again as soon as your computer is on and reachable.
Is it full quality?
Yes. Preen backs up the original files, including videos, at full resolution.
Can my family use it?
Yes, with Preen+. Each person gets their own library on the same computers. Each library is encrypted on the computer with that person’s own key, so other people using the computer can’t open it.
Are my photos encrypted on my computer?
Yes. Your library is encrypted on your computer and its drives. Your phone and your 24-word recovery phrase are the keys. If you lose both, we can’t recover your photos. Export makes a normal, readable copy whenever you want one.
What if a drive fails?
Add a second drive in the desktop app and Preen mirrors your library onto it. With Preen+, other computers you sign in on keep a copy too.