Stingle Photos
Stingle Photos is a gallery and camera app for backing up and syncing photos and videos across devices on the same account.
What Stingle Photos is
Stingle Photos is a gallery and camera app for backing up and syncing photos and videos across devices on the same account. Backups run in the background, and the app supports video recording and playback. Files are encrypted locally before they are sent to cloud storage; Stingle names XChaCha20 with Poly1305 for file data, X25519 for public-key cryptography, and Argon2 for key derivation. The company says sensitive photo and video metadata is encrypted in the file header. Users can share albums with other Stingle users through encrypted album keys. The app is open source under GPLv3 and is listed for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, API access, and self-hosting. The free plan includes 1 GB. Self-hosting requires, among other listed prerequisites, Linux, S3-compatible storage, a domain name, and Git. Stingle says it cannot recover or change a forgotten password, so users should save their recovery phrase.
Good
- Backs up photos and videos in the background.
- Encrypts files locally before cloud transfer.
- Supports video recording and playback.
- Open source under GPLv3.
- Free plan includes 1 GB of storage.
Watch out
- Provider cannot recover or change a forgotten password.
- Self-hosting requires Linux, S3-compatible storage, a domain, and Git.
- 100 GB storage costs $2.99 per month.
Who it suits
Stingle Photos suits people seeking photo and video backup with local encryption, and users who want to share albums with other Stingle users. It also offers a self-hosting option for users who can meet its listed prerequisites.
Verdict
Stingle Photos combines gallery features, background sync, local encryption, and shared albums. Save the recovery phrase somewhere safe, since the provider says it cannot reset a forgotten password.
Plans and prices
From Stingle Photos's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Free | 1 GB cloud storage |
| 100 GB monthly | $2.99 a month | 100 GB cloud storage · $2.99/month |
| 300 GB monthly | $4.99 a month | 300 GB cloud storage · $4.99/month |
| 1 TB monthly | $11.99 a month | 1 TB cloud storage · $11.99/month |
| 100 GB yearly | $29.90 a year | 100 GB cloud storage · $29.90/year (save $5.98) |
| 3 TB monthly | $35.99 a month | 3 TB cloud storage · $35.99/month |
| 300 GB yearly | $49.99 a year | 300 GB cloud storage · $49.99/year (save $9.89) |
| 5 TB monthly | $59.99 a month | 5 TB cloud storage · $59.99/month |
| 1 TB yearly | $111.99 a year | 1 TB cloud storage · $111.99/year (save $23.89) |
| 3 TB yearly | $359.99 a year | 3 TB cloud storage · $359.99/year (save $71.89) |
The facts
Each one read from Stingle Photos's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Account recovery
- The FAQ says the provider cannot recover or change a forgotten password and recommends saving the recovery phrase.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Albums
- Albums use separate encryption keys so collections can be shared without reuploading the underlying files.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Albums and sharing
- Albums can be shared with other Stingle users using encrypted album keys.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Algorithms
- Its security page names XChaCha20 with Poly1305 for file data, X25519 for public-key cryptography, and Argon2 for key derivation.checked 7 Oct 2026
- API extensibility
- The API server supports addons that can add packages, configuration, controllers, views and scheduled jobs without changing core code.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API licence
- The public Stingle API server repository is licensed under AGPL-3.0.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Background backup
- Photos and videos can upload in the background and synchronize to other devices on the same account.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Client licence
- The Android client repository identifies GPL-3.0 as its licence.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Cryptography
- The security design uses Libsodium, XChaCha20-Poly1305, X25519 and Argon2.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Desktop downloads
- Native desktop packages are offered for Windows, macOS and Linux; the listed desktop version is 0.1.8.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Encryption
- Files are encrypted on the device before storage or transmission, including their cloud copies.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Hosting
- The FAQ identifies DigitalOcean for hosting and Wasabi for encrypted-file storage.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent review
- Ars Technica characterized Stingle as a minimalist FOSS mobile app that encrypts media before uploading and offers a simple album-like experience.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: Google Play organization
- A reviewer noted the absence of keyword-based AI search and asked for more free storage, while viewing the lack of AI positively for privacy.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: Google Play upload speed
- A reviewer reported that video uploads were extremely slow even on fast Wi-Fi and requested a way to exclude videos from automatic upload.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: Google Play usability
- Another reviewer described settings navigation as buggy and said encrypted files were difficult to access for editing on another computer.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Local-only mode
- Backup can be disabled so the app stores encrypted media locally, limited by device capacity.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Metadata
- Stingle says sensitive photo and video metadata is encrypted in the file header.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Metadata privacy
- Sensitive metadata such as file type, filename and original size is kept inside encrypted headers.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Mobile distribution
- The download page links an Android APK, while iOS distribution is through Apple's App Store.checked 15 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Browser client
- The public web repository describes a browser client that can browse galleries, albums and trash and upload encrypted media.checked 15 Oct 2026
- iOS
- The maker’s August 2026 blog post says the iOS app is available on the App Store and has a built-in camera.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Limit: Apple reviews
- The US App Store review page shows complaints about unstable syncing, failed downloads or decryption, lack of a web interface and lost photos.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Company profile
- LinkedIn lists Stingle Inc. as a privately held software company headquartered in Middletown, Delaware, founded in 2020, with 2–10 employees.checked 15 Oct 2026
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