About PixelUnion
Two friends, one beer and a challenge
It started in early 2025 in Alkmaar. As the political landscape shifted and the influence of American Big Tech giants grew by the day, Bram and Jochem sat at the kitchen table with a beer. They asked themselves a simple but challenging question: “How far could we get without American Big Tech?”
They decided to put it to the test. Instagram, Chrome, Google Drive, Google Photos: everything had to go, to see how long they could manage without the tech giants. For email and search engines they found good alternatives, but when it came to their photos and videos, they hit a wall.
The missing European alternative
There simply was no European, user-friendly replacement for Google Photos. Archive solutions existed, but they didn’t feel user-friendly enough for photos: clunky, slow, and nothing like a gallery you enjoy browsing through.
Jochem, with his technical background, solved it for himself by hosting servers in the cloud and connecting Immich. But for Bram it remained a technological challenge. That frustration was the turning point. They realised: if they can’t find this, there must be thousands of others who want to leave Big Tech but don’t have the technical knowledge to self-host.
David vs Goliath: PixelUnion was born
PixelUnion was not built to become an impersonal empire, but to offer an alternative that puts people first. By building on the powerful, open-source foundations of Immich, PixelUnion offers a great alternative where photos and videos can easily be uploaded and viewed.
The best part is that Bram and Jochem don’t do this alone. Friends and family, each an expert in their own field, stepped in to turn their vision into reality. When you make the switch to PixelUnion, you’re not thrown in at the deep end. They help with migration and answer questions personally.
Back in control
Bram and Jochem are convinced that Europe needs more of its own, secure technological infrastructure. For citizens and for businesses alike. For them it’s not about opposing Big Tech, but about building what they themselves were missing: a place where memories stay private.
It’s a long road and they’re far from done. But every photo that gets moved and every user who chooses a European alternative counts. Bram and Jochem from Alkmaar are happy with every new user who joins this movement.
Privacy first
Your photos are yours. We collect no data, sell nothing on, and build no profiles.
Transparency
Open source, fair prices, no hidden terms. You always know where you stand.
Innovation
We keep building. Not for the hype, but to make the product a little better every day.
Who we are
- PixelUnion V.O.F.
- Location: Alkmaar, Netherlands
- Email: support@pixelunion.eu (for questions, legal)
- KvK number: 97002348
- VAT number: NL867869653B01
Built on Immich
Our platform is built on Immich, a powerful open-source photo management tool. We have scaled, hardened and extended the platform to make it suitable for a wide range of users.
View the project on GitHub:
Open source
We don't just use open source — we contribute to it. We report bugs, provide feedback and think along about the direction of projects like Immich. Open source is a principle for us, not a marketing term.