BackThen vs Stingle Photos
BackThen
backthen.comStingle Photos
stingle.orgSide by side
| Figure | BackThen | Stingle Photos |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $2.49/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 10 |
| Spec score · Photo Storage Services | 8.0 (#32) | 8.7 (#9) |
| Original quality | The site says photos of any size and videos of any length can be saved without compression. | Import preserves files bit for bit rather than recompressing them. |
| Platforms | BackThen is available on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and web, with a few availability exceptions. | The download page lists native desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and links to an Android APK. |
| Support | The company directs users to its support site or [email protected] for help. | The contact page directs users who need faster support to Telegram. |
Plans
BackThen
- Free Starter PackFree
- VIP annualPrice not published
- VIP monthlyPrice not published
Stingle Photos
- 1 GBFree
- 100 GB monthly$2.99 a month
- 300 GB monthly$4.99 a month
- 1 TB monthly$11.99 a month
- 100 GB yearly$29.90 a year
- 3 TB monthly$35.99 a month
- 300 GB yearly$49.99 a year
- 5 TB monthly$59.99 a month
- 1 TB yearly$111.99 a year
- 3 TB yearly$359.99 a year
In their own words
Stingle Photos
Stingle Photos is a gallery and camera app for backing up and syncing photos and videos across devices using the same account. It backs up files in the background and 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; it says sensitive photo and video metadata is encrypted in the file header. Albums can be shared with other Stingle users using encrypted album keys. The product is open source under GPLv3, and listed platforms include Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, API access and self-hosting. The free plan includes 1 GB. Paid storage starts at $2.99 a month for 100 GB; other listed plans include monthly and yearly capacities up to multiple terabytes. Users can host their own API server, with Linux, S3-compatible storage, a domain name and Git among the prerequisites. The hosted service uses DigitalOcean and Wasabi hot cloud storage. The provider cannot recover or change a forgotten password, so users should save the recovery phrase. The maker’s August 2026 post says the iOS app is available on the App Store and includes a built-in camera; a web version is planned.