Choosing a French alternative to Google Photos comes down to a simple question: where do your family photos live, which law protects them, and how easily can you get them back whenever you decide? Here is a factual comparison between a major US service and Mon Écrin, a French sovereign cloud, built around three commitments.
1. Privacy and the protection of French law
Your data is hosted in France, with no resale and no advertising use. While a US provider falls under US jurisdiction (including the Cloud Act, which can apply even when servers are located in Europe), Mon Écrin is published by a French company and hosted by OVH SAS on OVHcloud Object Storage infrastructure in the Paris region. Your photos, videos and documents are governed exclusively by French law and the GDPR, and are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM and in transit over HTTPS/TLS.
2. Everyday simplicity
Moving to sovereign storage should not make everyday life harder: it means automatically backing up your photos, videos and documents, then finding them easily. The Android app backs up new shots in the background, the desktop software (Windows, macOS, Linux) watches over your folders, and your web space lets you browse your albums and share them with family.
3. The freedom to stay in control
Freedom means keeping control of your files, getting them back and being able to leave the service. Your memories are kept in their original quality and you can download your entire vault as a ZIP archive at any time. If you cancel, a grace period gives you time to retrieve all your files with peace of mind.
At-a-glance comparison
| Criterion | Google Photos | Mon Écrin |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction and hosting | US company (subject to the US Cloud Act) | French company, OVHcloud hosting in the Paris region (French law and GDPR) |
| Business model | Ecosystem funded mainly by advertising and Google One plans | Transparent paid subscription, no advertising and no data resale |
| File security | Standard encryption managed by Google | AES-256-GCM encryption at rest and HTTPS/TLS in transit |
| Recovery and portability | Google Takeout export (split archives, metadata sometimes separate) | Full ZIP archive export in original quality, with no lock-in |
How to switch at your own pace
There is no need to move everything in a single day: install the app on your phone to protect new photos right away, then retrieve your existing library step by step using our recovery guide. You get a 30-day free trial, followed by clear plans starting at €2.50 incl. tax per month.