CachePix (cachepix.com) is a photo catalog app developed by SmartLink Basics, LLC for GalleryID, LLC. It is not the "cachepix" GitHub project, an open-source caching proxy that shares only the name. And if you searched for a photo catalogue app, the British spelling, you're in the right place.
Each answer starts with the short version. If you want the limits first, jump to What CachePix doesn't do.
About CachePix
New here? Start with these five. If you're weighing CachePix against other photo apps, you can compare photo catalog software side by side, or read CachePix vs Immich and CachePix vs PhotoPrism.
What is CachePix?
CachePix is a photo catalog app for Mac and Windows. It catalogs the photos on your drives, then syncs a searchable catalog to free iPhone and Android companion apps, so you can browse your archive with the drives unplugged. Your photos never go to the cloud. It's developed by SmartLink Basics, LLC for GalleryID, LLC.
What makes CachePix different from other photo apps?
CachePix lets you browse and search your photo drives while they're unplugged. Your computer keeps a thumbnail and an HD preview of each JPEG, PNG, WebP and RAW photo, and the catalog syncs to your phone over your local network. There's no facial recognition or AI tagging, and your photos never go to the cloud. See features and formats.
Is CachePix the same as the cachepix project on GitHub?
No. CachePix (cachepix.com) is a photo catalog app developed by SmartLink Basics, LLC for GalleryID, LLC. It is not the open-source "cachepix" caching proxy on GitHub, and the two share only a name. CachePix is a desktop app for Mac and Windows with iPhone and Android companion apps, and you download the desktop app from cachepix.com.
Do I need to run a server like Immich or PhotoPrism?
No. There's no server for you to install or run. CachePix builds the catalog on your Mac or Windows computer, and your phone syncs from it over your local network. As of October 2026, Immich needs a server you run yourself, and PhotoPrism needs your own server or paid managed hosting from its partner PikaPods.
Is CachePix a backup or a photo vault?
No. CachePix is a catalog, not a backup. It makes your archive findable. It doesn't make a second copy, so keep backing up your drives. It isn't a photo vault either. The CachePix phone app shows thumbnails and HD previews of photos that stay on your drives.
Privacy and your files
The short version: your photos stay home. Here's where each kind of data lives in CachePix 0.2.1 and the 1.1.0 phone apps, and which parts touch the internet.
| Data | Where it's kept | Goes online? |
|---|---|---|
| Your photos (the originals) | Your own drives | No |
| Thumbnails and HD previews | Your computer, plus a copy on your phone (left out of iCloud backup on iPhone) | No |
| The catalog: filenames, folders, people, keywords, captions | Your computer, with a synced copy on your phone | No. It syncs over your local network |
| Your account: email, account ID, plan status, Stripe customer ID, support messages and sign-in session tokens | The CachePix account server | Yes, over HTTPS |
| Card details | Stripe, on a checkout page in your browser | Yes, to Stripe |
| Version and update checks | Requests to cachepix.com and downloads.cachepix.com | Yes |
| Usage analytics | None. The apps include no analytics, telemetry or tracking SDKs | No |
Does CachePix upload my photos?
No. Your photos, previews and catalog never leave your own computer and phone. The catalog syncs one way, from your computer to your phone, over your local network, with no internet relay. CachePix's only online service is your account: email sign-in, the plan check, and Stripe billing in your browser.
Why choose a local photo catalog over a cloud service?
It comes down to where your photos live and what you pay as the library grows. This Google Photos alternative without the cloud lays out the trade-offs on both sides.
What does CachePix send over the internet?
Account and update traffic only. The CachePix desktop app goes online to sign you in with a 6-digit email code, check your plan, check for updates, and open Stripe billing in your browser. The phone apps send your email, sign-in code, session tokens and account ID to the CachePix account server over HTTPS. Neither app includes analytics or tracking SDKs.
Does CachePix use facial recognition or AI?
No. CachePix has no facial recognition, face detection or AI tagging. People names come from metadata in your files, or names you type in CachePix. Desktop search matches your words against 13 text fields, including filename, people, keywords and caption, and the 0.2.1 Mac app contains no machine-learning model files.
Does CachePix change my original files?
Not when it catalogs them. Cataloging never modifies, moves, renames or deletes your files. CachePix writes metadata only when you edit it, and only the fields you changed, as standard XMP in the file or in a sidecar next to RAW files. Removing a folder or forgetting a drive only clears CachePix's own catalog entries and cached previews.
What an edit changes, on Mac. JPEG, HEIC, HEIF, TIFF, PNG and WebP files get the changed fields written in place. That's metadata only, so the pixels stay the same, though the file's bytes change. A RAW file with no sidecar, DNG included, gets a new .xmp sidecar next to it, and the RAW itself is never written. If another app changed the file after your edit, CachePix asks which version to keep. The help page explains when edits are written.
RAW files that already have a sidecar. If Lightroom or Photo Mechanic already wrote a sidecar next to a RAW file, don't rely on CachePix edits to that file in 0.2.1. Keep editing it in the app that wrote the sidecar.
Where is my catalog stored, and is it encrypted?
On your own devices. The CachePix catalog database stays on your computer, and previews sit in the app data folder unless you move them to another drive. Your phone keeps a synced copy with thumbnails and HD previews. For encryption, rely on your computer's disk encryption: FileVault on Mac, or BitLocker or Device Encryption on Windows.
Does CachePix work with network drives or a NAS?
We haven't tested network drives or a NAS with CachePix, so we don't recommend relying on them yet. Catalog a Folder… takes a folder or a drive that's internal, external or removable. If your photos live on a NAS, tell us at support@cachepix.com so we know it matters to you.
Does CachePix sell my data?
Our Privacy Policy says we don't sell personal data or use advertising networks. Your account holds your email, account ID, plan status, Stripe customer ID, support messages and sign-in session tokens.
Offline use
CachePix is built for photos on drives you don't keep plugged in. The computer keeps a thumbnail and an HD preview of each JPEG, PNG, WebP and RAW photo it catalogs, and the phone keeps a synced copy of the catalog with thumbnails, plus HD previews for a capture-date window you choose (the last year by default).
Does CachePix work without internet?
Yes, for browsing and searching. You can browse and search your catalog with the drives unplugged and the computer at home. CachePix checks your plan online at least once every 14 days, so connect now and then. Signing in needs the internet. Phone sync and Get HD use your local network, not the internet.
Does my computer have to stay on for my phone to work?
Not for browsing what's already synced. Your computer needs CachePix running, with phone sync turned on, only when you sync new photos or tap Get HD. The drive itself can stay unplugged. More in the guide to view external hard drive photos on your phone.
How much room does the catalog take on a phone?
In our August 2026 test (the Mac app synced to an iPhone, default 2048px previews), 190,566 photos (885.66 GB) in two folders on one external drive took 8.03 GB of thumbnails on the iPhone, plus HD previews for the window you choose. The method is in how much space it uses on your phone.
Formats and platforms
Quick answers here. The full lists live on the features and download pages.
Which photo formats work?
CachePix catalogs JPEG, PNG, WebP and 15 RAW formats (CR2, CR3, NEF, NRW, ARW, SR2, RAF, ORF, RW2, DNG, PEF, SRW, X3F, IIQ, 3FR). HEIC and TIFF photos are cataloged and searchable, and previews for them are coming. Video isn't supported. See features and formats.
What computer and phone do I need?
A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) on macOS 12 or later, or 64-bit Windows (x64). iPhone and iPad on iOS 18 or later. Android 9 or later. There's no Linux, Intel Mac or Windows on ARM build. Check the full requirements.
What if the same photo sits on two drives?
Identical copies on different drives become one photo with each location listed. Edited or re-saved copies stay separate. A RAW and a JPEG with the same name in the same folder count as one photo, too. More on the photo cataloging software page.
Plans
Three plans, the same features in each. There's no free tier.
What are the plans?
CachePix costs $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year after a 14-day free trial, or $99 once for Lifetime. One plan covers your computer and your phone with the same email. A card is required for the trial, and you're charged when it ends unless you cancel. Lifetime has no trial. Compare plans.
Can I look around before I pay?
Yes. The CachePix phone app includes a sample catalog that needs no account and no computer. For your own photos, start the 14-day trial on Monthly or Annual. It needs a card.
What happens to my catalog if I cancel?
Nothing happens to your photos. CachePix runs to the end of the period you paid for, then locks on both devices until you pick a plan again, and the catalog waits on your computer. Details on the pricing page.
Phone app
The iPhone and Android apps show the catalog your computer builds. Pairing, storage and sharing are covered on the phone app page.
Will the app show the photos already on my phone?
No. The CachePix phone app shows only the catalog your computer builds. It doesn't read your camera roll, iCloud Photos or Google Photos.
Is the phone app view-only?
Yes. Sync runs one way, from your computer to your phone. You can browse, search, save favorites and collections, and share an HD preview, but you can't edit, delete or move photos from the phone.
How many computers can one phone pair with?
One at a time. To switch, unpair in the phone app and choose Remove Data. Then open Pair Phone… on the new computer, click Turn On and scan its QR code.
What CachePix doesn't do
Better to know before you start a trial. CachePix 0.2.1 and the 1.1.0 phone apps don't:
- Recognize faces or tag photos with AI. There's no facial recognition, face detection, OCR or similar-image search. If you want a photo organizer without facial recognition, or a photo app that doesn't use AI, CachePix is one.
- Catalog video, GIF or BMP files. HEIC, HEIF and TIFF photos are cataloged and searchable, but they show only a filename for now.
- Search by camera, lens, exposure or GPS location, or show a map. Place search uses the IPTC City, State and Sublocation text.
- Search by date on the computer. The phone has a Year filter.
- Show more than 500 results for one search on Android.
- Sync both ways, or sync over the internet or cellular. The phone can't edit, delete or move photos.
- Run on Linux, Intel Macs or Windows on ARM.
- Back up your photos, or back up the catalog on a schedule. Storage & Backup… saves a catalog snapshot when you click Back Up.
- Read Lightroom catalogs (.lrcat), Lightroom edits or an Apple Photos library. RAW previews come from the camera's embedded JPEG. It does read people, keywords, captions and place fields from the XMP sidecars that Lightroom or Photo Mechanic wrote next to your RAW files.
- Read star ratings or color labels already in your files.
- Reliably write edits to RAW files that already have a Lightroom or Photo Mechanic sidecar. Make those edits in the app that wrote the sidecar.
Help beyond this CachePix FAQ
Step-by-step fixes are on the CachePix help page. Three quick ones:
My phone can't reach my computer. What should I check?
Start with phone sync, which stays off until you click Turn On in Pair Phone… on your computer. The pairing checklist covers networks, iPhone Local Network access and firewalls.
CachePix wants me to sign in again. Why?
CachePix checks your plan online at least once every 14 days. A device that's been offline longer needs to connect to the internet, and it may ask you to sign in with the 6-digit code we email you. There's no password to reset. If your plan has ended, choose a plan on your account page.
How do I reach a person?
Email support@cachepix.com or use the contact form. Tell us whether you're on Mac or Windows and which phone you use, and we'll take it from there.
Last checked , for the Immich and PhotoPrism facts on this page.
Sources
The Immich and PhotoPrism line in "Do I need to run a server like Immich or PhotoPrism?" comes from these pages. Everything else here describes CachePix itself.
- Immich on Google Play. Immich (official store listing). Checked October 6, 2026.
- Setup. PhotoPrism (official docs). Checked October 6, 2026.
- I (finally) ditched Google Photos for self-hosted; here's how it went. Android Authority (Robert Triggs), January 10, 2026.
- How I ditched Google Photos for my own private self-hosted alternative. ZDNET (Jack Wallen), December 29, 2025.
- PhotoPrism AI-Powered Photos App Gets Better Face Detection. Linuxiac (Bobby Borisov), September 24, 2026.
- PhotoPrism. heise download (heise online), record last updated May 26, 2026.