Two answers to the same problem
iCloud Photos keeps your library on Apple's servers and syncs it to your devices. Raza Photos leaves your library on your Mac and streams it to your devices at home. Neither is wrong. They trade different things.
| Raza Photos | iCloud Photos | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your photos live | Your Mac, in your own folders | Apple's servers, with full or smaller copies on your devices |
| Cost | Free today. Any future price would be a one-time purchase | Free up to 5 GB, then a monthly plan |
| Account | None | An Apple Account |
| Offsite backup | Not included. Backups are yours | Included: your library is also in the cloud |
| Away from home | Optional, through Tailscale, which you set up | Built in, from anywhere |
| Privacy | Your library never goes to us or any server. Maps and place names use Apple Maps | Stored on Apple's servers under Apple's privacy terms |
| Editing | Edits write into your original files, in open standards | Edits live in the Photos library |
| Sending photos to people | The share sheet, sending originals | Shared Albums and iCloud links |
| Your Mac must be on | Yes, it's the server | No |
| Moving elsewhere later | Your files are already in your folders | Export from the Photos library |
Where iCloud Photos is the better choice
You want an automatic offsite copy without thinking about it. You want your library reachable from anywhere with no setup. You rely on Shared Albums or iCloud links. You don't want to keep a Mac switched on. In those cases iCloud Photos does something Raza Photos deliberately doesn't.
Where Raza Photos is
You don't want to pay every month to keep access to your own photos. You'd rather your library never sit on someone else's servers. You want the files in plain folders and open formats. You have a Mac that is usually on, and a home network you trust. And you're fine with backups being your job.
You don't have to choose today
Many people start with both. Use Transfer to copy your library to your Mac, keep iCloud Photos on while you set up a backup, and decide later whether to cancel. If you do, the steps are in Cancel iCloud storage without losing your photos.