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Self-Hosted Alternatives to Popular SaaS Apps (Tested in a Real Homelab)

Subscriptions add up, and your photos, passwords and documents live on someone else's servers. Self-hosting gives that control back, but most "best of" lists copy each other and nobody shows the apps actually running.

Every app below was installed and tested in our own homelab. Each page on HomelabDeck has dashboard screenshots, a measured RAM footprint and a ready-to-use docker-compose.yml, so you can judge an app before you deploy it.

Quick comparison

Instead ofSelf-hostRAMLicense
Google PhotosImmich
Self-hosted Google Photos replacement with AI search and mobile backup.
~8 GBAGPL-3.0
PlexJellyfin
Free, open-source media server for your movies, shows and music.
~2 GBGPL-2.0
Bitwarden CloudVaultwarden
Lightweight, self-hosted Bitwarden-compatible password vault.
~128 MBAGPL-3.0
Todoist / TrelloVikunja
Self-hosted to-do app with lists, Kanban, Gantt and CalDAV sync.
~512 MBAGPL-3.0
FeedlyFreshRSS
Fast, self-hosted RSS reader for thousands of feeds.
~256 MBAGPL-3.0
GitHub (private repos, CI)Gitea
Self-hosted, lightweight Git service with built-in CI/CD.
~512 MBMIT
UptimeRobot / StatusCakeUptime Kuma
Self-hosted uptime monitoring with instant alerts and status pages.
~256 MBMIT
Zapier / IFTTTn8n
Self-hosted workflow automation with visual building and custom code.
~1 GBSustainable Use License (fair-code, source-available)
Notion / Confluence (wiki)Wiki.js
Modern, self-hosted wiki with a polished markdown editor.
~512 MBAGPL-3.0
Google KeepMemos
Lightweight, privacy-first note-taking with a quick-capture timeline.
~256 MBMIT
Audible (your own files)Audiobookshelf
Self-hosted audiobook and podcast server with mobile apps.
~512 MBGPL-3.0

RAM figures are catalog estimates from our tests.

Honest caveats

  • RAM numbers are catalog estimates from our tests. Real usage grows with library size and number of users.
  • Immich's machine-learning container is the heaviest part, and Jellyfin transcoding needs a capable CPU or GPU.
  • n8n uses the Sustainable Use License: it is source-available, not classic open source.
  • Self-hosting means you own the backups and the updates.

How to start

  1. Pick one app that replaces something you pay for today.
  2. Run it in a small LXC container or on a Docker host.
  3. Copy the docker-compose.yml from its HomelabDeck page.
  4. Add a reverse proxy such as Nginx Proxy Manager, and set up backups.
Browse all apps →Read the weekly notes →