Linux host
A mini PC, old desktop, NAS, Raspberry Pi, or dedicated server.
Self-hosted apps
The best self-hosted apps for your home server
At some point you get tired of paying for five subscriptions, each with their own privacy policy, and you start wondering: could I just run this myself? Turns out, yes. The self-hosting community has built genuinely excellent alternatives to Google Photos, Netflix, Dropbox, and more. Here are the ones actually worth running in 2025.
homeio.app
Beginner stack
A home lab is easier when the pieces stay connected.
Docker apps
Run services such as Jellyfin, Immich, Pi-hole, Home Assistant, and Nextcloud.
Files and storage
Keep media, backups, app data, and shared folders visible.
Monitoring
Watch CPU, memory, disk, and network activity while services run.
Terminal access
Keep command-line control nearby for maintenance and troubleshooting.
Media streaming: Jellyfin, Plex, Emby
Jellyfin is what you install when you're done paying for Netflix. It runs entirely on your hardware, transcodes to any device, and doesn't require a Plex account or phone home. Hardware transcoding works out of the box on Intel Quick Sync (N100, N5095) — an N100 mini PC handles 2-3 simultaneous 1080p transcodes without breaking a sweat. Plex is smoother on TV apps and has better client polish, but the free tier has limitations and requires a Plex account. Emby is a reasonable middle ground if you want something between the two.
- Jellyfin: fully free, no account required, excellent Intel Quick Sync and NVENC hardware transcoding
- Plex: best TV/phone client apps, requires Plex account, Plex Pass needed for offline sync and hardware transcoding
- Emby: polished UI, one-time lifetime license option, similar feature set to Plex
Photo management: Immich, PhotoPrism
Immich is the closest thing to a self-hosted Google Photos. The mobile app backs up photos and videos automatically, face recognition works well, and the UI feels modern rather than janky. It's under very active development — the team ships frequently. Budget at least 4GB of RAM for Immich if you want machine learning features (face detection, CLIP search) running smoothly. PhotoPrism is slower to develop but has excellent EXIF and location metadata support — better if you have a large archive of RAW files you want to organize.
- Immich: mobile app auto-backup, face detection, shared albums, map view — the Google Photos replacement
- PhotoPrism: strong EXIF/location support, AI classification, better for archival RAW collections
- Both: RAW preview, video playback, no subscription required
Files and sync: Nextcloud, Syncthing
Nextcloud is the self-hosted alternative to Google Drive — file sync, shared folders, calendar, contacts, and a large plugin ecosystem. It's feature-rich but can be heavy to run and update. Syncthing does one thing: fast, peer-to-peer file sync between your devices with no server in the middle. Use Nextcloud when you want a web interface, sharing links, and CalDAV/CardDAV. Use Syncthing when you just want files to reliably sync between your laptop, phone, and home server without managing a web app.
- Nextcloud: full web UI, sharing links, calendar and contacts sync, desktop and mobile apps
- Syncthing: decentralized P2P sync, minimal overhead, excellent for automated device backups
- Both: no cloud account, no subscription, your data stays yours
Network tools: Pi-hole, AdGuard Home, WireGuard
Pi-hole and AdGuard Home sit between your home network and the internet, blocking ads and trackers at the DNS level — every device benefits, including your phone and smart TV, without installing a browser extension. AdGuard Home has a cleaner dashboard and DNS-over-HTTPS built in out of the box; Pi-hole has a larger community and more community blocklists. WireGuard is the VPN you want for accessing your home server from outside — much faster than OpenVPN, and most modern routers support it natively. Pair it with Nginx Proxy Manager to expose services with HTTPS without touching the command line.
- Pi-hole: original DNS ad blocker, massive community, extensive blocklist ecosystem
- AdGuard Home: cleaner UI, DNS-over-HTTPS built in, easier setup for beginners
- WireGuard: fast modern VPN for remote access to your home network
Home automation: Home Assistant
Home Assistant is the most capable self-hosted home automation platform — and honestly one of the most impressive open-source projects running. It integrates with thousands of devices: Philips Hue, IKEA Tradfri, Z-Wave, Zigbee, Ecobee, Nest, and an enormous long tail of smart home hardware. Automations run locally, so your lights still work when the internet is down. The learning curve is real, but once it's set up, it's extraordinarily powerful. Running it as a Docker Compose container works well alongside other services.
- Integrates with thousands of devices: Zigbee, Z-Wave, Philips Hue, IKEA, and more
- Automations run locally — no cloud dependency, works without internet after setup
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android, excellent dashboard builder
Productivity: Vaultwarden, Paperless-ngx, Gitea
Vaultwarden is a community-built Bitwarden server written in Rust — tiny resource footprint, runs all official Bitwarden clients (browser extensions, mobile apps, desktop apps) without modification. It's the password manager app you set up once and forget about, except it's running on your own hardware. Paperless-ngx scans, OCRs, and auto-tags your documents into a searchable archive — genuinely life-changing for anyone drowning in paper. Gitea is a lightweight GitHub-alike: repos, issues, pull requests, and Actions, light enough to run on a Raspberry Pi.
- Vaultwarden: Bitwarden-compatible, browser extensions and mobile apps work without any config changes
- Paperless-ngx: OCR, automatic tagging, document inbox, full-text search across your archive
- Gitea: Git, issues, pull requests, Actions — runs on a Pi 4, uses minimal memory
Where Homeio fits
Homeio makes it easy to run all of these apps.
Every app on this list is in the Homeio Docker Compose catalog — pre-configured, one-click install, no YAML to write. But more importantly, Homeio gives you the operational layer that makes running multiple apps sustainable: real-time monitoring tells you which container is eating CPU at 2am, the cron scheduler handles weekly image updates automatically, and the file manager lets you move files between containers without SSH. Running Jellyfin, Immich, and Pi-hole together on the same machine is easy. Keeping them running reliably over months is where Homeio makes a real difference.
FAQ
Questions before you build the lab.
What is the most popular self-hosted app?
Jellyfin, Pi-hole, and Home Assistant consistently show up at the top of self-hosting community surveys. Jellyfin because cutting streaming subscriptions has obvious financial appeal, Pi-hole because the whole network benefits immediately with zero per-device configuration, and Home Assistant because it's the only serious option for local-first home automation that actually works across brands.
What hardware do I need to run self-hosted apps?
It depends on what you're running. A Raspberry Pi 4 (4GB) handles Pi-hole, Vaultwarden, Gitea, AdGuard Home, and Syncthing without breaking a sweat. For Jellyfin with hardware transcoding or Immich with face detection, you want something more capable — an Intel N100 mini PC (~$150-200) handles 2-3 simultaneous 1080p transcodes via Quick Sync and runs Immich's ML features with room to spare. An old Core i5 desktop with a spare GPU also works well. Avoid CPU-only transcoding on a Pi for anything beyond 1080p direct play.
Are self-hosted apps free?
Most are fully free and open source: Jellyfin, Immich, Nextcloud, Pi-hole, AdGuard Home, WireGuard, Home Assistant, Vaultwarden, Paperless-ngx, and Gitea cost nothing. Plex requires Plex Pass ($40/year or $120 lifetime) for hardware transcoding and offline sync. Emby has a similar paid tier. Everything else on this list is free.
How do I install self-hosted apps?
Every app on this list publishes a Docker Compose file. The manual path is: copy the compose file, create a .env for your config, run docker compose up -d. That works, but it gets tedious when you're managing six apps. Using a dashboard like Homeio, you browse the app catalog, click install, fill in a few environment variables, and it's running — with logs, update notifications, and restart management built in.
What is the best self-hosted alternative to Google Photos?
Immich, and it's not particularly close right now. It has the best mobile app for automatic backup, face recognition that actually works, shared albums, a map view, and a UI that feels genuinely modern. The project moves fast — new features ship every few weeks. Just make sure your hardware has enough RAM for the ML features: 4GB minimum, 8GB if you want smooth face detection on a large photo library.
What is the best self-hosted alternative to Dropbox?
Nextcloud for the full Dropbox experience: web interface, sharing links, CalDAV/CardDAV, desktop and mobile sync clients. Syncthing if you just want reliable device-to-device file sync without a web app to maintain — it's simpler, faster, and nearly zero maintenance once configured. If you're unsure, start with Syncthing. It's harder to break.