I paid for YouTube Premium for a year. Then I started thinking about how much I was paying… for something I could probably do myself. That’s how I fell down the self-hosting rabbit hole.
Turns out, running your own versions of stuff isn’t just for neckbeards anymore. There are actually some pretty slick best self hosted apps out there. And I’m gonna be honest, the biggest issue I face is not trying to get too deep into it. Anyway, I wanted to share my thoughts on some of the best self hosted apps 2026 has to offer, focusing on the ones that are actually worth the effort. I mostly want to talk about media servers, photo management, and note taking, since those are the three I use the most.
Is self-hosting actually worth it?
Look, it’s not for everyone. If you value convenience above all else, just keep paying for your subscriptions. But if you’re like me and you get a weird satisfaction from tinkering with stuff, or if you’re just tired of being nickel-and-dimed by every service under the sun, self-hosting might be for you. I mean, most of the best self hosted apps 2026 are free (as in beer), so the only cost is your time and the hardware you run them on.
And that’s the tricky part: hardware. You can run this stuff on an old laptop you have kicking around. I tried that. It was slow. I recommend a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with a decent-sized SSD. You can get a Raspberry Pi 4 with 8GB of RAM for around $75 used on eBay. Then you’ll need a case ($15), an SSD ($40 for 500GB), and a power supply ($10). So, all-in, you’re looking at around $140. That’s more than I initially thought. The Pi 5 is faster but the price jumps up quite a bit.
Security is another thing. You’re responsible for keeping your server secure. That means using strong passwords, keeping your software up to date, and maybe even setting up a firewall. If that sounds intimidating, maybe start with something simple like a media server that you only access from inside your home network. Don’t just open up everything to the internet without knowing what you’re doing.
Media Servers: Plex vs. Jellyfin vs. Emby
Okay, let’s dive into the big one: media servers. These let you stream your movies, TV shows, and music from your own server to any device. It’s like having your own personal Netflix. The main contenders are Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby. I’ve used all three, and here’s my take:
- Plex: The OG. It’s been around forever, it’s polished, and it has a ton of features. The downside? It’s not fully open source, and they’re increasingly pushing their paid Plex Pass subscription. Still, the free version is pretty good.
- Jellyfin: The new kid on the block (well, not that new anymore). It’s completely open source, it’s free, and it’s actively developed. It’s not quite as polished as Plex, but it’s catching up fast. Plus, no nagging you to pay for a premium version.
- Emby: Similar to Plex, but with a bigger focus on live TV and DVR functionality. It also has a paid subscription, but the free version is still usable. Honestly, I found it a bit clunkier than Plex.
I set up all three on my Raspberry Pi 4 to compare them directly. I used the same set of media files for each: a mix of 1080p and 4K movies, some TV shows, and a few albums. I tested streaming to my phone, my TV (via Chromecast), and my laptop.
Plex was the smoothest overall. It just worked, no fuss. The interface is slick, the apps are available on every platform, and it handled transcoding (converting video formats on the fly) without any issues. Jellyfin struggled a bit with 4K content, especially when transcoding. Emby was somewhere in the middle. It handled 1080p fine, but it choked on some of the 4K files. My Raspberry Pi’s processor was maxed out during the 4k testing. I should probably invest in a cooler.
One thing that really annoyed me about Plex is how much it tries to push its online content. I don’t want to watch free movies from Plex. I have my own movies! It’s just clutter in the interface. Jellyfin doesn’t have any of that nonsense. It’s just your media, pure and simple. That alone made me switch full time to Jellyfin.
Plex, Jellyfin, Emby: Head-to-Head
| Feature | Plex | Jellyfin | Emby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Source | No (partially closed source) | Yes | No (partially closed source) |
| Free Version | Yes (feature-limited) | Yes (fully featured) | Yes (feature-limited) |
| Ease of Use | Very easy | Easy | Easy |
| Transcoding Performance (on Raspberry Pi 4) | Good (1080p and some 4K) | Okay (1080p) | Okay (1080p) |
| App Availability | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Live TV/DVR | Yes (with Plex Pass) | Yes (with some setup) | Yes (with Emby Premiere) |
| Mobile Apps (one-time purchase) | $4.99 | Free | $4.99 |
| Verdict | Best overall, but pushes paid subscription. | Best for open-source enthusiasts. | Good for live TV, but clunkier than Plex. |
My Pick: For most people, Plex is still the way to go. It’s just the most polished and user-friendly option. But if you’re allergic to closed-source software or you just want to support a community-driven project, Jellyfin is a great alternative. It’s what I use now.
Photo Management: Immich vs. PhotoPrism
Next up: photo management. If you’re like me, you have thousands of photos scattered across your phone, your computer, and various cloud services. It’s a mess. These apps let you consolidate all your photos in one place and access them from anywhere.
- Immich: This one’s pretty new to the scene. The main selling point of Immich is that it offers mobile apps that automatically back up photos from your phone. It also has some AI-powered features like object recognition and face detection. This means you can search for “dog” or “birthday cake” and it will find the relevant photos. It’s pretty cool when it works.
- PhotoPrism: PhotoPrism has been around for longer and is pretty popular. It organizes your photos using AI too, and has better support for different file formats and metadata. However, it doesn’t have automatic mobile uploads built in (you can use a third-party app for that).
I tested both by importing about 5,000 photos from my Google Photos archive (I used Google Takeout to download them). Immich was noticeably faster at importing and indexing the photos. It took about 2 hours and 47 minutes, while PhotoPrism took almost 5 hours. That’s a big difference. But after the initial import, PhotoPrism felt more responsive when browsing and searching.
I found Immich’s mobile app to be really convenient. It automatically uploads new photos in the background, so I don’t have to think about it. The app also lets you browse your entire photo library, create albums, and share photos with others. I’ve noticed that the mobile app will sometimes crash unexpectedly if I try to scroll too fast. PhotoPrism doesn’t have an official mobile app, but there are third-party apps that work with it. I tried one called “Photopho,” and it was okay. It let me view my photos, but it wasn’t as seamless as Immich’s app.
The AI-powered features in both apps are hit-or-miss. Immich was better at recognizing faces, but PhotoPrism was better at identifying objects. For example, Immich correctly identified my cat in about 80% of the photos, while PhotoPrism only got it right about 60% of the time. But PhotoPrism was better at recognizing things like “cars” and “buildings.” Sometimes the A.I. is just completely wrong. Like, it identified a picture of my computer as a toaster. Thanks, A.I.
The one thing I really disliked about PhotoPrism was its file organization. It wants to move all your photos into its own directory structure, which I found really annoying. I like to keep my photos organized in my own way, and I don’t want an app messing with that. Immich just uses the existing file structure, which is much more flexible.
Immich, PhotoPrism: Head-to-Head
| Feature | Immich | PhotoPrism |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile App | Yes (automatic uploads) | No (third-party apps) |
| Import Speed | Fast | Slow |
| AI-Powered Features | Good (face recognition) | Good (object recognition) |
| File Organization | Uses existing structure | Forces new structure |
| Metadata Support | Basic | Advanced |
| Verdict | Best for ease of use and mobile uploads. | Best for advanced users and metadata management. |
My Pick: If you just want a simple way to back up your photos from your phone and access them from anywhere, Immich is the way to go. It’s easy to set up, it has a great mobile app, and it’s fast. If you’re a more advanced user and you care about metadata and file organization, PhotoPrism might be a better fit. But be prepared to spend some time configuring it.
Note Taking: Joplin vs. Nextcloud Notes
Finally, let’s talk about note taking. I’m a big fan of taking notes, but I’m not a fan of storing them in some proprietary cloud service. That’s why I use self-hosted note-taking apps. It lets me keep my notes private and secure. I don’t need anyone reading my shopping lists.
- Joplin: Joplin is a full-featured note-taking app that supports Markdown, attachments, and tags. It can sync your notes to various cloud services, including Nextcloud, Dropbox, and OneDrive. But you can also use a self-hosted Nextcloud instance for syncing, which is what I do.
- Nextcloud Notes: This is a simple note-taking app that’s built into Nextcloud. It’s not as feature-rich as Joplin, but it’s easy to use and it integrates seamlessly with Nextcloud’s other features.
I’ve been using Joplin for a few years now, and I’m really happy with it. It’s fast, it’s reliable, and it has all the features I need. I like that it supports Markdown, which lets me format my notes with simple text. I also like that it supports attachments, so I can add images and other files to my notes. My cat knocked my water bottle over and got all over my notes from last week. Luckily they were backed up.
Nextcloud Notes is a good option if you just need a basic note-taking app. It’s not as powerful as Joplin, but it’s simple and easy to use. It’s also tightly integrated with Nextcloud, so you can easily access your notes from anywhere.
One thing that I found annoying about Joplin is that it doesn’t have a built-in WYSIWYG editor. That means you have to write your notes in Markdown, which can be a bit daunting for beginners. But once you get the hang of it, it’s actually pretty easy. I think it’s much easier, I find myself formatting with the mouse a lot less.
When choosing between these two, it comes down to this: do you need advanced features and Markdown support, or do you just want a simple note-taking app that integrates with Nextcloud? I used both for about a month on my iPad. I really like that I can just use my Apple Pencil with the Nextcloud Notes app and just jot down notes without having to worry about formatting. Sometimes, especially for meeting notes, that is exactly what I want.
Joplin, Nextcloud Notes: Head-to-Head
| Feature | Joplin | Nextcloud Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source | Yes | Yes |
| Markdown Support | Yes | No |
| Attachments | Yes | No |
| Ease of Use | Medium | Easy |
| Nextcloud Integration | Good (via sync) | Excellent (built-in) |
| Mobile App | Yes | Yes |
| Verdict | Best for power users and Markdown enthusiasts. | Best for simple note-taking and Nextcloud integration. |
My Pick: I still prefer Joplin for my main note-taking app. It has all the features I need, and I’m comfortable with Markdown. But I also use Nextcloud Notes for quick notes and brainstorming. If you’re new to self-hosting, Nextcloud Notes is a great place to start.
Alternatives to Consider
These aren’t the only best self hosted apps 2026 has available. Here are a few other alternatives to consider:
- SearXNG: A metasearch engine that aggregates results from multiple search engines while protecting your privacy. It’s a good alternative to Google if you’re concerned about tracking.
- Wallabag: A self-hosted “read it later” app. Save articles and web pages for later reading, without ads and trackers. A good alternative to Pocket.
- Vaultwarden: A lightweight and open-source password manager compatible with Bitwarden clients. Keep your passwords safe and secure. I self-host this one!
Okay, so what’s the point?
Look, self-hosting isn’t for everyone. It takes time, effort, and a willingness to learn. But if you’re like me and you value privacy, control, and the satisfaction of building your own digital infrastructure, it can be really rewarding. Plus, it can save you money in the long run. I already saved $170 a year canceling my Spotify and YouTube subscriptions, not to mention the random SaaS apps I found alternatives for.
Don’t try to do everything at once. Start with one or two apps that solve a specific problem, and then gradually expand from there. And don’t be afraid to ask for help. The self-hosting community is full of people who are passionate about this stuff, and they’re always willing to lend a hand. Just be warned, it can become a whole hobby in itself.