6 reasons why I prefer self hosted apps — and why you should too

Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority Lately, there’s a lot of hype around self-hosting and running your own apps on a home lab or NAS. But you might be wondering what you stand to gain from it? After all, Google, Apple, and many others offer perfectly competent app suites. That’s what I thought too. But for the last few years, I’ve dived deep into the world of open source and self-hosting. And if you’re curious why, saddle up — I’ve got some thoughts to share. When I first dived into self-hosting, it was less about control and more about finding apps that filled the gaps left by commercial applications, and devs that actually listened to feedback, feature requests, or helped out with issues. That evolved into wanting more control over the apps I was using every day. It started small with a basic notes app, a self-hosted password manager, even a media server. But all too soon, I was running half a dozen services on my own hardware. Hosting my own tools has helped me build a better relationship with data privacy, my habits, and my tech stack. While today I might stand behind the open-source ethos, back then I was just tired of depending on apps that kept changing to meet commercial targets, subscriptions that kept stacking. Over time, I came to the obvious realisation — this wasn’t just a matter of convenience, I preferred the approach of open-source apps even if it sometimes meant a less-than-polished user experience. Hosting my own tools has helped me build a better relationship with data privacy, my user habits, and even my technology stack. Here’s why I’m all in on self-hosted apps and why I think more people should give it a shot. I want to own my data, not rent access to it Robert Triggs / Android Authority There’s something incredibly frustrating about using a service for years only to wake up one day and find out your data is locked behind a paywall. Or worse, that the service is shutting down and your stuff is disappearing unless you jump through a dozen hoops. Or how about a service losing the license for your favorite movie, and you not being able to stream it anymore. That’s what pushed me to self-host my first app. Media servers tend to be a very popular first foray into open-source apps for a good reason — we’ve all faced the annoyance of Netflix losing a license for a favorite movie. We’ve all faced the annoyance of Netflix losing a license for a favorite movie — that’s when self-hosting starts to make sense. When I self-host, my data lives on my machine or server. I decide when to back it up, move it, or delete it. These goals are defined by my needs, not by an algorithm driven by what a for-profit business decides. Platform updates can’t suddenly change how my preferred apps work, or if I’m allowed to watch preferred content. It’s mine, and that sense of ownership is something I didn’t know I was missing until I had it. Of course, media streaming is just one such example. There are dozens of commercial apps that haven’t been updated for the latest operating systems and keep losing functionality till they stop working entirely. With open-source alternatives, there’s a good chance the developer will keep maintaining it. And if not, someone else can step in and do the job. Subscriptions started piling up, and I’d had enough Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority Mockup of Google Play Store's new subscriptions UI I firmly believe in paying for a quality app to support the developer. I even got on board the subscription train, because let’s face it — a one-time $5 fee isn’t going to cover the bills in today’s economy. If I came across an interesting app that assisted my productivity, I would sign up for it. Five dollars here, ten dollars there, it doesn’t seem like much until you start adding it all up. Over time, I was paying more to use software than I was spending on things I actually owned. That’s a pretty strong reason I started looking at open-source alternatives. I was spending more on software I didn’t own than on things I did. Now, let me be clear. Open source, by and large, follows the free as in free speech, not free beer model. There’s a good chance that your preferred self-hosted app is available for free. But it doesn’t have to be. And when it’s not, it’s usually just a small one-time donation to unlock a license. I’m down for that. I pay once and run the app as long as I want. I support the developers directly when I can. And best of all, I’m no longer stuck in this loop of monthly charges for tools I barely use. It’s safe to say that freedom from subscription fatigue alone was worth the switch for me. I need things to work even when the internet doesn’t Robert Triggs / Android Authority Here’s where things get interesting. I’ve written enough about the need for backup strategies, and the cloud is certainly a viable element of that. However, I no longer recommend cloud-first backups as the go-to. There are many reasons for that. Be it a lack of control over costs, rising file sizes, or simply having full control over data even without internet. The fact that you might not be able to access notes, documents, photos, or files because a server or your internet line is down is absurd to me. That realisation struck me when I had the bright idea of editing vacation images during a prolonged internet outage. With cloud-first apps, that’s simply not an option. It drove me crazy. Now, when I run something myself, I know it’s going to work. My to-do list, my media library, my Google Photos alternative, even my backups — they all live locally or on my own server. If my internet is spotty or a company goes belly up, nothing changes for me. The apps just keep running. I do still maintain cloud copies for critical documents and files. Often, I’ll sync them with cloud-first apps to enable easier on-the-go access. But all my self-hosted apps remain accessible on my local network even if the internet goes down, and via a reverse proxy when I’m out and about. Customization is key Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority One of the things I love most about self-hosting is being able to tweak things until they feel just right. Most commercial apps are built to appeal to as many people as possible, which usually means sacrificing flexibility. But when I host something myself, I have the option to tweak it till it looks, how it works and how it conncets with the rest of my set up. I don’t want to bend to an app’s limitations. Open-source, self-hosted apps give me the option to fix those limitations. If you’re a professional or a hobbyist coder like me, the sky is the limit. But even if you’re not, many popular apps like Home Assistant, my smart home platform of choice, have a thriving community making themes, plugins, and even forks of the original software. Using open-source apps, I’ve built dashboards that show the latest news or my favorite Reddit threads directly on my browser’s homescreen. This ability to customize tools to behave the way I want is unprecedented and makes everything feel much more personal. I trust myself more than I trust most platforms Robert Triggs / Android Authority Security isn’t guaranteed, and while you can follow best practices like enabling two-factor authentication and strong passwords, your data’s safety is entirely in the hands of third-party corporations. Now, I won’t pretend that running your own apps is safer by default. It takes work to secure your own network, and you need to stay on top of updates, configurations, and pay attention to best practices. However, I’ll take that over blindly trusting a company that has all the incentives to monetize my data for research and profit. When I host something myself, I know exactly who has access and where the data is going. I encrypt critical files that need to be encrypted. I manage the backups. I don’t have to wonder if some third-party analytics script is quietly harvesting my data in the background because the likelihood of that happening with open-source software is ridiculously low. There’s a learning curve, sure, but at least I know what’s happening under the hood. Every app I install teaches me something new Robert Triggs / Android Authority There’s a learning curve with any new tech. I won’t lie, I’ve struggled with installing many self-hosted apps. I’ve broken configuration files, misconfigured servers, occasionally lost data, and spent many, many hours reading GitHub issues and community forums to figure out what went wrong. But I’ve probably learnt more from self-hosting than I did in four years of engineering college. Each time I set something up, I understand the commands and processes better. I’ve picked up skills in networking, Linux administration, command line use, Docker, reverse proxies, and more. It’s helped me go from hobbyist to reasonably adept. There’s something really satisfying about getting it all to work. And along the way, I’ve learnt about stuff I never thought I’d need, but now I find incredibly useful. It’s all about choice I’m not here to tell anyone to ditch all their apps and run everything from a Raspberry Pi in their closet. Cloud tools have their place. They can be convenient. Some of them are even great. But what bothers me is the lack of options. The way we’re pushed toward services that constantly evolve, not always for the better, or lock us in. Self-hosting offers a viable alternative to many of the best cloud-first solutions. These open-source apps might not be perfect, but they are under my control. Every mistake I’ve made while self-hosting has taught me something I now use every day. My interest in self-hosting started with convenience, turned into curiosity, and is now something I actually rely on. I’m not constantly looking for the next big app to fix my productivity or change my life. I just want simple tools that work for me, don’t ask for too much, and let me get on with my day. Self-hosted apps do that. By and large, they accomplish the task I ask of them, no more and no less. So if you’ve ever felt frustrated with the tools you use or wondered what it would be like to have more control over your digital life, try self-hosting something small. It could be something as basic as a music server, or well-documented like Home Assistant. See how you feel about it, and what you learn. Even if you break something, you’ll definitely fix it and along the way you might just start building a set up that feels completely your own. Follow