Life without Google Drive and Dropbox? What self-hosting can achieve today
Your own cloud promises control over photos, files, and passwords. But you cannot replace every cloud service.
There was a lively discussion under an article in my NAS series. The recurring theme was how far external cloud services can actually be replaced by one's own solutions today.
That is why I am conducting a reality check: What can be sensibly self-managed today? Where does the effort increase? And where is a large cloud service still the better choice in everyday life?
My goal here is not to use as few services as possible. I want to reduce dependence on externally operated services. Ideally, these services run on infrastructure that you control yourself.
However, this control does not come for free. Those who operate services themselves also take on costs, maintenance, and responsibility.
The price of independence
At first glance, self-hosting often seems cheaper than a cloud subscription. In practice, however, several items add up: hardware, hard drives, electricity, domain, backup storage, and your time. Anyone who calculates everything does not automatically save money.
An economical mini-PC typically uses 6 to 15 watts at idle, a NAS with two hard drives 20 to 35 watts. A self-built server can draw significantly more, depending on the processor, power supply, and number of hard drives. At the Swiss median electricity price of 27.7 cents per kilowatt-hour (ElCom, 2026), this results in roughly 15 to 85 francs per year in electricity costs for continuous operation. Added to this are the hardware costs spread over its lifespan, a domain, and external backup storage. A small setup quickly ends up costing 150 to 250 francs annually.
For comparison, a cloud subscription with two terabytes usually costs between 100 and 130 francs. Financially, self-hosting is therefore only worthwhile if several services run on the same machine. If you want to know for sure, measure your own server with a plug-in power meter.
The greater price is responsibility. Every service needs updates. Every database needs a backup. Every access from on the go opens up an attack surface. If your server fails, there is no support chat to quickly solve the problem for you.
Backups are particularly important. A copy on the same hard drive is not enough. My Synology backs up to an external hard drive, and important data additionally to my PC. On the Unraid server, I also back up app data and the boot stick twice. Where possible, I also export the settings of individual services. If you host photos, passwords, or documents yourself, you must know how to restore them after a defect. Otherwise, control quickly becomes a false sense of security.
In addition, there is everyday maintenance. Certificates expire, apps change requirements, hard drives fill up, updates occasionally break something. This doesn't happen all the time. But it does happen. My Nginx proxy for external access initially ran on the Unraid server; every update caused problems. In the meantime, it runs on the Synology; next, I want to switch to Netbird. Anyone who takes self-hosting seriously should enjoy understanding and solving such problems.
Self-hosting is more than just a NAS app store
Anyone thinking of Network Attached Storage (NAS) quickly ends up with Synology, QNAP, or Asustor. These manufacturers offer their own apps for files, photos, or backups. This is convenient and makes sense for many. I manage calendars and contacts via the Synology apps myself. However, they only cover a part.
Besides that, there has long been an open self-hosting world. There you can find open-source alternatives to many cloud services, for example for passwords, calendars, or media. They run on infrastructure that you control yourself, whether at home or in a data center. An extensive collection is offered by Awesome Self-Hosted.
New NAS operating systems bundle such services and lower the barrier to entry. The personal cloud thus resembles a construction kit. Depending on the need, modules for photos, automation, or other tasks are added.
How well this modular principle proves itself in everyday life remains to be seen with the new systems. Docker often only forms the technical foundation. True practical suitability only shows itself during ongoing operation – especially with updates, backups, and access from on the go.
This sounds like a lot of effort. But it does not mean that you have to move your entire digital life at once.
Digital independence begins with small steps
For more digital independence, no one has to replace Google, Apple, or Dropbox overnight. A gradual entry is gentler. You can start small, with your own password manager, an additional photo backup, or a replacement for family Dropbox folders. Spotify and Netflix might stay while you create your own media library for movies and family videos.
You don't have to operate everything yourself. Bringing even individual services under your own control reduces dependence. However, the effort is not the same for every service. Some can be brought onto your own infrastructure relatively easily. Others require significantly more work.
Easy transition
Files, photos, as well as passwords, calendars, and contacts are relatively easy to self-host. The necessary software is established, and the benefit in everyday life is quickly visible.
Files: Replacing Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive
With files, the transition is particularly obvious. Many use Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive for documents, project folders, scans, or shared family storage. Such tasks can now be easily moved to your own infrastructure.
Nextcloud is the best-known all-rounder. The software comes closest to Google Drive, but quickly grows into a small platform with apps. Therefore, updates and extensions require attention.
OpenCloud is a newer candidate from Germany, created from the split from ownCloud. The focus is on file sharing, collaboration, and digital sovereignty. Syncthing takes a different approach: it synchronizes folders directly between your devices without a classic cloud interface.
Private documents, project folders, or family storage can be reliably covered with the mentioned alternatives. You synchronize folders between laptop, desktop, and server. You share individual folders and access files in the browser.
Paperless-ngx goes one step further. The software archives documents in a searchable way and tags them automatically. I installed it as a Docker container on my Synology and am thrilled. However, the configuration takes a lot of time.
Limits appear in collaboration. Sharing with outsiders and collaborative editing of documents are usually handled more comfortably by the large providers. If you manage your files yourself, you also need a backup strategy and secure access from on the go.
For me, files remain the most obvious entry into self-hosting. The benefit is immediately visible, and the risk remains manageable.
Photos: Replacing Google Photos and iCloud Photos
With photos, self-hosting becomes more emotional. Documents can be recreated in an emergency. Your family pictures, vacation photos, or old mobile phone recordings often exist only once. Therefore, the idea of controlling your own photo archive yourself seems attractive.
Immich is currently the most exciting candidate for anyone looking for a replacement for Google Photos or iCloud Photos. The app uploads images from the smartphone, displays them in a timeline, and recognizes people or places. PhotoPrism is aimed more at larger photo archives. Nextcloud Memories is interesting if Nextcloud is already running for you.
Photos can be automatically backed up, organized into albums, and browsed in the browser. For many private photo archives, this already goes surprisingly far. You can also find the Immich app at Google and Apple.
The biggest hurdles lie in comfort and trust. Google Photos and iCloud Photos are deeply embedded in Android and iOS. Shared albums, family use, and mobile apps are usually more smoothly integrated there. With self-hosting, you also have to be sure that you can restore your backups in an emergency.
For me, photos are among the most exciting self-hosting areas. My own pictures and films are still stored on the Synology, but I have already installed Immich. The switch is coming soon. Anyone experimenting here should start with a copy of the photo archive and leave the original untouched.
Colleague Philipp Rüegg already described a related path with Pixel Union. The difference: there, Immich runs as a hosted service, not on your own infrastructure.
Passwords, calendars, and contacts: small services, big benefit
After files and photos, passwords, calendars, and contacts seem unspectacular. Nevertheless, they count for digital independence. This is where access data, appointments, and address books are located. You need this data daily.
For passwords, Vaultwarden is a popular entry point. The official Bitwarden apps access it without any problems. I use Vaultwarden as a server myself. In everyday life, it runs unobtrusively. Bitwarden can also be self-operated, but is aimed more at users with higher demands or teams.
Calendars and contacts often run via Nextcloud, Radicale, or similar CalDAV and CardDAV servers. The advantage: many operating systems and apps understand these standards. Therefore, a self-hosted calendar can be accessed with a smartphone, tablet, and computer without being tied to Google, Apple, or Microsoft.
Privately and in a small circle, the effort is manageable. It becomes more difficult when many external people are added. For invitations, shared calendars, and corporate environments, the large providers often remain smoother.
For passwords, there is also a simple rule: if you operate the service yourself, you must take it seriously. Updates, backups, and two-factor protection are not optional here. If the server fails and you have no backup, digital independence quickly becomes a problem.
I consider passwords, calendars, and contacts to be particularly rewarding self-hosting candidates. They require little performance, bring back a lot of control in everyday life, and show well whether you can reliably manage the operation of your own services.
Intermediate
With media as well as smart home and automation, the effort increases. Much can be operated locally, but the advantages depend more on your existing devices, services, and habits.
Media: own collection yes, Spotify and Netflix no
With music, movies, and series, a lot depends on what you already own. Self-hosting does not replace a huge streaming catalog. But it turns your own collection into a private streaming service.
For music, Navidrome is a strong candidate. The slim software also runs on economical hardware and brings your local music collection into the browser or onto compatible apps. Jellyfin additionally covers movies, series, music, and photos. Plex is also popular, but less consistently self-hosted. The server runs locally, but many functions depend on the Plex account and partly on the paid Plex Pass. Its lifetime version was massively increased in price in 2026. I have been using Plex in the lifetime version for years. The service runs without major problems. Currently, I therefore have no need to switch.
Own music files, family videos, and digitized films can thus be retrieved from several devices and also streamed on the go. My music collection, for example, is on the Synology. The music software Roon accesses this network folder directly.
Spotify, Apple Music, Netflix, or Disney+ play out their actual advantage in the catalog. New releases, recommendations, playlists, and licensed content cannot be easily replicated with self-hosting.
Media hosting is especially worthwhile if you already have your own collection. Those who are primarily looking for new music, current series, or changing film catalogs are better served with commercial streaming services.
Smart home and automation
With smart home and automation, self-hosting does not necessarily replace a single cloud service. But it can reduce dependence on externally operated platforms and bring processes onto your own infrastructure.
Home Assistant can connect smart home devices locally. n8n helps with your own workflows and connects different services with each other.
You can build your own processes that no large cloud service offers in this way. At the same time, the complexity increases. The more services talk to each other, the more important updates, backups, and troubleshooting become.
I experienced this myself: after a major n8n update, my workflows no longer worked. The same thing happened to me with the alternative tool Activepieces.
Automation is especially worthwhile if you want to solve a specific problem. Just collecting services quickly makes the home server confusing.
Difficult
For some services, self-hosting becomes significantly more demanding.
E-mail: technically feasible, practically tricky
With e-mail, self-hosting sounds logical at first. You operate your own server, manage your mailboxes yourself, and are less dependent on Gmail, Outlook, or iCloud Mail. In practice, the e-mail service turns out to be one of the most difficult for self-operation.
With solutions like Mailcow, Mail-in-a-Box, or Stalwart, a mail server can be set up much more easily today than in the past. The software takes a lot of work off your hands. Nevertheless, operation remains demanding.
The problem lies less in receiving mails. It becomes tricky when sending. Other mail servers must trust your server. For this, you ideally need a static, public IP address, clean DNS entries, and a suitable reverse DNS entry. Many private internet connections lack this. Some providers also block mail sending via port 25. If you have configured something incorrectly, your mails quickly end up in spam or do not arrive at all.
Security and availability weigh particularly heavily here. Especially if you use e-mail professionally, you want to be able to rely on the service.
The personal cloud remains a project
I also wanted to host my e-mail myself. After researching IP addresses, DNS entries, and deliverability, I decided against it. If you want more control over your mails, you are often better off with a reputable mail provider, your own domain, and a clean backup.
Many cloud services can now be operated surprisingly well yourself. Files, photos, passwords, calendars, and contacts are particularly well-suited for getting started. With media, smart home, and automation, the effort increases. E-mail remains the trickiest case.
This brings us back to the newer NAS operating systems. CasaOS, Umbrel, Cosmos, Olares, ZimaOS, or HexOS must do more than just provide long app lists. Whether they are suitable for everyday life is decided by installation, storage, backups, and external access. In a future article, I will deal with Cosmos.
I'm a journalist with over 20 years of experience in various positions, mostly in online journalism. The tool I rely on for my work? A laptop – preferably connected to the Internet. In fact, I also enjoy taking apart laptops and PCs, repairing and refitting them. Why? Because it's fun!
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