Raspberry Pi is a capable, tiny computer that can run multiple tools without needing a huge amount of power. It’s not a PC replacement, but it can help you run self-hosted tools that try to replace popular paid services available as a web tool or a licensed copy. Rather than spending money each month on a popular tool, you can use a self-hosted alternative because of multiple advantages.
These tools are open-source; don’t try to use your data for personal benefits, and pack equally good features. The only investment I need to make is for buying SBCs. Since I have a few, employing them as mini servers makes more sense than emptying my pocket with overpriced tools.
Nextcloud
Save money on Google Drive
Rather than continuing to upload data to Google Drive, I shifted to Nextcloud as a reliable alternative. It’s not just a file backup solution, and includes a full suite of apps that can replace Google service dependence. I use it to sync a few crucial folders from my laptop and phone, and it works without any hiccups.
Nextcloud isn’t difficult to set up, and you can use it as a Docker container or a direct installation. I previously experimented with a Pi Zero 2W, and that produced some interesting results. The file sync and web interface worked like a charm, but viewing media files and large documents was a poor experience. A Pi 4 or 5 will handle Nextcloud better, and you must skip the SD card for an HDD or NVMe drive to store the files.
Nextcloud has a dedicated apps section I can use to add more features. The first is adding support for external storage, and without it, the whole setup becomes pointless. There’s a huge app library you can use to integrate other locally hosted tools, integrate a calendar, conduct video conferences, and more.
My favorite alternative to Office 365 isn’t LibreOffice – it’s something way cooler
There’s no need to pay for Office 365 when this free alternative does everything better
BentoPDF
Adios Adobe Acrobat
Editing PDFs beyond basic actions like minor annotations and signatures requires a good PDF editor. Adobe Acrobat is a good one, but paying $15 a month for the basic tier is not something I can sustain for long. I use Bento PDF as a Docker container on one of my Raspberry Pis, and it does an excellent job of replacing the paid Adobe software that I used before.
BentoPDF packs most of the editing features I need, including PDF file editing and conversions. It can batch process files, convert them into other document formats, and create PDF forms. I relied on Stirling PDF for a while, but it was very resource-intensive for a Pi, and that prompted me to make the switch.
BentoPDF uses the client-side processing approach, so my Pi doesn’t need to handle the stress. The tools use my PC’s resources via the browser and can manage batch processing with ease. It offers encryption features if you want to protect the generated file, and it can even compare documents.
Vaultwarden
No more LastPass
I was a LastPass user for quite a while, but the service became unreliable after data breaches. The soaring subscription prices and the fear of losing passwords in a breach pushed me towards a self-hosted alternative. Vaultwarden is an extremely lightweight password manager that I host on my Raspberry Pi Zero 2W without any problem. It remains isolated in my home network, and I can access the passwords even when I’m outside with the help of Tailscale.
Vaultwarden is surprisingly feature-rich with almost all the necessary ones I need. It needs the official Bitwarden extension to work inside Chrome or any other browser, and can save and autofill passwords, generate random and complex passwords, and apply an auto-lock for the vault.
The server-side UI can help weed out weak passwords and find the ones compromised in a data breach. There’s also a file-sharing feature that can help share media or documents inside the home network. Everything, including my passwords, stays on the local network, and I don’t need to worry about exposing it to the internet.
Managing file-related tasks without paying a dime
My daily workflow requires file format conversions and image-related tweaks. While there are a few standalone apps that can do these things, there’s none that offers everything in one single package. I had to use a few web tools in the past, but they would demand a one-time payment or subscription to download the final results after a few attempts. Juggling between different apps is also an unpleasant experience.
OmniTools has 50+ utilities inside a single web UI, and that covers almost all my potential needs. I can quickly convert a doc file into a PDF, a PNG into a JPEG, extract audio from video, batch process multiple files at once, and more such tasks. It also offers a compression feature, which is great for reducing video and image size for uploads and sharing. Like BentoPDF, it works entirely inside the browser and inflicts minimal load on the Raspberry Pi.
Jellyfin
Plex Pass is ridiculously expensive
The idea behind Plex was to build a convenient media streaming server in a few minutes and then add all the metadata. It was simple to set up and didn’t act finicky or lock even core features behind a paywall. I never paid attention to the lifetime pass because the free tier worked for me. But now media streaming seems to be a small part of it, and the app is full of in-house content and promotional material.
Jellyfin is an excellent alternative for hosting my personal media library, and it doesn’t lock any features behind a paywall. I’m glad I don’t have to pay for the Intro Skipper feature or the ability to remotely stream my media when I’m outside my home network. Plex also ditched plugin support, which is another strong point of Jellyfin for me. After the recent lifetime pass price hike, I won’t be turning back to Plex, ever again.
Self-hosting saves money
I’m glad I switched to these self-hosted tools and now don’t need to waste money every month. Vaultwarden and Jellyfin are two absolutely wonderful tools that I use daily. Nextcloud works silently in the background, and BentoPDF and OmniTools come in handy when the need arises. Keeping my data private is an additional perk of self-hosting, and I expose all these tools outside the home network with Tailscale.
- OS
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Windows, macOS, Linux
- Key highlights
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Self-hosted, open source
Locally hosted cloud service that offers a full suite of office apps and plugins.
