Every one of these is a real open-source app you could run yourself on a server in your
closet. They’re excellent — and self-hosting them means a machine to babysit, updates to
chase, backups to remember, and security to get right, forever. We run the exact same
software for you: set up, kept current, and backed up. Same apps, same privacy, none of
the sysadmin. Full credit to the people who build them — links to every project are below.
Vault
End-to-end encrypted
Runs Vaultwarden — an open-source server compatible with the Bitwarden apps and browser extensions, so you use the clients millions already trust.
A password vault that syncs across your devices, with its own browser extension and mobile apps. Your logins, cards, and secrets are encrypted on your device before they reach us — we only ever store ciphertext.
What you get
Browser extension with autofill (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)
iOS & Android apps
TOTP two-factor codes, secure notes, and file storage in the vault
Password generator & secure share links
Folder sharing for families and small teams
Import from Bitwarden, 1Password, LastPass, and more
Good for
Keeping every login and card in one place, autofilled on your phone and browser.
Sharing a folder of logins with family, each person on their own account.
Vaultwarden is an independent open-source project; Bitwarden is a trademark of Bitwarden, Inc. Gateholm hosts Vaultwarden and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either.
Notes
Encrypted on your device
Your own private sync server for Obsidian — the beloved free note app — via the Self-hosted LiveSync plugin.
Write in Obsidian on your phone, laptop, and desktop; your own isolated sync server (nobody else’s notes on it) keeps them all current. Our setup turns on a sync passphrase, so your notes are encrypted on your device before they ever leave it.
What you get
Works with the free official Obsidian apps on every platform
Your own sync server — isolated, at its own private address
Sync passphrase encrypts your notes on your device — we store only ciphertext
[[Wiki-links]], graph view, canvas — everything Obsidian can do
Plain .md files underneath — export is just “take your files”
Obsidian’s huge community plugin ecosystem
Good for
A personal knowledge base or journal, linked together and searchable.
Notes that stay plain Markdown you own — no proprietary format, no lock-in.
Obsidian is a trademark of Dynalist Inc.; Self-hosted LiveSync is an independent open-source project. Gateholm hosts the sync server and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either. With the sync passphrase our setup enables, your notes are encrypted on your device before they sync — we store only ciphertext.
RSS
Runs Miniflux — a fast, minimalist feed reader.
Follow news sites, blogs, and YouTube channels in one clean reading list — no algorithm deciding your day, no tracking. Miniflux strips tracking pixels and proxies images for you.
What you get
Subscribe to any site with a feed — plus YouTube channels
Miniflux is an independent open-source project; Gateholm hosts it and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Miniflux project.
Read Later
Your own private instance
Runs Wallabag — an open-source read-it-later app that saves a clean, permanent copy of any article for you.
Save any article with one tap and read it later in a clean, distraction-free view — no ads, no clutter. Tag and highlight what matters, and read offline on the mobile apps. The natural companion to RSS: follow sources there, save the individual pieces here. Encrypted in transit, on access-controlled EU servers; end-to-end encryption is on the roadmap.
What you get
Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and more
iOS & Android apps with offline reading
A clean reading view that strips ads and clutter
Tags, full-text search, and highlights
Import straight from Pocket, Instapaper, or Pinboard
Send saved articles to a Kobo or Kindle e-reader
Good for
A private, permanent home for the articles you mean to get back to.
Anyone leaving Pocket (shut down in 2025) who wants to own their reading list.
Compare at: Pocket shut down in 2025 · Instapaper Premium $30/yr
Wallabag is an independent open-source project; Gateholm hosts it and is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. Articles are encrypted in transit and held on access-controlled EU servers (not separately encrypted on disk); end-to-end encryption is planned.
Budget
Your own private instance
Runs Actual — a fast, local-first, open-source budgeting app in the envelope (zero-based) style, on your own isolated instance.
Give every dollar a job. Actual is a snappy envelope-budgeting app — the open, self-hostable alternative to YNAB — running entirely on your own private instance. Plan your spending, track accounts, and reconcile by hand. Manual-first: your finances stay yours, with no bank middleman required. Encrypted in transit, on your own access-controlled EU instance; optional end-to-end encryption is on the roadmap.
What you get
Envelope / zero-based budgeting with monthly rollover
Desktop (Windows/Mac/Linux) and iOS & Android apps
Manual account tracking, transfers, and reconciliation
Rules to auto-categorize transactions
Reports: net worth, cash flow, and spending over time
Import from YNAB, or from CSV / QIF / OFX files
Good for
Anyone who wants YNAB-style budgeting without the subscription or the cloud.
Keeping your financial data on your own private instance, entered on your terms.
Actual is an independent open-source project; Gateholm hosts it and is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. Your budget is encrypted in transit and runs on your own access-controlled EU instance (not separately encrypted on disk); optional end-to-end encryption is planned. Bank syncing is not provided — Actual is manual-first.
Drive
Encrypted in transit
Runs Nextcloud — the most widely deployed open-source file cloud.
Your files, synced and backed up, with folders and share links — a private alternative to Google Drive or Dropbox. Encrypted in transit and stored on access-controlled EU servers. It is not end-to-end encrypted (see the note), so for anything you need mathematically private, use Vault or Notes.
What you get
100 GB to 600 GB of storage — pick your size, in 100 GB steps
Official desktop sync clients for Windows, macOS, and Linux
iOS & Android apps
Share files and folders by link, with passwords and expiry
File versioning and a trash bin — mistakes are recoverable
Nightly off-site backup, with a second copy of your files in another region
Good for
Backing up and syncing documents and photos across your devices.
Sharing a folder or a link with family without handing your files to big tech.
Compare at: Proton Drive 200 GB $47.88/yr. Google One dropped its 200 GB tier in 2025 — its nearest are 100 GB ($19.99) and 2 TB ($99.99).
Encrypted in transit (TLS) and stored on access-controlled EU servers — not separately encrypted on disk, and not end-to-end encrypted, meaning the service can technically read files in order to operate. Nextcloud is a trademark of Nextcloud GmbH; Gateholm hosts it and is not affiliated with or endorsed by it.
Take one, or take the lot.
Any single app on its own, or everything in the $50/yr App Bundle — cheaper than buying the big ones separately.