While subscriptions seem to be becoming the normal in the modern world, I’ve found a way to avoid paying for them: self-hosting. Here are five self-hosted apps that replaced my monthly subscriptions (and why I won’t ever go back to paying for those services again).
Plex helps me cancel monthly streaming subscriptions
Jellyfin would work too, but I really do prefer Plex
It might be controversial to still use Plex in 2026, but I’m here for it. I’ve used Plex for over 13 years at this point, and with my lifetime Plex Pass, I have no reason to switch. The UI works well for me, and it’s easy to share the library with others in the household.
With that out of the way, and the fact that you likely already have your pitchforks out, Plex is the biggest self-hosted app that helped me replace a monthly subscription. Really, it was the original self-hosted app that replaced a subscription for me.
Plex (Jellyfin would work too) allowed me to completely take control of my media consumption. My wife and I were able to completely cancel all of our streaming subscriptions once I built out a media server at the house. It wasn’t necessarily cheap up front, but I was able to reuse some old hardware and hard drives I already owned to help with the cost some.
Now, over 5 years after building it, we have saved thousands and thousands of dollars from not paying for streaming services. Sure, it’s more difficult to run your own media server, and there are some downsides, like downtime when I maintenance the homelab or having to source my own media, rip it, and categorize it all.
However, it’s all worth it to save the cost of paying for Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Discovery+, Paramount+, and all the other + subscriptions that are out there.
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- Brand
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Plex
- Free trial
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Free version available
With Plex, you can keep a single, unified Watchlist for any movie or TV show you hear about, on any service—even theater releases! You can finally stop hopping between watchlists on all your other streaming services, and add it all on Plex instead.
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- OS
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Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, Fire TV, Roku OS, WebOS, Xbox,
- Price
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Free
Jellyfin is the volunteer-built media solution that puts you in control of your media. Stream to any device from your own server, with no strings attached. Your media, your server, your way.
Audiobookshelf let me take control of my audiobooks
No more Audible for me
2025 marked the year that I started listening to audiobooks, and 2026 is no exception. I loved Audible at first, but it got expensive and slightly frustrating to deal with. So, I searched for another solution and found Audiobookshelf.
I actually owned a lot of audiobooks already on CD from many years ago with Adventures in Odyssey and Jonathan Park, and I couldn’t listen to those with Audible. I had to use two separate apps, and it was quite frustrating.
So, when I found Audiobookshelf and started moving all of my audiobooks over, I was very happy. Of course, this meant that I had to purchase my new audiobooks elsewhere besides Audible, but most audiobook publishers actually sell their audiobooks directly, bypassing Audible entirely.
Audiobookshelf is easy to run and there are some great apps out there for it. I love running my own audiobook server now, and there’s nothing that could make me go back to relying on Amazon for my audiobooks again.
Hosting my own Minecraft (or other game) servers makes game nights with friends fun again
Game server hosting can be extremely expensive
For the longest time, I never played multiplayer games that didn’t have their own servers. Things like Minecraft, Satisfactory, and many other games which require you to host your own server somewhere just weren’t in my multiplayer playlist. Game server hosting is expensive.
My homelab allowed me to start self-hosting my own game servers on equipment I already owned for free, and it’s something that I’ll never go away from. The convenience of spinning up a game server with whatever specs I need within a few minutes for free is just too nice to leave.
I’m thankful to have a pretty powerful homelab where I can run Minecraft servers with 24GB or even 32GB of RAM if they’re super mod-heavy. However, you could run game servers on anything, even an old Raspberry Pi.
Game server hosting is not something I ever thought I would offer when I got into this hobby, but it’s one of the things that’s definitely saved me quite a bit over the years.
n8n allows me to create automations for anything without paying
Make, Zapier, and other automation platforms are just too expensive
I used to use Make, Zapier, and several other automation platforms years ago to handle some automated tasks that I had need for. Things like copying email addresses from one service to another, keeping inventories in sync between ecommerce platforms, and several other tasks.
The problem is, most of the cloud-hosted automation platforms became quite expensive for their paid plans, and very limited on their free plans. Discovering n8n was all I needed to get back into the automation game without paying a dime.
Now, I use n8n for things like automating the download of podcasts in MP3 format, taking email subscribers from my SquareSpace website and copying them over to my Kit subscription list, and so much more.
The great part is, n8n is so powerful that I’m always finding a new use for it. I’ve only scratched the surface of what it’s capable of, and can’t wait to continue to integrate it with my life—all without paying a single cent.
LinkStack gives me full control over my link landing page without costing a dime
I love Linktr.ee, but it’s too limiting without paying
I’ve used Linktr.ee for many years as a link-in-bio tool. Outside of writing for How-To Geek, I’m an Instagram and YouTube content creator in the maker niche, specifically focusing on woodworking, CNC machining, and laser engraving/cutting.
So, my link-in-bio tool is invaluable when I’m talking about a new product. For years, I’ve used Linktr.ee, and it’s worked well for my uses. However, it wasn’t quite as customizable as I’d like, and I always wanted to take more control over the page than Linktr.ee would let me.
I only recently found LInkStack, but I already love it. Being able to self-host my own link-in-bio landing page is really nice. I’m able to fully control what it looks like, and, if there’s something the tool itself doesn’t do, I can simply modify the code to make it work how I need.
This is definitely a more niche tool, but it’s one that I’m very glad I found as it solved a real problem for me, and kept me from paying yet another subscription.
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- Brand
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GEEKOM
- CPU
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AMD Ryzen 5 7430U
- Graphics
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AMD Vega 7
- Memory
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16GB DDR4 SO-DIMM
- Storage
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512GB NVMe (expandable)
The GEEKOM A5 mini PC packs 16GB of user-replaceable RAM, a user-swappable NVMe SSD, plus two other storage slots, giving you plenty of user-upgradability in this compact system. The Ryzen 5 processor packs plenty of power for general tasks, and it’s even great at lightweight gaming and CAD work too.
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- Brand
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ACEMAGIC
- CPU
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AMD Ryzen 4300U
- Graphics
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AMD Radeon
- Memory
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16GB DDR4 SO-DIMM pre-instlaled
- Storage
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1TB NVMe pre-installed
- Operating System
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Windows 11 Pro
The ACEMAGIC K1 mini PC packs a punch for its price point. With a Ryzen 4300U quad-core processor, 16GB of user-upgradable RAM, a pre-installed 1TB NVMe SSD and an extra M.2 SATA slot for more storage, this micro desktop offers a lot of performance. Plus, it handles up to three monitors at a time and has Windows 11 Pro pre-installed.
Self hosting is a great way to save money in the long run
The great part about self-hosting is that you’re able to cancel or avoid subscriptions that you might otherwise have to pay. While getting into the self-hosting hobby might cost a bit up front if you don’t have any old computer hardware lying around, it definitely pays off in the long-run.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
