People think in terms of products they already use, not abstract architectures. This matrix maps familiar centralized services to their resilient, self-hosted alternatives - making this site accessible to anyone who starts from "I want to replace X" rather than "I want to build Y."
How to read this page: Find the service you want to replace. The alternative column shows the recommended self-hosted replacement. Click through to the relevant section for setup guides and blueprints.
| Centralized Service |
Resilient Alternative |
Removes Dependency On |
| Google Drive |
Nextcloud |
Google account, Google surveillance |
| Dropbox |
Syncthing |
Cloud sync provider (P2P, no server) |
| iCloud Drive |
Nextcloud |
Apple account, iCloud subscription |
| OneDrive |
Nextcloud |
Microsoft account, Microsoft 365 |
| Box |
Nextcloud |
Corporate SaaS provider |
| Centralized Service |
Resilient Alternative |
Removes Dependency On |
| Google Photos |
Immich |
Google account, Google AI/surveillance |
| iCloud Photos |
Immich |
Apple account, iCloud storage fees |
| Amazon Photos |
Immich |
Amazon Prime dependency |
| Flickr |
Immich |
SmugMug/Flickr subscription |
| Centralized Service |
Resilient Alternative |
Removes Dependency On |
| Discord |
Matrix / Element |
Discord account, Discord servers |
| Slack |
Mattermost |
Slack subscription, Salesforce |
| WhatsApp |
Matrix / Element |
Meta account, Meta surveillance |
| Microsoft Teams |
Mattermost |
Microsoft 365 subscription |
| SMS (cellular down) |
Meshtastic |
Cellular carriers entirely |
| Telegram |
Matrix / Element |
Telegram servers, account |
| Centralized Service |
Resilient Alternative |
Notes |
| Gmail |
Self-hosted (Stalwart) |
Complex; see self-hosting section for deliverability guidance |
| Outlook / Hotmail |
Self-hosted |
Requires dedicated IP and reputation management |
| ProtonMail |
Self-hosted |
ProtonMail is already more resilient; self-hosting removes ProtonMail dependency |
| Fastmail |
Self-hosted |
|
| Centralized Service |
Resilient Alternative |
Removes Dependency On |
| Netflix / streaming |
Jellyfin + local library |
Subscription, internet, streaming rights |
| Spotify |
Navidrome + local collection |
Subscription, Spotify platform |
| YouTube (saved content) |
Jellyfin or PeerTube |
YouTube availability |
| Audible |
Audiobookshelf |
Amazon/Audible DRM |
| Kindle |
Calibre + e-reader |
Amazon DRM, Kindle platform |
| Apple Music |
Navidrome |
Apple subscription |
| Centralized Service |
Resilient Alternative |
Removes Dependency On |
| LastPass / 1Password |
Vaultwarden (Bitwarden) |
Vendor subscription, cloud sync |
| Google Authenticator |
Aegis (local, no cloud) |
Google account sync |
| Authy |
Aegis |
Twilio/Authy account |
| Duo |
Self-hosted TOTP |
Duo/Cisco subscription |
| Centralized Service |
Resilient Alternative |
Removes Dependency On |
| Public DNS (8.8.8.8) |
Pi-hole + Unbound |
Google DNS, surveillance |
| Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1) |
Pi-hole + Unbound |
Cloudflare DNS, surveillance |
| Dynamic DNS services |
Local DNS + mDNS |
DDNS provider |
| Cloudflare CDN |
Self-hosted Nginx |
Cloudflare dependency |
| Centralized Service |
Resilient Alternative |
Removes Dependency On |
| Google Search (offline cache) |
SearXNG |
Google tracking; requires internet for live results |
| ChatGPT / Claude |
Ollama + Open WebUI |
OpenAI/Anthropic subscription, cloud inference |
| Google Translate |
LibreTranslate |
Google account, cloud translation |
| Bing / DuckDuckGo |
SearXNG |
Search engine dependency |
| Centralized Service |
Resilient Alternative |
Removes Dependency On |
| GitHub |
Gitea |
GitHub (Microsoft), account |
| GitLab.com |
Gitea |
GitLab SaaS |
| npm registry (partial) |
Verdaccio |
npm Inc., internet for packages |
Some replacements are complete (Nextcloud replaces Google Drive feature-for-feature). Others involve trade-offs:
- Email self-hosting is technically viable but requires significant effort to maintain deliverability
- Offline AI (Ollama) is genuinely functional but model quality depends on available VRAM
- Self-hosted search (SearXNG) still requires internet for live results - it removes tracking, not internet dependency
Read the setup pages for each service to understand the remaining dependencies and failure scenarios.