Subscription fatigue is real. More so with the ever-increasing cost of subscriptions.
Lately, I’ve been wondering why I am paying an overwhelming amount of money every month for streaming services that just remove my favorite shows, or apps whose only purpose is to store my data better.
Add to that constant restrictions like region limits, pricing tiers and the constant pressure that access can be revoked at any point.
However, as an avid self-hosting enthusiast, I know there’s a better solution.
I’ve been replacing all my subscriptions one by one with open source alternatives that I can run myself, on my own hardware, and without any lock-in.
The services might not be entirely one-on-one substitutes, but they solve the same problems and are ever evolving to fit my needs.
Here’s what I use and how it fits into my daily workflow.
6 hidden gem open source Android apps that save me hundreds on subscriptions
Open source gems that replace pricey subscriptions
Jellyfin
Your own media library, with no monthly fees or changing catalogs
Netflix is easy. That’s the entire value proposition why it’s so popular. Open the app, press play and your favorite show starts streaming.
The problem with that is that you’re not really paying for convenience as much as you’re paying for access. And that access is far from constant.
Content is never guaranteed to stay on the platform, pricing is always increasing, and a significant portion of the content is region locked.
Basically, it’s a toss up about what you’re getting with your service, and you certainly don’t have a say in it.
Jellyfin upends that model completely. Sure, you don’t have access to an on-demand library. But on the flip side, you have a much more curated video library.
Point Jellyfin to your media folder, and you get the same visual experience as a commercial service like Netflix.
But this time around, you retain full access, can easily stream files wherever you want, be it your computer, TV or phone, and, most importantly, you don’t pay anything for the service.
Obsidian
Local-first notes, fully in your control
I was all in on the Notion hype train a few years back. It’s a popular tool that tries to do everything. Be it notes, databases, task management and even wikis.
And it does all of that pretty well, until you get around to its limitations. And those limitations are pretty heavy-handed.
Everything in Notion lives in the cloud. Sure, Notion has an offline mode, but it limits you to specific pages and limited features when you are disconnected from the internet.
Even though it’s flexible, your data is still essentially locked into its system.
Exporting is possible, but not the same as Markdown. Plus, performance drags more often than not.
Obsidian is a shoo-in replacement and it takes a completely different approach. The app is built to be offline first.
Every note is just a Markdown document stored on your computer. Your entire knowledge base lives like files in a folder. You can open it with Obsidian, but you can also open it in any other text editor.
You can back it up however you want, wherever you want, and sync it with whatever tool you prefer. There are no restrictions.
Moreover, Obsidian runs fast. You can open it, start typing and link ideas together using simple connections between notes. It helps you build out a network of information that’s fully interconnected in the form of a knowledge graph.
It solves the problem of data ownership. You’re not building a workflow and knowledge base within a locked app.
Sure, Obsidian is a bit more hands-on. But that makes it better as you can tweak it specifically to match your needs.
Vaultwarden
Pro-grade app, but with complete control over data
Password management is an intrinsic part of everyday workflows. And yes, there are popular solutions like 1Password that do it very well.
But like all the other tools that I talked about, I’m tired of paying for something so essential, yet so basic in functionality.
Moreover, open source alternatives already offer the same core functionality, and it was high time I gave it a shot. That’s why I switched to Vaultwarden.
The tool is essentially a self-hosted implementation of Bitwarden, and it works with the same apps and extensions.
All that to say, the user experience stays as good as commercial apps, but you hold on to the data right there on your own server.
While the lack of a subscription is why you might switch over, data privacy and ownership is a big incentive in its own right. You control access, backups and uptime.
I don’t miss my subscriptions at all, and that’s the point
Switching away from subscription services is hardly about rejecting convenience. Open source services are now good enough to serve as bona fide replacements.
And while the lack of a subscription fee might’ve played a big role in why I made the switch, the privacy and data ownership advantages go a long way towards reinforcing my decision.
Between Jellyfin, Obsidian and Vaultwarden, I’ve comfortably made the switch over from Netflix, Notion and 1Password without losing anything in the process.
It’s something I can wholeheartedly recommend to most users.
