12 picks · data-backed ranking
Best self-hosted apps (2026)
The best self-hosted apps are Ollama, n8n (source-available) and Immich. Ollama leads with 184,802 GitHub stars.
Candidates: every app in the catalog. Archived projects and projects with no commit in the last two years are left out.
One app per category, so the list covers the whole catalog instead of the same few kinds of software.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Ollama
ollama/ollama
Get up and running with Llama 3.3, DeepSeek-R1, Phi-4, Gemma 3, and other large language models.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
AI & LLM ToolsGoDockerAI-nativeStands out for a permissive MIT license. Top pick for AI & LLM tools: Ollama has 184,802 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,259 commits in the last year; it replaces ChatGPT.
- Rank 2:
n8n
n8n-io/n8n
Free node based Workflow Automation Tool. Easily automate tasks across different services.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
FeaturedSource-availableAutomation & WorkflowsTypeScriptDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. Top pick for automation & workflows: n8n has 208,615 GitHub stars, is source-available under the Sustainable Use License 1.0 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 10,189 commits in the last year; it replaces Zapier and IFTTT.
- Rank 3:
Immich
immich-app/immich
Photo and video backup solution directly from your mobile phone (alternative to Google Photos).
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
FeaturedPhoto GalleriesTypeScriptDockerStands out for an appsgit step-by-step deploy guide. Top pick for photo galleries: Immich has 117,263 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,873 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Photos and Adobe Photoshop.
At a glance
Self-hosted apps compared
Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits, at most one app per primary category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ollama | a permissive MIT license | MIT | 184,802 | 1,259 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| n8n | the most GitHub stars | source-available, Sustainable Use License 1.0 | 208,615 | 10,189 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Immich | an appsgit step-by-step deploy guide | AGPL-3.0 | 117,263 | 2,873 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Supabase | a permissive Apache-2.0 license | Apache-2.0 | 113,946 | 6,256 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Stirling-PDF | – | Apache-2.0 | 95,029 | 2,068 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Uptime Kuma | – | MIT | 92,919 | 1,368 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Home Assistant | – | Apache-2.0 | 91,730 | 21,252 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Excalidraw | – | MIT | 134,563 | 280 | Oct 25, 2026 | Yes |
| Coolify | – | Apache-2.0 | 64,712 | 5,039 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Memos | – | MIT | 64,080 | 1,012 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
Full ranking
All 12 picks, ranked
Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits, at most one app per primary category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
- 1
Ollama
Get up and running with Llama 3.3, DeepSeek-R1, Phi-4, Gemma 3, and other large language models.
AI & LLM ToolsDockerAI-nativeStands out for a permissive MIT license. Top pick for AI & LLM tools: Ollama has 184,802 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,259 commits in the last year; it replaces ChatGPT.
- 2
n8nFeatured
Free node based Workflow Automation Tool. Easily automate tasks across different services.
Source-availableAutomation & WorkflowsDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. Top pick for automation & workflows: n8n has 208,615 GitHub stars, is source-available under the Sustainable Use License 1.0 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 10,189 commits in the last year; it replaces Zapier and IFTTT.
- 3
ImmichFeatured
Photo and video backup solution directly from your mobile phone (alternative to Google Photos).
Photo GalleriesDockerStands out for an appsgit step-by-step deploy guide. Top pick for photo galleries: Immich has 117,263 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,873 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Photos and Adobe Photoshop.
- 4
Supabase
Postgres development platform with auth, realtime, storage and edge functions, the open-source Firebase alternative.
Low-code & BackendDockerStands out for a permissive Apache-2.0 license. Top pick for low-code & backend: Supabase has 113,946 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,256 commits in the last year; it replaces Firebase.
- 5
Stirling-PDF
Local hosted web application that allows you to perform various operations on PDF files, such as merging, splitting, file conversions and OCR.
Document ManagementDockerTop pick for document management: Stirling-PDF has 95,029 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,068 commits in the last year; it replaces Adobe Acrobat.
- 6
Uptime Kuma
Easy-to-use self-hosted uptime monitor with status pages and 90+ notification channels.
Monitoring & Status PagesDockerTop pick for monitoring & status pages: Uptime Kuma has 92,919 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,368 commits in the last year; it replaces Datadog and Uptime Robot.
- 7
Home AssistantFeatured
Home automation platform.
Home Automation & IoTDockerTop pick for home automation & IoT: Home Assistant has 91,730 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 21,252 commits in the last year; it replaces Nest / SmartThings and Google Home.
- 8
Excalidraw
Virtual hand-drawn style whiteboard for diagrams and sketches.
UtilitiesDockerTop pick for utilities: Excalidraw has 134,563 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 280 commits in the last year; it replaces Figma and Lucidchart.
- 9
Coolify
Self-hostable Heroku, Netlify and Vercel alternative that deploys apps, databases and services to your servers.
Self-hosting PlatformsDockerTop pick for self-hosting platforms: Coolify has 64,712 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 5,039 commits in the last year; it replaces Heroku and Vercel.
- 10
Memos
Knowledge base that works with a SQLite db file.
Note-taking & EditorsDockerTop pick for note-taking & editors: Memos has 64,080 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,012 commits in the last year; it replaces Evernote and Google Keep.
- 11
Traefik
HTTP reverse proxy and load balancer that makes deploying microservices easy.
Web Servers & Reverse ProxiesDockerTop pick for web servers & reverse proxies: Traefik has 65,373 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 922 commits in the last year.
- 12
frp
Fast reverse proxy that exposes local servers behind NAT to the internet.
Proxy & VPNDockerTop pick for proxy & VPN: frp has 110,137 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 192 commits in the last year; it replaces ngrok.
What should a beginner self-host first?
Start with one app that replaces something you already pay for or rely on: Immich for phone photo backup, Jellyfin for a media library or Uptime Kuma to monitor your services. All three run in Docker on a small server.
Is Ollama free?
Yes. Ollama is open-source software released under the MIT license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.
Can I self-host these apps with Docker?
Yes, all of them. Ollama, n8n and Immich publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose.
Are all of these apps open source?
11 of the 12 apps on this list are open source; 1 is source-available. Source-available licenses add conditions, such as limits on hosted or commercial use, so read them before you deploy.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits, at most one app per primary category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
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