Cut the cord: four self-hosted alternatives to paid apps like Photoshop and more

As subscription costs for streaming services and other digital products continue to rise, more users are looking for ways to save money. One effective approach is switching to self-hosted alternatives — software that runs on your own computer or home server without recurring fees.

For those looking to replace Adobe Photoshop, which costs at least $120 per year for the most basic Creative Cloud plan, the open-source editor GIMP offers a free alternative. It can be deployed inside Docker and accessed via a web browser, or used as a desktop application. While some critics argue that its interface is confusing, especially for users coming from Adobe products, the author notes that adapting to GIMP is no more challenging than learning any other new software. GIMP includes most of the essential features of Photoshop, making it a viable option for cutting costs.

The article highlights that self-hosted alternatives exist for almost every daily-use application. The author, who still pays for services like Obsidian Sync, emphasizes that you don't need an expensive or complex homelab setup to run these tools. A regular personal computer and some technical know-how are sufficient to get started.

While the full list of alternatives is not detailed in the excerpt, the author suggests that the self-hosted approach can help users avoid the impact of rising prices across the software industry. The trend is driven by the same price increases affecting streaming services and even utility bills, making self-hosted software a practical way to maintain access to essential tools without ongoing subscription costs.