Switch to a family-owned server that costs almost nothing to run. Keep data private, save money.
Monthly Comparison
$25-60
Current subscriptions
$6-20
Family Cloud
Annual electricity + upkeep divided among family
Most families don't realize how much they collectively spend on cloud storage and password manager subscriptions.
That's $1,440 to $3,600 per year. Where's the option to own the solution instead?
Monthly charges keep adding up indefinitely. Even "free" tiers encourage eventual paid upgrades.
Corporate cloud providers scan your data, serve ads, and store everything on their servers—out of sight, out of control.
Switching providers is hard. Data is trapped in proprietary formats. There's no real ownership.
Same features as expensive subscriptions. Same ease of use. Zero monthly cost.
Access documents, photos, and files from any device—phone, tablet, laptop. Everything syncs instantly, just like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Store and autofill passwords securely. All family members can have their own vault. Replace 1Password or Bitwarden entirely.
Share family calendars, keep contacts synced across devices. Works on any calendar app—no switching required.
Organize and share family photos. Auto-backup works like iCloud or Google Photos—without the monthly bill.
Think of Family Cloud as the family version of:
...all in one place, all owned and controlled by the family.
No expensive servers. No data centers. Just a small, efficient device at home.
Actual size: Slightly larger than a credit card
It's a small computer—truly small. It plugs into power and ethernet like any other device. It runs quietly in a closet, cabinet, or utility room.
Uses Almost No Power
Less electricity than a lightbulb. About $5-10/month.
Barely Makes a Sound
No fans, no noise. Set it and forget it.
Expandable Storage
Add external drives or NAS for terabytes of space. Start small, grow as needed.
Your Control
Data never leaves the house. Complete privacy and ownership.
One-time investment. Then years of nearly free operation.
Can expand storage later. 2TB is plenty for most families.
Less than the cost of one coffee per person per month.
1-2 months
Initial setup paid back by subscription savings
Years 2+
~$100-300/year savings for family
10 years
Potential savings: $1,200-3,500
Important: Hardware can last 5-7 years with basic maintenance. When it needs replacement ($150-200), the total annual cost is still far cheaper than corporate subscriptions.
No special skills needed. The experience is as easy as any cloud service.
The Raspberry Pi is set up in a closet, cabinet, or shelf. It's plugged in and connected to the home network. Once configured, no one needs to touch it. It just works.
Setup takes a few hours, but it's usually a one-time task.
Family members use a web browser or app to log into their account. From home or away, it's exactly like accessing Dropbox or Gmail—but the server is in the home.
Works on phones, tablets, and computers. Can be accessed via WiFi at home or securely from outside the home network.
Upload a document on a laptop, and it appears on a phone instantly. Changes sync across all devices in real-time, just like Google Drive or OneDrive.
The experience is identical to commercial cloud services—but the data stays local.
The password manager autofills logins like 1Password. Family calendars sync so everyone stays coordinated. Contacts back up and sync across devices automatically.
All the conveniences of paid services, with zero monthly cost.
Data is backed up to external storage automatically. Files are never in just one place. If a drive fails, nothing is lost—backups are already there.
More reliable than trusting data to a single corporate server somewhere.
Data stays home. No corporate scanning, no ads, no unexpected breaches.
All files are encrypted both in transit and at rest. Passwords are stored securely—even administrators can't see them in plaintext.
Same encryption standards used by banks and security professionals.
Files never go to Silicon Valley, China, or any corporate data center. Complete physical control and privacy.
No terms-of-service changes. No surprise policy shifts. The family controls everything.
The server doesn't scan data for ads, track behavior, or sell information. There's no "free" tier supported by invasive monitoring.
Complete transparency. It's the family's system—no hidden business model.
External hard drives provide automatic, local backups. Can also enable off-site backups to secure cloud storage (optional) for extra redundancy.
3-2-1 rule: 3 copies of data, 2 different media types, 1 offsite (if desired).
At Home: Files sync and work normally on the home WiFi, even if the internet is down. The server works fine without connecting to the outside world.
Away from Home: Without internet, remote access won't work—but this is true for any cloud service. When the internet returns, everything syncs back up automatically.
Outages Are Rare: Nextcloud is designed to handle disconnections gracefully. Work offline on your device and sync when reconnected.
Answers to common concerns.
Raspberry Pi hardware is extremely reliable. But if it fails, the data is safe on backup drives. A replacement Raspberry Pi costs $60-80 and takes a few hours to set up. Meanwhile, data is recoverable from backups. Compare this to having no backup and losing everything, which happens to people relying solely on cloud services during outages.
No. Once set up, it's just as easy. Log in, drag files, sync happens automatically. The setup is a bit technical (few hours), but after that, the experience is identical to commercial services. Family members don't need to know anything about the technical side.
Yes. Each family member gets a personal account with their own files, passwords, and calendars. They can also share folders or calendars with others. Privacy is maintained while enabling collaboration.
All data can be exported in standard formats. Files are standard files, not locked into a proprietary format. Switching is easy because the data belongs to the family, not the service. With corporate cloud services, data is often trapped.
Start with 1-2TB and expand as needed. A typical family with photos and documents rarely exceeds 500GB-1TB. Additional external drives can be added anytime for $50-100 per TB. Much cheaper to expand than to pay per-gigabyte with subscription services.
Yes. Nextcloud can be configured for secure remote access via the internet. It's encrypted and safe, similar to how Google Drive or Dropbox works. Setup requires some network configuration (usually straightforward for home networks).
Files still work perfectly on the home WiFi network. Remote access from outside won't work, but this is true of any cloud service during an outage. Work offline and sync when reconnected. Most families rarely experience long outages.
Minimal. Check backups occasionally (monthly), update software when prompted (automated or easy), and restart if needed (rare). Most days, it requires zero attention. It's designed to run unattended, like a router or printer.
Nextcloud is open-source with an active community. Forums, documentation, and guides are extensive and free. For complex issues, paid support is available. Most families find forums and documentation sufficient for troubleshooting.
Yes. Nextcloud integrates with most calendar apps, file managers, and password managers. Desktop apps sync like native Dropbox. Mobile apps work on iPhone and Android. Can access via web browser on any device. No special software needed—use what already exists.
Start saving money today. Set up a family cloud solution and take control of personal data.
Questions?
Reach out to discuss setup, costs, or any concerns about moving the family to a self-hosted solution.
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