Self-Hosted Savings Calculator

What Can You Self-Host on a NAS?

Each paid service, the self-hosted app people use instead, how much of the service it replaces (NTK's view) and what the app's own documentation asks for. Bays are about how much you store and how it is protected; memory and the processor decide which apps run well.

Vaultwarden is a community built server that works with the official Bitwarden apps; it is not made by Bitwarden, its web vault only works over HTTPS, and its maintainers recommend regular backups of its files and database. Bitwarden's own self-hosted server lists 2 GB of RAM as the minimum and 4 GB as recommended. (Vaultwarden, Bitwarden)

When self-hosting does not save money

When what you would cancel is small next to the hardware and the electricity, the break-even runs past the time you will keep the NAS, and the calculator says so. It also counts nothing for a subscription you would keep for features self-hosting does not replace, which is often most of the value of a bundle. Self-hosting moves updates, security, failed drives and backups from the provider to you; switch on "Count my time" if that matters to you.

Self-hosting can keep primary data on hardware you control, depending on your backup and remote-access design. If you handle personal information, the OAIC explains your obligations (oaic.gov.au). (OAIC, checked 2026-10-12)

How We Calculate

Subscriptions. Only what you would stop paying: a subscription you cancel counts in full, one you would pay less for counts the amount you enter, one you keep counts as 0. Yearly billing counts a twelfth of the yearly price each month. US dollar prices are converted at the Reserve Bank rate shown below.

Self-hosting. Upfront: the NAS, the drives and any extra hardware, all at the share of the hardware cost you count, plus your setup time if you count it. A year: electricity (the NAS maker's two published power figures and the hours the drives sleep, times your rate), any offsite backup and other running costs, and your monthly time if you count it. A NAS you already own adds no hardware cost, and no electricity if it runs anyway.

Break-even = upfront cost divided by (what you stop paying a year minus what self-hosting costs to run a year), with four cases: it pays back after some years, it is ahead from the start, the subscriptions catch up, or it never pays back. The cash table counts the same figures year by year; nothing is spread out over years. A break-even later than the period you chose is a straight line from today's figures, not a forecast, and the result says it falls outside the period. Two totals count as similar when the gap between them is 5% or less of the larger one.

Subscription prices used

Microsoft 365 Family (2 TB shared): A Family subscription bought before 8 October 2026 keeps 1 TB per person until it renews on or after 2 May 2027; the calculator uses the current offer of 2 TB shared. (Microsoft, checked 2026-10-12)

Australian dollars including GST unless marked US$, as each provider lists them. US dollars are converted at 1.4333 Australian dollars to the US dollar, the Reserve Bank of Australia rate for 2026-09-30 (RBA table F11).

Electricity rates used

Enter the rate from your bill for your own figure; on a time of use plan, use your average (blended) rate. 0 c/kWh is accepted, for example when the NAS runs on power you already pay nothing extra for.

Assumptions NTK made

Method last reviewed: 2026-10-12. Cloud storage plan prices confirmed: 2026-09-20. Other subscription prices and app facts checked at source: 2026-10-12. Market prices: 2026-10-23. Electricity rates dated from: 2026-09-25.

Your first step for a faulty product is usually the retailer that sold it. The ACCC explains your rights under the Australian Consumer Law at accc.gov.au.

Frequently Asked Questions