How I save $$$ by self-hosting these 5 open source tools

SaaS pricing is getting ridiculous. What starts as a few useful tools can easily snowball into hundreds of euros per month. And if you're running a bootstrapped startup, side project, or freelance stack, every euro counts. I run a managed Docker hosting platform called Sliplane, so I have the infrastructure chops to self-host the tools I use every day (and you probably can too). And after doing just that, I’ve cut over €150 per month in SaaS bills with no real downsides, well, except for the time it takes to set up and maintain them. Here are five open source tools I self-host to save serious money and how you can too. Plunk as a Self-Hosted Email Platform Most email marketing tools are overkill or overpriced. Plunk is a simple UI layer over AWS SES that handles both transactional and marketing emails with ease. Why I self-host it I don’t need fancy CRM integrations or audience segmentation. I just want solid deliverability and automation. What I save Mailchimp or Customer.io: around €30 to €80 per month Self-hosted Plunk with SES: around €2 per month

Apr 21, 2025 - 16:11

How I save $$$ by self-hosting these 5 open source tools

SaaS pricing is getting ridiculous.

What starts as a few useful tools can easily snowball into hundreds of euros per month. And if you're running a bootstrapped startup, side project, or freelance stack, every euro counts.

I run a managed Docker hosting platform called Sliplane, so I have the infrastructure chops to self-host the tools I use every day (and you probably can too). And after doing just that, I’ve cut over €150 per month in SaaS bills with no real downsides, well, except for the time it takes to set up and maintain them.

Here are five open source tools I self-host to save serious money and how you can too.

Plunk as a Self-Hosted Email Platform

Most email marketing tools are overkill or overpriced. Plunk is a simple UI layer over AWS SES that handles both transactional and marketing emails with ease.

Why I self-host it

I don’t need fancy CRM integrations or audience segmentation. I just want solid deliverability and automation.

What I save

Mailchimp or Customer.io: around €30 to €80 per month
Self-hosted Plunk with SES: around €2 per month