Top 20 Self-Hosted Apps to Replace Google Workspace
The complete list of self-hosted alternatives to Google Drive, Gmail, Calendar, Photos, and the rest of the Workspace stack. What actually works and what's worth the setup time.
Google Workspace is deeply embedded in most people’s digital lives. Replacing it entirely is a project, not an afternoon — but it’s achievable, and the result is data you control, no subscription fees for the services you actually own, and no vendor dependency.
This list covers the 20 self-hosted apps that collectively replace the core Google Workspace stack. Not all of them are replacements for every user; pick the ones that match your threat model and setup complexity tolerance.
Files and Storage
1. Nextcloud
The closest thing to a complete self-hosted Google Drive. Nextcloud handles file sync across devices, sharing (with link expiration, passwords, permissions), photos (auto-backup from mobile), a web office suite (Nextcloud Office, powered by Collabora), calendar, contacts, tasks, and dozens of optional apps.
If you’re going to pick one app from this list, Nextcloud is it. The setup is moderately complex, but the official Docker image is well-documented and the community is large.
Replaces: Google Drive, Google Photos (partially), Google Docs (partially)
Hardware note: Nextcloud benefits from fast storage. Run it on NVMe if possible; SATA SSD is acceptable; spinning disk will feel sluggish.
2. Immich
Immich is a self-hosted photo and video backup server with a mobile app for iOS and Android. It auto-syncs your camera roll, organizes by date and location, and provides face recognition and album features.
It’s a better Google Photos replacement than Nextcloud’s photos app, specifically for the auto-backup workflow. Running both Immich and Nextcloud makes sense: Immich for photos, Nextcloud for documents and files.
Replaces: Google Photos
Resource note: Immich’s machine learning features (face recognition, CLIP search) require a reasonably capable server — a dedicated GPU or Apple Silicon is ideal, but an N100 with CPU inference works at small scale.
3. Seafile
Seafile is a file sync and share server with a focus on performance. It uses client-side delta sync and handles large files better than Nextcloud in some benchmarks. Less feature-rich than Nextcloud but faster for pure file sync.
Replaces: Google Drive (file sync focus)
4. Mailcow
Mailcow is a full-featured mail server suite: Postfix for SMTP, Dovecot for IMAP, rspamd for spam filtering, and a web admin interface. It handles multiple domains, DKIM/SPF/DMARC signing, and has SOGo for webmail.
Self-hosting email is harder than any other service on this list. Deliverability requires getting SPF, DKIM, and DMARC right. Your IP needs a clean reputation. Port 25 needs to be accessible outbound (many residential ISPs block it). A VPS on Hetzner or Linode is a better host for email than a home server.
Replaces: Gmail
Difficulty: High. Expect to spend a day getting deliverability right.
5. Stalwart Mail Server
A more modern alternative to Mailcow, written in Rust. Faster and uses less memory. It’s newer and less battle-tested than Mailcow, but actively developed and worth watching.
Replaces: Gmail
6. Roundcube
A webmail interface that connects to any IMAP server. If you’re already running a mail server, Roundcube is an excellent web frontend. Not a complete replacement on its own — it needs a backend mail server.
Replaces: Gmail webmail interface
Calendar and Contacts
7. Radicale
A minimal CalDAV and CardDAV server. Very lightweight, easy to set up, and just works for calendar and contacts sync with standard clients (Thunderbird, Apple Calendar, Google Calendar via import, Android via DAVx5).
Replaces: Google Calendar, Google Contacts
8. Baikal
Similar to Radicale but with a web admin interface. Slightly more setup but easier to manage for multiple users.
Replaces: Google Calendar, Google Contacts
Documents and Office
9. Nextcloud Office (Collabora)
Built into Nextcloud, powered by LibreOffice Online. Handles .docx, .xlsx, .pptx files. Multi-user collaboration works but is noticeably slower than Google Docs at scale. Fine for personal use and small teams.
Replaces: Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides
10. OnlyOffice Document Server
A separate self-hosted office suite with stronger Microsoft Office format compatibility than Collabora. Can be integrated into Nextcloud or run standalone. Better for users who need to share documents with people using Microsoft Office.
Replaces: Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides
Communication
11. Matrix + Element
Matrix is an open protocol for decentralized communication. Element is the primary client. Running your own Matrix homeserver (Synapse or Conduit) gives you full control over chat, voice/video calls, and room history retention.
If you’re replacing Google Chat or Workspace Meet for a team, Matrix + Element is the serious option.
Replaces: Google Chat, partially Google Meet
12. Jitsi Meet
A self-hosted video conferencing solution. Runs well for small groups (4-8 participants) on a decent server. Larger calls benefit from a dedicated Jitsi Videobridge instance.
Replaces: Google Meet (for video calls)
Notes and Knowledge Management
13. Joplin Server
Joplin is an open-source note-taking app with a self-hosted sync server option. Markdown-based, end-to-end encryption optional, works on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux. Strong import from Evernote.
Replaces: Google Keep (for power users)
14. Obsidian + Syncthing
Not a server application, but worth including. Obsidian is a local-first Markdown note-taking app. Syncthing (covered below) syncs your vault across devices without a central server. Together they replace Google Keep and Google Docs for notes with zero cloud dependency.
Replaces: Google Keep, parts of Google Docs
File Sync Without a Server
15. Syncthing
Syncthing syncs files directly between devices using peer-to-peer connections. No server required. Files never leave your devices. Works across platforms (Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android).
For specific folders you want synced between devices without a central server, Syncthing is the right tool.
Replaces: Google Drive selective sync
Bookmarks and Web
16. Linkwarden
A self-hosted bookmark manager with tag organization, full-page archiving (it saves the page content, not just the URL), and a clean web interface. Prevents link rot — pages you save are stored locally.
Replaces: Google Bookmarks
Password and Secrets
17. Vaultwarden
A self-hosted server compatible with Bitwarden clients. All the Bitwarden browser extensions and mobile apps work with your own server. No subscription required for premium features (TOTP, emergency access) when self-hosted.
Not a Google Workspace replacement specifically, but essential if you’re moving off of Google’s ecosystem — you’ll need a way to manage the credentials for everything else.
Analytics
18. Plausible Community Edition
Privacy-preserving web analytics you can self-host. Lightweight JavaScript snippet, no cookies, GDPR-compliant by default. Gives you visitor counts, sources, top pages, and geography without collecting personal data.
Replaces: Google Analytics
Monitoring
19. Uptime Kuma
A monitoring dashboard for your self-hosted services. It checks whether your services are up and sends notifications if they go down. Simple to set up, runs in Docker.
Not a Google product replacement, but essential for managing a homelab where multiple services need uptime monitoring.
Search
20. SearXNG
A self-hosted metasearch engine that aggregates results from Google, Bing, and other sources without sending your query data to any of them. Useful if you want to keep your search history off Google’s servers.
Replaces: Google Search (as a privacy wrapper)
How to Approach This
Replacing everything at once isn’t practical. A realistic order:
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Start with Nextcloud — it handles files, photos, calendar, and contacts in one deployment. Even partial Nextcloud adoption reduces your Google footprint significantly.
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Add Vaultwarden — you need somewhere to store credentials for everything else.
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Add Immich — if you care specifically about photo backup, Immich is better than Nextcloud’s photos module.
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Add communication tools — Matrix + Element if you’re coordinating with others; Jitsi for calls.
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Email last — it’s the hardest to migrate correctly. Move everything else first, then tackle email when you have experience with self-hosted infrastructure.
The common hardware minimum for running a subset of this stack comfortably is an N100-class mini PC with 8-16GB RAM and 1TB NVMe storage. Larger deployments (email, multiple users, heavy media) benefit from more RAM and faster storage. Hetzner Cloud and Linode are good options for VPS hosting when home hosting isn’t appropriate (email specifically).
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