I calculated the cost of running my own server instead of the cloud in 2026

The author analyzes the economic feasibility of switching from cloud services to a private home server amidst payment restrictions for foreign subscriptions in Russia. Solutions like Immich, Nextcloud, Vaultwarden, and AFFiNE were tested as alternatives to commercial cloud storage. The study measures resource consumption and compares the total cost of ownership against Yandex 360 and Mail Cloud pricing over a five-year period. It turns out that running a private server becomes financially advantageous only after reaching specific data volumes, potentially saving up to 175,000 rubles. The article details the break-even point and the impact of using refurbished hardware on final calculations. This piece provides a practical perspective on infrastructure independence for private users, evaluating both technical requirements and long-term financial metrics of owning one's own hardware.