Insight / Self-Hostable Apps

5 Self-Hostable Apps You Wish Your Business Knew About

Most small businesses run on rented software.

Your inbox, bookings, customer data, and analytics all live inside platforms you don’t control, charge more every year, and can change the rules at any time. It works until pricing increases, features disappear, or you outgrow what the tool was designed for.

Owning your applications changes that dynamic.

Self-hostable apps let your business run on tools you own, not subscriptions you’re locked into. That means:

No per-user or per-booking fees
No sudden pricing changes
No platform lock-in
Full control of your data and workflows

This isn’t about being technical or “running servers yourself.” It’s about choosing software that grows with your business instead of taxing it as it grows.

For ecommerce brands and service businesses, this approach often leads to simpler systems, lower long-term costs, and smoother day-to-day operations.

Here are five self-hostable apps we’ve tested and use regularly. They replace common business software and make running a business easier.

1. Libredesk

One inbox for all customer conversations

If customers contact you through multiple emails, contact forms, or team members, things fall through the cracks fast.

Libredesk gives you a single shared inbox where:

Every message is visible
Conversations have clear ownership
Nothing gets lost or double-replied

For ecommerce, this means smoother handling of order questions, returns, and delivery issues.

For service businesses, it centralizes booking enquiries and pre-sale questions in one place.

Instead of messy email threads, you get clearer handoffs, accountability, and faster responses without paying per seat.

LibredeskLearn more

2. n8n

Automate bookings, emails, follow-ups, and admin

Every business has invisible admin work:

Sending confirmation emails
Adding customers to a list or CRM
Notifying staff of new bookings or orders
Following up after a session or purchase

n8n connects your tools so this work happens automatically.

Instead of copying and pasting data between systems, or paying monthly fees for automation tools, n8n quietly runs in the background and keeps everything in sync.

The result is fewer mistakes, less manual work, and systems that actually talk to each other.

n8nLearn more

3. Twenty CRM

Track customers, leads, and repeat business

Most small businesses don’t need enterprise-grade CRMs. They need:

A clear list of customers and leads
Notes and conversation history in one place
A simple pipeline for enquiries or sales
Visibility into repeat customers

Twenty CRM focuses on exactly that.

For service businesses, it helps track enquiries, conversions, and returning clients.

For ecommerce brands, it adds structure to customer relationships beyond just orders.

It’s a clean system that helps you understand who your customers are and where revenue actually comes from.

Twenty CRMLearn more

4. Cal.com

Own your bookings (classes, lessons, sessions)

If your business sells time, lessons, sessions, classes, consultations, your booking system is your revenue engine.

Cal.com lets you:

Offer online bookings
Manage availability and buffer times
Support multiple services or instructors
Embed bookings directly into your website

Unlike most booking platforms, you’re not locked into per-user pricing or third-party branding. You own the booking flow, the customer data, and the experience end to end.

Cal.comLearn more

5. Plausible or Umami

Understand what’s actually driving sales

Most business owners don’t want analytics dashboards, they want answers:

Where are customers coming from?
Which pages convert?
Which campaigns actually work?

Plausible and Umami strip analytics back to what matters.

They’re simple, privacy-friendly, and easy to understand without cookie popups, confusing reports, or reliance on Google Analytics. Especially useful for businesses that want clarity without compliance headaches.