Just like in 2021 and 2024, I’m once again sharing a list of my favorite software products of the year. I always enjoy reading posts like this because you can often discover a few hidden gems. Usually – let’s be honest – these lists are filled with the usual suspects. Nevertheless, this year’s list includes three selfhosted projects that you might not have heard of before.

#10: Wanderer

Let’s start withWanderer (external link) , an app for collecting your hiking routes – basically a selfhosted Komoot. The app itself doesn’t record routes, but you can easily import GPX files or data from Strava or Komoot and enrich them with additional details.

Since one of the latest updates, you can even share your new activities in the Fediverse, making it easy to discover hiking routes from people all over the world.

I like this software because after Komoot’s acquisition and price hikes, I lost interest in using it and went looking for alternatives. Now, when I go hiking, I track the route with Strava and then import it into Wanderer.

9: Nextcloud

Nextcloud (external link) really needs no introduction. For me, it’s a bit of a love-hate relationship. On one hand, it’s completely overpowered for simple file storage; on the other hand, it’s incredibly versatile and extensible with lots of small apps. I’ve tried several alternatives, but I always end up coming back to Nextcloud.

In myHomelab (external link) , I’m currently running the All-in-one installation, which has proven to be more stable than the usual Docker Compose or manual setups. To be honest, I mainly use Nextcloud for calendars and file syncing; I don’t run additional apps permanently at the moment.

8: Jellyfin

Jellyfin (external link) , the well-known media player. I’ve already written a separate post comparing it to Plex, the market leader. Personally, I’m very happy with Jellyfin – it does exactly what I need. And since there’s no cloud component, I don’t have to worry about hacks or data leaks.

Jellyfin runs as an LXC container on my Proxmox host. This allows me to use the iGPU of my thin client instead of a dedicated GPU for transcoding. However, I also make sure that all my media files are stored in a format that doesn’t require any transcoding in the first place.

7: FreshRSS

I’ve written aboutFreshRSS (external link) a few times before. It’s still the software for me when it comes to selfhosted RSS readers. FreshRSS aggregates all my feeds (which are a bit empty at the moment), but I don’t actually read them there. On my Apple devices, I use the Reeder app, which integrates flawlessly with my FreshRSS instance – as it always has.

6: Mealie

Anyone who enjoys cooking probably knows the struggle: recipes scattered everywhere, and modern recipe sites overloaded with ads and trackers. That’s why I rely onMealie (external link) – I collect all my favorite recipes there.

Mealie does an excellent job extracting recipe data from websites and presenting it in a clean, structured way. I often tweak steps and ingredients manually, but overall, it works great. As my collection grows, I’ve started organizing everything properly – otherwise, finding things becomes a mess over time.

Mealie runs as a Docker container using SQLite (no separate database). I’ve learned that smaller apps often don’t need a full-fledged database. Just make sure never to host SQLite databases on NFS shares – trust me on that one.

5: Immich

Immich (external link) is one of the rising stars in the selfhosted world. It’s a photo management app that just works incredibly well. Of course, like any complex software, it has the occasional hiccup, but the developer team fixes issues quickly. I chose Immich because more and more apps are integrating with it – allowing you to display albums or photos directly in other software.

One of my favorite features is “Memories” – similar to Facebook’s flashbacks (for those still on there). It shows photos taken on the same date in previous years, letting you revisit old moments – like the thousandth cat picture from two years ago.

Immich is important enough to me that it runs in its own VM, though still as a Docker container. That way, I have all data in one place, and backup or restoration is super simple using snapshots.

4: Adventure Log

Adventure Log (external link) was a lucky find on the r/selfhosted subreddit. The developer shared it there, and I’ve been a fan ever since.

It lets you plan and track your adventures (trips, vacations, etc.). You can now even import routes from Wanderer, though other import options are still missing. For people who love to travel, it’s a great tool.

Adventure Log also integrates nicely with Immich: you can link albums from your Immich instance directly to your travel entries and view them in context.

It’s currently the only app I run using Proxmox Helper Scripts, mainly because of its more complex setup. I might switch to the Docker version later, though.

3: Statistics for Strava

I started running regularly again a few months ago. I’ve been using Strava for years, andStatistics for Strava (external link) extends its standard functionality with additional analytics. The developer notes that, due to API restrictions, they can’t offer features that directly compete with Strava Premium.

Still, the app provides tons of useful data – personal records, heart rate analysis, and more. It originally focused on cycling but now supports many endurance sports.

The app runs as a Docker container, though you’ll need a separate cron job to import data and generate HTML reports.

2: Mastodon

Mastodon (external link) has been my main social network since Musk’s takeover of Twitter. Over the past few years, many new ActivityPub- and Fediverse-based apps have appeared, all of which integrate nicely with Mastodon. There are still some technical quirks (as I mentioned in aprevious post ), but overall, it’s been great.

Despite having an account on Bluesky, Mastodon remains my main platform. One of its downsides – which might also be an advantage – is that there are no algorithms. You don’t get suggestions or “people you might like,” which makes discovery harder but keeps the feed authentic.

I host Mastodon as a Docker container on my VPS, which also powers this blog. The containerized setup makes updating much easier.

1: Proxmox

The most important piece of software in my Homelab is definitelyProxmox (external link) . The virtualization platform keeps all my virtual machines running smoothly and has done so for years without major issues. Its built-in backup tools let me restore files or even just single configuration files when something goes wrong.

With that, my Top 10 list for this year is complete. As always, it wasn’t easy to decide which apps to include – there are plenty of smaller tools running in my setup that could easily have made the list too. But at some point, you have to draw a line. 😊

It’s fascinating to see how my Homelab has evolved over the years – and that brings me to the conclusion.

Conclusion – What’s Changed Since 2024

Comparing this year’s list to last year’s shows how much both my Homelab and my priorities have evolved. In 2024, many of my top picks were more “classic” infrastructure tools: Home Assistant, Paperless, Minio, EVCC – the backbone of any functional smart home or Homelab.

This year, the focus shifted slightly – away from automation and more toward tools that add fun and personal value. With apps like Wanderer, Adventure Log, and Statistics for Strava, several of my favorites are now tied to hobbies and everyday life. My Homelab isn’t just supposed to run efficiently anymore; it’s supposed to accompany me through daily routines – whether I’m hiking, cooking, or exercising.

Some old friends stayed on the list: Nextcloud, Immich, and Mastodon are still going strong. Others, like Home Assistant or Paperless-NGX, didn’t make the list this time – not because they’ve become worse, but because they’ve become invisible workhorses. They’re no longer highlights, but foundational parts of my setup.

Another interesting shift is that many of my 2025 favorites are more social. Through the Fediverse, shared photo albums, or activity feeds, my Homelab now connects me with others who share the same passions.

Who knows what 2026 will bring – maybe it’ll get more technical again, maybe not. But one thing’s for sure: life in the Homelab is never boring.

I’ve been onMastodon (external link) and in the ActivityPub universe ever since Elon Musk took over Twitter. The concept that there are many distributed servers in a social network really appeals to me. It’s, if you will, social networking rethought — decentralized, open, and community-driven. Most importantly, we avoid many of the built-in problems of the big mainstream networks, no matter which political direction one might lean toward.

My Journey in the Fediverse

From day one it was clear to me: if I’m active somewhere on the internet, it should be self-hosted. That meant I didn’t just want an account onmastodon.social (external link) orchaos.social (external link) , but full control of my own instance. I started with a Mastodon server on a Netcup VPS, using a classic (non-containerized) setup. Some time later I migrated that installation into Docker containers. Both versions ran without issues; updating is simply easier with containers.

Moving into the Homelab

A few months later, my KubernetesHomelab (external link) was finally stable — so what better time to move the Mastodon instance there? With a Cloudflare Tunnel, routing wasn’t a problem. That setup ran smoothly too. At some point I switched from the official Mastodon containers to the LinuxServer.io images — but functionally it made no real difference.

Switching to GoToSocial

A few weeks agoMatthias (external link) wrote about his experiment withGoToSocial (external link) . This software is essentially a lightweight alternative to Mastodon: written in Go, runs as a single binary. No Ruby, no external dependencies, no bloat. Perfect for small installations with just a few active accounts. GTS does not include its own frontend, so you need to rely on external apps (mobile or web) for UI.

Matthias shared some observations on performance and resource usageon his blog (external link) — pretty fascinating to read. So I spun up my own small GoToSocial instance. Configuration was very simple: download the binary, create a config file, start — done. And yes — it ran surprisingly stably. That said, it becomes clear fast that while GTS supports ActivityPub, interoperability is not yet on par with Mastodon.

Problem #1 – Wanderer and Silence in the Feed

ActivityPub — the protocol behind many Fediverse platforms — has gained traction in selfhosting communities lately, and I was excited when the appWanderer (external link) added support for it. The idea: share hiking routes, upload GPS tracks, and post them into the Fediverse. Fully federated via ActivityPub. I had to try it. Following from my GoToSocial instance was no problem. I imported a GPX route, then waited to see the post in my feed… nothing. After some fiddling I tried the same from a regular Mastodon account — and lo and behold, the hike showed up in the timeline. I reported the bug to the developer, but as of today nothing has changed. This clearly illustrates a point: ActivityPub is powerful but complex. Not every implementation “speaks” the same dialect, and small deviations can cause compatibility breaks.

Problem #2 – PeerTube and Follower Issues

Another area I explored was my old YouTube channel. I wanted to publish videos not only on YouTube, but also in the Fediverse.PeerTube (external link) is a good choice for a decentralized video platform: it works similarly to Mastodon, but for video content. Installation was fast, but configuration took work: roles, permissions, federation settings, and many tuning parameters. But once set, it was stable and the community is active. However: interoperability between PeerTube and GoToSocial is even more brittle. I could follow accounts or channels, but PeerTube didn’t handle the follow request properly. This bug was known — an issue on GitHub claimed it was fixed in version 7.2. I was already running 7.3 — and still hit the error. Again, when I tried from a Mastodon account everything worked flawlessly. I could list more minor quirks (incompatibilities, HTTP header oddities, federation timeouts, etc.), but that would be nitpicking.

Interim Conclusion — Small Tools, Big Hurdles

The bottom line: if you have minimal demands and just want to run a lean Fediverse account, GoToSocial is a great choice. It’s slim, resource efficient, and quite stable. But once you try to extend beyond the basics — integrating with PeerTube, Bookwyrm, Pixelfed, or Wanderer — you notice that many projects haven’t quite aligned yet. That’s understandable. Every one of these tools is developed by small teams or individuals, often in their spare time. There’s no big corporate oversight. That’s part of the charm of the Fediverse — and also the source of many small frustrations.

Final Thoughts

I can’t really judge who is “at fault” for these issues. Sure, Mastodon likely sets the de facto standard, and ultimately all these smaller projects are built and maintained by people doing it for passion, not profit. I just hope that over time things will converge and that all these platforms can talk cleanly to one another.