Tools I Actually Use
Everything listed here is running in my homelab right now or is something I actively recommend. No fluff, no tools I haven't touched.
Personal media server. Stream your own movies, TV, and music from anywhere. The backbone of my media setup.
Free + paid passAutomatic TV show management. Monitors, grabs, and organizes episodes into your library automatically.
FreeSame as Sonarr but for movies. Set it and forget it — movies get grabbed and organized automatically.
FreeAutomatic music collection management. Monitors artists and grabs new releases in your preferred format.
FreeSelf-hosted music streaming frontend that connects to your Lidarr library. Clean UI for browsing and playing your collection.
FreeUsenet download client. Works alongside Sonarr and Radarr to handle the actual downloading.
FreeRequest management for Plex. Let friends and family request movies and shows through a clean interface.
FreePlex monitoring and analytics. See who's watching what, track history, and get notifications.
FreeDNS, tunnels, Zero Trust access, and DDoS protection. I use it for everything domain-related on this site and in my homelab.
Free tierAffordable VPS hosting. My Matrix, Jitsi, and TeamSpeak stack runs on a RackNerd VPS. Great value for the price.
PaidWeb UI for managing Docker containers, stacks, images, and volumes. Makes running a homelab significantly less painful.
Free community editionHomelab dashboard that brings all your services together in one place. Clean, customizable, and self-hosted.
Free