SELF-HOST OR SUBSCRIBE? A CHECKLIST (Beeznez Tech)

1. Write down the monthly subscription price at your real usage, not the free tier.
2. Price the server: plan, backups (add about 20%) and the domain.
3. Estimate upkeep hours per month (updates, restarts, checking backups) and value them at your hourly rate.
4. Add the one-time setup hours.
5. Read the licence for your use: internal use is not the same as selling it to clients.
6. Check the minimum hardware in the official docs, then add headroom.
7. Decide who fixes it when it breaks, and how long you can live with downtime.
8. Test restoring a backup before you rely on it.
9. Check the security basics: updates, firewall, HTTPS and no default passwords.
10. Re-run the numbers after three months using the hours you really spent.

Calculators and more: https://beeznez.com/ai-resource/