Looking for the best way to put that old Raspberry Pi to good use? Why not install one of the following open-source projects and use it to save money? Ditch a premium service you’re already paying for or use one of these tools to improve your finances today.
Monitor for price drops with Change Detection
Credit: Change Detection
Change Detection is a service that monitors websites for changes, with a whole host of uses. You could use it to tell when a list has been updated, when a product is back in stock, or when a price change occurs that signals now is a good time to buy. It’s that last one we’re most interested in today.
Though Change Detection offers a hosted service you can pay for, it’s also possible to set up the service locally on a Raspberry Pi or other local server. The easiest way to go is to use the Docker container, after which you can visit 127.0.0.1:5000 on your Pi to set everything up.
Jellyfin is a must-have media streaming solution that handles movies, TV shows, music, live TV, books, and photos across a vast range of platforms. By setting up a server on your Raspberry Pi and pointing Jellyfin at your local media, you can watch and listen using official Jellyfin client apps or good old-fashioned UPnP streaming.
Unlike Plex, Jellyfin doesn’t gate any functionality behind a paywall. That means you can use the mobile apps and use hardware transcoding (where available, support is limited on the Pi) without paying a cent. Though you can install Jellyfin natively on a Pi, the easiest option is to use a container image.
Host your own music streaming server
Have a local music collection and fed up with paying monthly for a streaming service? Maybe you’re happy paying for one service, but find yourself looking at another to fill in the gaps? Try hosting your own streaming service and using that instead of (or in addition to) your existing service.
Navidrome, an open-source Spotify-clone, has long been one of the go-to solutions for this. It has a range of client apps available and a rock-solid web interface for other devices. Grab the container image from GitHub and throw it in a container, then head to 127.0.0.1:4533 on your Pi to set things up.
There are other options, too. mStream is one such music-focused project that has official mobile apps available that streamlines the process of listening from anywhere. Lightweight Music Server is another example of keeping things light on a web interface, if that’s all you’re interested in.
Store your photos and videos safely with immich
Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek
Google and Apple know just how important your photo and video library is to you. That’s why they heavily emphasize backing with a cloud subscription. I’m personally on the hook for iCloud every month, but if I could start again from scratch, I’d give a self-hosted solution like immich a shot.
The project lets you ditch Google Photos and similar services for a self-hosted alternative. The software runs just fine on a Raspberry Pi thanks to a Docker container, though be aware that the machine learning elements will likely feel a bit sluggish on such limited hardware.
Google Photos refugees can use the Immich-Go plugin with a Google Takeout download to quickly import a collection.
Cross-platform cloud storage with NextCloud
Credit: Jordan Gloor / How-To Geek
NextCloud All-in-One is enterprise-grade software that also happens to be open-source and free to use if you host it yourself. Though there is an official Docker image and installation guide, Raspberry Pi users should use the NextCloudPi release, which is specially designed for the ARM-based single board computer and similar machines.
With NextCloud installed, you’ll get your own personal cloud storage server and a self-hosted communication tool to handle text chat, audio or video calls, and screen-sharing needs.
Make cheap cloud backups with Duplicati
Backup services like IDrive and Backblaze serve a purpose, but they come at a premium. Ultimately, they’re hosting on relatively cheap cloud storage that you could access for less if you pay for the space directly. With Duplicati running in a Docker container, that’s exactly what you can do.
This free and open-source self-hosted app lets you create encrypted, incremental backups and host them almost anywhere, including cloud storage providers like Google Drive and Dropbox, your own private FTP and SFTP servers, bulk storage providers like Amazon S3, and many more.
Download the ARM64 Debian binary or just host Duplicati in a Docker image and save money on premium backup solutions.
How do you know that you’re actually getting the internet speed that you’re paying for? Sure, you can run a few speed tests, but this doesn’t give you the full picture.
Install Internet Pi and monitor your internet speed so that you know for sure. If you’re only getting half the advertised speed, as How-To Geek writer Nick Lewis discovered, you can decide whether or not to drop your plan to a lower tier (saving money) or complain loudly until you see an improvement. Either way, it’s a win-win.
Track subscriptions with Wallos
If you’ve watched a YouTube video in the last few years, you’ve likely seen adverts and sponsored segments from companies that promise to save you money by helping you get your subscriptions under control. The catch is that these services aren’t free, but Wallos is.
Running in a Docker container, Wallos helps avoid nasty surprises by notifying you when a charge is going out and giving you a chance to cancel it beforehand. The service also offers solutions based on your situation, like rotating paid subscriptions on a regular basis.
Create a budget and stick to it
Credit: Actual Budget
If you actually want to save money, you’re going to have to create a budget. The only way to get an accurate picture of your finances is to log your incomings and outgoings, otherwise you’re relying on vibes and guesswork. This can be hard to do accurately with multiple accounts, cards, and payment types.
Thankfully, we have not one but four budgeting tools that you can self-host on a Raspberry Pi and access easily using a web browser. Actual Budget is a Node.JS-based personal finance tool that emphasizes basic features and simplicity above all else. It has a handy fresh start guide, and you can run it in a Docker image.
Firefly III describes itself as a personal finance manager, with support for recurring transactions and rule-based handling. It uses a double-entry bookkeeping system and has some neat ways to visualize saving. It too can run in a Docker image on your Raspberry Pi.
I Hate Money is a web-based budget management app that is designed for shared budgets. It’s ideal for sharing a household budget or planning for an event, with a Docker container available. For an alternative, trySpliit for managing shared expenses. It can be self-hosted using Docker, or you can create a group for free on the website.
Ditch pricey project management software with Focalboard
Credit: Focalboard
We use Asana to track projects here at How-To Geek, and I’m a big fan. In the past, I’ve used Trello for a similar purpose, which I also enjoyed. Though these tools are essential in the modern age, they can be expensive with severe limitations on the free tiers. I personally couldn’t justify subscribing to either for my personal projects, which is where Focalboard comes in.
The project bills itself as an alternative to Asana, Trello, and even Notion. It gives you complete control over your data, since you’ll be self-hosting it, and by self-hosting, you can set up a multi-user server for your next project that won’t break the bank (and you won’t have to live with annoying restrictions). Run it in Docker or compile the ARM64 Linux version from source, and away you go.
Looking for more things to do with your Raspberry Pi? Check out some more in-depth projects that take a lot more time.
