My $30/month cloud storage stack
I used to pay $290/year for Dropbox + Google Drive + OneDrive. In 2026 I switched to self-hosting, and now I pay $30/month for the server. Same amount of storage (more, actually), full control, no subscription traps.
This article breaks down what I pay for and what I save.
What I was paying before (2022-2025)
| Service | Plan | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Dropbox | Plus 2TB | $120/year |
| Google Drive | 2TB | $100/year |
| OneDrive | 1TB | $70/year |
| Total | 5TB | $290/year |
What I got: 5TB of total storage across three providers. Files mostly sat in one of them; I used the others as backups or for sharing with specific people.
What I pay now (2026)
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| Hetzner dedicated server (AX41-NVMe) | $30/month |
| Backblaze B2 cold storage (4TB backup) | $24/month |
| ScsDriver lifetime (one-time) | $5.5 |
| Domain name | $1/month |
| Total monthly | $55/month |
| Total year 1 | $665 |
| Total year 2+ | $660/year |
That's more expensive than the $290/year I was paying for 5TB.
But: I have 4TB primary + 4TB cold backup = 8TB usable, expandable to 10TB+ by adding disks. The Hetzner box is mine; I can do anything on it (Nextcloud, MinIO, Plex, etc.). And I have no subscription traps.
The honest math
For 5TB or less, paying for Dropbox + Google Drive is cheaper. For 10TB+, self-hosting wins on cost-per-TB and total control.
If your data is "moderate" (under 5TB), self-hosting doesn't save money — you trade subscriptions for fixed cost. If your data is growing fast (videos, photos, backups), self-hosting becomes a no-brainer past 10TB.
What's actually cheaper
- Under 2TB: Dropbox Basic ($0 - 2GB) or Google Drive free (15GB). Don't pay.
- 2-5TB: OneDrive 1TB ($70/year) + iCloud 2TB ($30/year) = $100/year. Hard to beat.
- 5-10TB: Self-hosting starts to win. Or pay for OneDrive 6TB ($100/year) if you don't want the operational burden.
- 10TB+: Self-hosting is the only cost-effective answer.
What I save
- $290/year in subscriptions → $660/year in self-hosting = I pay more, but I get more.
- Net: I pay $370/year more, but I have 3x the storage, full control, and a server I can use for other things.
If you don't need a server for other things, just pay for the cloud storage and skip self-hosting.
What I don't save
- Time. Self-hosting takes time to set up, monitor, and fix.
- Complexity. I'm now a sysadmin for my own server.
- Risk. Hardware failure, network outages, security patches — all my problem.
What I gain
- $0 egress fees (Nextcloud self-hosted)
- Unlimited storage (just buy disks)
- No "we suspended your account" surprises
- No "we changed our pricing" surprises
- Full control over my data
Verdict
Self-hosting isn't a cost optimization. It's a control / privacy / flexibility decision. The cost is comparable or higher for small data sets, lower for large data sets, and roughly equal in the middle.
ScsDriver at $5.5 lifetime (was $9.99) is the cheapest way to make the self-hosted storage feel like a local drive. For users in mainland China, the package is sold at CN ¥20 lifetime (separate pricing region).
Pricing recap (overseas)
- $1.5 monthly
- $5.5 yearly
- $5.5 lifetime (was $9.99)
For users in mainland China, the package is sold at CN ¥20 lifetime (separate pricing region).
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