How HomeFree fits in the landscape
There are great projects in each adjacent space. None of them do the whole stack — router, applications, identity, backups — as one declarative box. Here's an honest walkthrough.
HomeFree aims to do all of the following out of the box, without heavy lifting:
- Router and gateway
- Firewall
- Wireless access point
- Ad-blocking DNS
- Dynamic DNS
- Reverse proxy with automatic HTTPS
- Full curated application suite
- Single sign-on across every app
- NAS / file storage
- Off-site encrypted backups
At a glance
| HomeFree | Cosmos | YunoHost | Umbrel | Runtipi | Start9 | Cloudron | TrueNAS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Router / firewall | Built in | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| One sign-in across apps | Built in | Built in | Built in | — | — | — | Built in | Per app |
| Auto HTTPS + DDNS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Cloudflared | HTTPS only | Tor / clearnet | Yes | HTTPS only |
| Curated app catalog | Curated | 250+ | 500+ | ~100 | 200+ | ~80 | 120+ | Charts |
| Declarative config | NixOS | — | Hooks | — | — | — | — | — |
| Encrypted backups | Restic + S3 | Plugin | Per app | — | — | Built in | Built in | Snapshots |
| License / cost | Open source | Open core | Open source | Open source | Open source | Open source | €15/mo+ | Open source |
Routers (OPNsense / pfSense)
OPNsense (25.x on FreeBSD 14) and pfSense (CE 2.7.x, with pfSense Plus now locked to Netgate hardware) are the heavyweights of open-source routing — firewall, IDS, ad-blocking, VPNs, the works. Decidedly technical, and not built to host user-facing applications. Pair them with a separate NAS and app server and you're back to gluing things together.
Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro Max
Ubiquiti's UniFi cloud gateways — UDM Pro Max ($599) for SMB, the new UDM Beast ($1,499) above it — are the corporate, polished version of the same router idea. Closed source, best with Ubiquiti hardware end to end, and still not an application host.
Synology
Synology started as NAS and now runs apps via Container Manager (renamed from Docker in DSM 7.3). The hardware is light on CPU and RAM, the OS is closed source, and it's not built for WAN-facing app hosting. Solid file box, weak app server.
TrueNAS (Goldeye)
TrueNAS 25.10 "Goldeye" is the current open-source NAS. Apps moved from Kubernetes to Docker in 24.10, making them easier to run. TrueNAS is not a router and would need heavy additional configuration to act as one. HexOS sits on top of TrueNAS as a managed front-end with a paid SaaS control plane — friendlier UI, same fundamental shape.
Cosmos Cloud
Cosmos is the closest direct overlap with HomeFree's positioning: 250+ apps, built-in reverse proxy with auto-HTTPS, built-in SSO and MFA, and anti-bot/DDoS. It's a single Linux host though — no router, no firewall, no LAN-level functionality — and the configuration model is an imperative web UI rather than declarative files. Strong choice if you already have networking handled separately.
YunoHost
YunoHost (v12.x) is a Debian-based self-hosting OS with 500+ packaged apps and a unified login via SSOwat. Not a router. Configuration is per-app hook scripts rather than a single declarative source. The closest competitor for the "preconfigured-apps-behind-one-login" goal.
Umbrel
Umbrel began as a Bitcoin-node OS and has pivoted to a broader "home cloud + AI agents" pitch (with Ollama, OpenWebUI, and similar prominently featured). App store is well-curated and the UX is excellent. No router, no built-in SSO across apps, and public access is mostly handled by piping things through Cloudflare Tunnels.
Runtipi
Runtipi is the cleanest active Docker-app-launcher project — clear UI, 200+ vetted apps, one-click installs. CasaOS (a similar project from the IceWhale / ZimaOS team) is in maintenance mode; Runtipi has picked up that mantle. Single Linux host, no router, no platform SSO across apps.
Start9 / StartOS
Start9 sells a curated personal-server appliance (Server One) running StartOS, originally Bitcoin-sovereignty focused and broadening from there. One-click app installs with strong onion-routing defaults. No router, no declarative config, and the cultural framing leans heavily Bitcoin-native.
Cloudron
Cloudron is the closest commercial analog: managed updates, automatic HTTPS, SSO, 120+ apps, encrypted backups — all polished. The license is €15/month+ per server and the platform doesn't include router or firewall functionality (it's BYO Linux host).
Nextcloud
Nextcloud is a heavy web platform with a deep app ecosystem — HomeFree includes it as one of its services, not as an alternative. Nextcloud apps are excellent at what they do but bound to the Nextcloud ecosystem; HomeFree pairs Nextcloud with a wider catalog of peer applications outside that ecosystem.
The short version
HomeFree's contribution isn't a new app — it's the wiring. Router + apps + identity + backups, configured together, on hardware you own, declared in a single config file. The other projects in this list do great work in their slice; HomeFree's bet is that the slice should be the whole pie.