10/15/2026
Free software, real decisions. Ask these before you commit either way.
1. Who patches the server in November? If there's a name, self-hosting works. If there's a pause, it doesn't.
2. What does an hour of your technical person's time cost? Multiply by four hours a month, then by twelve. Compare that number to a hosting fee.
3. What happens if that person leaves? Institutional memory is infrastructure. A platform only one volunteer understands is a risk wearing a saving's clothes.
Answer honestly and the decision usually makes itself. We built both options because both answers are legitimate.
Community Edition free and self-hosted, or managed from $99 a month.