money-home
Strava logo→

Should I self-host Strava?

NOT REALLYkeep paying

FitTrackee logs your runs beautifully. But Strava at $11.67/mo isn't a GPS log — it's the feed, segments, and the fact that your friends are on it. The network is the product (same pattern as Spotify's catalog), and a self-hosted feed of one is just a diary.

The math (nothing hidden, including your time)

Strava (Family)$11.67/mo
VPS share + storage−$0.30/mo
Your maintenance: 15 min/mo at $20/h−$5.00/mo
Net saving$6.37/mo
Setup: 15 min measured (one-time)$5.00
Break-even0.8 months
Markup Index (price ÷ real self-host cost)2.2×

Price: source, checked 2026-08-06. Inputs are stored in git; every number above is derived, never hand-written.

What you lose

  • Segments, kudos, and everyone you ride with

What you're paying Strava for

  • GPS activity tracking
  • segments & leaderboards
  • social feed
  • training log
FitTrackee running from the boot-verified compose file
FitTrackee, running from the compose file on this page — screenshot from our verified instance, not marketing material.

Ranked alternatives

1. FitTrackee

A training log on your own server: your .gpx and .fit files, on a map, with the statistics and none of the leaderboard.

SamR1/FitTrackee · ★ 1,150 · last commit 8d ago · AGPL-3.0

Hardware

Runs comfortably on Raspberry Pi.

Verification

Protocol v1 · verified by zernonia on 2026-08-10 · setup measured at 15 min · AI assistant: claude-code (allowed & stated)

Full timed log
# Strava — verdict log

- **Date:** 2026-08-10
- **Verdict:** NOT REALLY — keep paying
- **Protocol:** v1 (2GB reference env, Docker preinstalled, AI assistant: claude-code)

## Why no compose file

- This verdict is decided by economics/capability, not setup effort — the rubric doesn't require a timed install to conclude the subscription should stay (or that the replacement's cost lives elsewhere, e.g. GPUs, egress, or an installer script).

## The call

FitTrackee logs your runs beautifully. But Strava at $11.67/mo isn't a GPS log — it's the feed, segments, and the fact that your friends are on it. The network is the product (same pattern as Spotify's catalog), and a self-hosted feed of one is just a diary.

Verdict history

  • 2026-08-10: unscored → NOT_REALLY — Initial verdict: FitTrackee logs your runs beautifully.