For Users — Tobias Eigen

The key insight

Open standards mean freedom of choice.

The email and collaboration software I set up uses open, standardised protocols — the same ones Gmail, iCloud, and Google Calendar are built on. This means any app that works with those services will work with your own server, simply pointed at a new address.

The protocols you benefit from — without needing to know any of this:

IMAP — email SMTP — sending mail CalDAV — calendars CardDAV — contacts WebDAV — files Open standards used across the internet

What this means in practice: when a migration is complete, you typically open your email client, changes the server address in Settings, and carry on. Your existing emails, contacts, and calendars are all there. The app feels the same — because it is the same app.

Email, calendar & contacts

Use the app you already use.

Any email client that supports IMAP will work with your self-hosted mail server. These are the clients we recommend and actively support — but your users are not limited to this list.

Microsoft Outlook

Windows · Mac · iOS · Android

The most widely used email client in organisations. Outlook connects to your mail server using standard IMAP for email and CalDAV/CardDAV for calendar and contacts. Configuration is straightforward — and your existing muscle memory carries straight over.

Widely used

Apple Mail & Calendar

Mac · iPhone · iPad

Built into every Apple device. Apple Mail handles email via IMAP; the Calendar and Contacts apps connect via CalDAV and CardDAV. For Apple-device users, this is the most seamless path — everything just works, configured with a server address and your credentials.

Built-in on Apple

Mozilla Thunderbird

Windows · Mac · Linux · Android

Our recommended go-to app. Thunderbird is open source, free, available on every major platform, and has a consistent interface across operating systems. This consistency allows everybody on a team to help each other.

Open source

Webmail in a browser

Any modern browser · any device

SOGo is a full-featured webmail interface accessible from any browser, anywhere, with no app to install. Useful for travel, shared computers, or users who prefer to work entirely in the browser. This is also where you manage your app passwords.

No install needed

Not on this list? If you're already using a different email program, the chances are good that it will work with your self-hosted server. Get in touch and we can confirm.

Files, collaboration & more

Familiar tools, sovereign infrastructure.

Nextcloud provides desktop and mobile apps that feel like the file sync tools you are already used to — but backed by a server you own.

🖥️

Desktop sync — Windows, Mac, Linux

The Nextcloud desktop app installs like Dropbox or Google Drive. It keeps a folder on your computer in sync with your server — upload a file there, and it appears for everyone with access. Works in the background, stays out of the way.
📱

Mobile app — iOS & Android

The Nextcloud mobile app lets users browse, upload, and share files; access their contacts and calendar; and connect to other Nextcloud features — all from their phone or tablet.
📹

Video calling — Nextcloud Talk

Nextcloud Talk is built-in video calling — accessible from the browser, the desktop app, and the mobile app. No account on an external service, no data going to Zoom or Google Meet. Works well for small teams; note that larger calls with many simultaneous participants benefit from a higher-spec server, which is worth planning for.
📝

Document editing in the browser

Nextcloud apps let you open and edit Word documents, spreadsheets, and presentations directly in the browser — similar to Google Docs or Microsoft Office Online, but on your own server. No separate install needed.
🗒️

Notes

The Nextcloud Notes app provides simple, Markdown-friendly note-taking, synced across devices via the desktop and mobile apps. A clean replacement for Google Keep or Apple Notes.
🔑

Nextcloud Passwords

A password manager that lives on your own server. Accessible in the browser, as a browser extension, and via a mobile app. I use this with my clients — it's a practical way to share credentials securely within a team, and to store your own passwords without relying on a third-party service like LastPass or 1Password.

For higher-stakes situations

When privacy is a matter of life and death: Signal.

Most day-to-day communication is well served by email and Nextcloud Talk. But for groups working with external stakeholders in sensitive contexts — journalists, activists, human rights defenders, or anyone with an elevated threat level — there is one additional tool worth knowing about.

🔵

Signal — End-to-end encrypted messaging and calls

Signal provides end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice calls, and video calls across any device. Unlike email, messages are encrypted in transit and at rest in a way that even Signal's servers cannot read. There is no server to self-host — Signal's infrastructure handles delivery while your content remains private.

Signal is not a replacement for email or Nextcloud Talk for everyday use. But for communications where confidentiality is critical — a source talking to a journalist, a team sharing sensitive documents across organisational boundaries — it's the right tool. Worth having installed and knowing how to use, even if you rarely need it.

Note: Signal requires a phone number to register, which is a limitation in some contexts. signal.org ↗

The bottom line

What changes — and what doesn't.

The summary for anyone wondering whether a migration will disrupt their workflow.

✅ What stays the same

📧 The email app you are already using
📅 How you send, receive, and schedule
📁 How you share and sync files
👤 Your email address and domain
📇 Your contacts and calendar events — migrated across
📨 Receiving email from anyone, anywhere
🌐 Accessing everything from any device

🔄 What changes

🏠 Where your data lives — on a server you control
⚙️ The server address in your email client settings
👁️ Who can read your data — only you
💰 Who you pay — your cloud provider directly, not Big Tech
🔓 Who owns your domain — you, permanently

During migration, both the old and new email accounts can run simultaneously. Users can take their time making the switch — there's no hard cutover that leaves anyone stranded. Once everyone is comfortable and all data is confirmed migrated, the old account can be closed.

You already know how to use this.