About Homelab on Budget

Hi, I’m the person behind Homelab on Budget. I study at Saxion University of Applied Sciences and I self-host my own services at home. I started this site because I kept seeing the same questions from people building their first budget homelab: which specs do I actually need, and what will the whole thing cost?

Why I started Homelab on Budget

When you search for homelab hardware, you mostly find manufacturer blogs pushing their own products and top 10 lists that don’t explain anything. Everyone says “it depends”, but nobody tells you what it depends on. And nobody puts the full setup together, so you only find out what it really costs at checkout.

So every guide here starts from what you want to run, like Immich, Jellyfin or Proxmox, and works back to the hardware you need. You get the reasoning, not just a product name, so you can use it for your own choices too.

How I recommend budget homelab hardware

I don’t own every mini PC I write about, and I won’t pretend I do. When I have run something myself, I say so. When I recommend something based on the spec sheet and the official documentation, I say that too, and I explain why it should work. I never accept free hardware or paid reviews.

I also don’t list fixed prices, because they change every week. Guides are sorted by budget level, and you can check the current price with one click.

How this site makes money

Homelab on Budget earns a small commission through the Amazon Associates program for new parts and the eBay Partner Network for refurbished hardware. You pay the same price. There are no display ads and no sponsored posts. Read the full affiliate disclosure.