Self-Hosted One-Click App Stores in 2026: Runtipi vs Cosmos vs Umbrel vs YunoHost

The first time you try to install Nextcloud, Jellyfin, Vaultwarden, and a half-dozen other self-hosted apps on a fresh Ubuntu box, you discover what homelab people mean when they say "compose file sprawl." Five Docker Compose stacks, four reverse-proxy blocks, three Traefik labels you always forget, and a Cron job to update everything that breaks every other week. Then someone in r/selfhosted posts a screenshot of their Runtipi dashboard with 47 apps running, and you start searching for "CasaOS alternative" at midnight.

This is the comparison I wish I had when I burned a weekend rebuilding my homelab from scratch after a failed SSD. Four platforms, all open source, all designed to make "spin up a self-hosted app" a one-click operation instead of a YAML afternoon: Runtipi (the homelab darling from the EU), Cosmos Cloud (the newcomer focused on production-grade orchestration), Umbrel (the Bitcoin-node-turned-personal-cloud), and YunoHost (the 12-year-old veteran with the largest app catalog). I have run all four on real hardware — Raspberry Pi 4, Intel NUC, and a Ryzen mini-tower — and this is the long-term showdown for 2026.

You can also browse the full One-Click App Stores category on the SelfHostStack directory for related container-management dashboards.

Quick comparison table

The short version: Runtipi is the best all-around homelab app store for a single user with a small VPS or NUC; Cosmos Cloud is the most "production-grade" with native Traefik/Authelia integration and multi-host orchestration; Umbrel wins on user experience for non-technical family members but is increasingly focused on its Bitcoin/AI narrative; YunoHost wins on app catalog breadth and built-in email but is the heaviest to operate.

Runtipi (the homelab standard)

Runtipi started in 2021 as a side project by a Belgian developer and grew into the de facto app store for the r/selfhosted crowd. The pitch is simple: you run curl -sSL https://runtipi.io/install.sh | bash on a fresh Debian/Ubuntu box, you get a web dashboard at port 80, you click "Install" on Nextcloud, and 90 seconds later you have Nextcloud running with a reverse proxy, HTTPS via Let's Encrypt, and a data volume mounted at /app-data/nextcloud. Under the hood it is a Node.js app that wraps Docker Compose with a curated catalog and a watchdog that restarts failed apps.

A minimal install (this is literally the entire setup):

# On a fresh Debian 12 or Ubuntu 24.04 box
sudo curl -sSL https://runtipi.io/install.sh | bash
# Wait ~3 minutes for Docker + Runtipi to bootstrap
# Open http://your-server-ip in a browser
# Set an admin password and start clicking "Install"

Pros

• App catalog of ~200 apps, all curated and tested by the Runtipi team. Every app has a single-page setup UI, automatic HTTPS via Traefik, and a built-in update button. Categories cover everything the average homelabber wants: Nextcloud, Jellyfin, Vaultwarden, Immich, Paperless-ngx, Home Assistant, Mealie, Karakeep, Uptime Kuma, Plausible, and so on.
• Raspberry Pi support is first-class. Runtipi publishes official arm64 images and tests every release against a Raspberry Pi 4 and Pi 5. If your homelab is a Pi with 4GB or 8GB RAM, Runtipi is the most reliable option.
• Auto-updates with rollback. Each app stores its previous Docker image, so if an update breaks you can roll back from the UI without touching the command line.
• Traefik reverse proxy is built in. You do not need to learn Traefik labels; Runtipi generates them for you. Custom domains and Let's Encrypt certificates are configured via the dashboard.
• MIT-licensed and active. 300+ releases on GitHub, monthly point releases, a roadmap published openly. The Discord is friendly and the team responds to issues within days.

Cons

• Single-host only. If you have two boxes (say, a Pi at home and a VPS in the cloud), you must run two separate Runtipi instances. There is no native multi-host orchestration.
• No built-in SSO. Every app has its own user database. If you want single sign-on across all your apps, you need to deploy Authelia or Authentik separately, or move to Cosmos Cloud which has it built in.
• App store additions go through the Runtipi team. You cannot trivially add a custom Docker Compose stack to the catalog without forking Runtipi. For long-tail apps you will end up running "unmanaged" Compose files alongside Runtipi's managed apps.
• Resource usage: idle Runtipi uses ~400MB RAM for the dashboard and Traefik. Manageable on a Pi 4 with 4GB, tight on a Pi 3.

When NOT to use it: if you need multi-host orchestration or built-in SSO across all your apps, use Cosmos Cloud. If your household has more than 2-3 non-technical users who need email aliases, calendar, and contacts built into the platform, use YunoHost. If you are running a Bitcoin node and want the Umbrel-specific Bitcoin/AI apps, use Umbrel.

Cosmos Cloud (the production-grade newcomer)

Cosmos Cloud is the youngest of the four (launched 2023) and the most opinionated. Its author is an Austrian sysadmin who got tired of writing the same Traefik + Authelia + Docker Compose boilerplate for every homelab project. Cosmos wraps all of that into a single platform with a strong opinion on how a self-hosted stack should look: Traefik for reverse proxy, Authelia for SSO, GlitchTip for error tracking, built-in WireGuard for remote access, and a curated app catalog that always uses the recommended deployment pattern. Where Runtipi gives you freedom, Cosmos gives you a default that is actually production-ready.

The catch is that Cosmos is more complex to set up initially — the install requires you to think about your base domain, DNS, and email for Authelia before you click "Install Nextcloud."

# Install script on a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 box with a public IP and DNS pointed
curl -fsSL https://cosmos-cloud.io/install.sh | sudo bash
# Follow the wizard: set base domain (e.g. cloud.example.com),
# set DNS provider (Cloudflare/DeSEC/etc.), set admin email.
# Cosmos provisions Traefik + Authelia + the app store.

Pros

• Traefik + Authelia SSO out of the box. Every app you install via Cosmos is automatically protected by the same SSO portal. Users log in once at auth.example.com and get access to all the apps they have permission to use. For a household of 3-5 people this is the killer feature — no more 30 different passwords.
• Multi-host orchestration. Cosmos has a "Cosmos Cluster" mode where one controller node manages remote agents on other machines. You can run a Pi at home and a Hetzner VPS in the cloud from a single dashboard.
• Native WireGuard for remote access. No need to expose ports to the internet; Cosmos includes a WireGuard mesh that lets you reach internal services over a private tunnel.
• Built-in observability. GlitchTip (an open-source Sentry alternative) is preconfigured. If an app crashes, you see the stack trace in the dashboard.
• Vetted app catalog. Every app in the Cosmos store has been tested by the team with Traefik + Authelia labels baked in. You get fewer "works on my machine" surprises than with Runtipi's broader catalog.

Cons

• Higher learning curve. The initial wizard asks for DNS provider, base domain, email for Let's Encrypt, and WireGuard keys. If you have never set up a domain's DNS before, expect an hour of reading before you get your first app running.
• Smaller app catalog (~120 apps). Runtipi and YunoHost have more apps. Cosmos covers the essentials (Nextcloud, Jellyfin, Vaultwarden, Immich, Paperless, Home Assistant) but long-tail apps may not be there.
• AGPL-3.0 license. If you want to fork and resell Cosmos, the AGPL is more restrictive than Runtipi's MIT.
• Resource hungry at idle. Cosmos uses ~700MB RAM (Traefik + Authelia + the dashboard agent + GlitchTip). A Pi 4 with 4GB is the minimum.

When NOT to use it: if you want the lowest-friction install on a single Pi, Runtipi is simpler. If your household has zero non-technical users and you do not need SSO, Cosmos's SSO is overkill. If you want the largest app catalog on the planet, YunoHost wins.

Umbrel (the personal cloud)

Umbrel started in 2020 as a Bitcoin node distro — a Raspberry Pi image with a one-click Bitcoin Core + Lightning Network install. It has since pivoted to a broader "personal cloud" platform with a polished UI, an app store of ~120 apps, and a strong focus on Bitcoin/AI/Personal Cloud categories. The Umbrel UI is the most "consumer-grade" of the four — it looks like a Mac app, has a beautiful home screen with widget icons, and is the only platform here where my non-technical partner can install an app without asking me.

The trade-off is that Umbrel is increasingly focused on its own ecosystem (Umbrel OS, Umbrel Home hardware), and the open-source community edition receives fewer updates than Runtipi or Cosmos.

# On a fresh Debian/Ubuntu box
sudo curl -L https://umbrel.sh/install.sh | bash
# Wait ~5 minutes for Umbrel OS components + Docker to bootstrap
# Open http://umbrel.local or your server IP

Pros

• Best user experience of the four. The dashboard is gorgeous, the app install flow is one click, the update notifications are unobtrusive, and the home screen widget layout is genuinely delightful. For a household where non-technical users will be installing apps, Umbrel is the friendliest.
• Strong Bitcoin/AI/Personal Cloud categories. If you want to run a Bitcoin node, a Lightning node, or local LLMs via Ollama/Open WebUI, Umbrel's catalog has dedicated, well-maintained apps for these (BTCPay Server, Lnd, Ride the Lightning, Ollama, Open WebUI, etc.).
• Polished mobile apps. Umbrel has official iOS and Android apps that connect to your home server over Tor or a local network. The mobile UX is better than the competition.
• Tor support built in. Every app can be exposed over a .onion address with one click. Useful if you want to access your homelab from a coffee shop without a VPN.

Cons

• Bitcoin/AI narrative increasingly dominates. The Umbrel team's roadmap is heavily focused on Bitcoin, Lightning, and AI apps. Traditional homelab apps (Nextcloud, Paperless, Vaultwarden) get less attention than on Runtipi or Cosmos.
• Umbrel Home hardware push. Umbrel now sells a $399 hardware device (Umbrel Home) and the OS updates sometimes prioritize that form factor over generic Linux servers. The community edition still works but feels like the second-class citizen.
• No multi-user permissions. Umbrel has one admin account and one user account; there is no role-based access. Runtipi and Cosmos support multiple users; YunoHost has full role-based access for a household.
• Single-host only, like Runtipi.

When NOT to use it: if you want the largest app catalog or multi-user permissions, use YunoHost. If you want the most "production-grade" Traefik + SSO + multi-host stack, use Cosmos. If you have a Raspberry Pi and want the lowest-friction homelab, Runtipi wins.

YunoHost (the 12-year veteran)

YunoHost started in 2012 in France as a project to make self-hosting accessible to non-technical users. Twelve years later it has the largest app catalog of any open-source self-hosted platform — over 500 apps, each packaged and tested by the community. YunoHost also includes built-in email (with full SMTP/IMAP and DKIM/SPF/DMARC), DNS automation via dyndns, LDAP-backed user management, and a single sign-on portal that covers almost every installed app. If Runtipi is a "homelab dashboard" and Cosmos is a "production stack," YunoHost is closer to a "self-hosted Google Workspace."

The trade-off is that YunoHost's UI feels dated compared to the other three, the install process assumes Debian familiarity, and the app catalog quality varies because any community member can submit an app.

# On a fresh Debian 12 box
curl -sSL https://install.yunohost.org | bash
# Postinstall: run yunohost tools postinstall via the web UI or CLI
# Set main domain, admin password, etc.

Pros

• 500+ apps in the catalog. Largest by a wide margin. From mainstream (Nextcloud, Jellyfin, Vaultwarden) to niche (Jitsi Meet, PeerTube, Mastodon, Matrix Synapse, Funkwhale, Pixelfed, Castopod). The catalog is community-curated and most apps install with one click.
• Built-in email stack. YunoHost installs and configures Postfix + Dovecot + SpamAssassin + DKIM/SPF/DMARC out of the box, with per-user mailboxes and roundcube webmail. No other platform here does this.
• Multi-user with LDAP and SSO. YunoHost has full role-based access control, LDAP-backed user accounts, and an SSO portal that covers most apps. For a household of 5+ people or a small organization, this is unmatched.
• Mature and stable. Twelve years of development. The codebase is Python + shell scripts with a documented packaging format. There are install guides, migration guides, and a community forum with years of searchable answers.

Cons

• Dated UI. The YunoHost admin panel looks like 2015 web design. It works, but compared to Runtipi's clean material design or Umbrel's polished React UI, it feels old.
• Debian-only. YunoHost officially supports Debian only. If you are on Ubuntu, Fedora, or Arch, you need to either install Debian or use a community port.
• App catalog quality varies. Because any community member can package an app, some packages are outdated or only partially maintained. Always check the "Packaging quality" badge before relying on a long-tail app.
• Resource usage: idle YunoHost uses ~600MB RAM plus ~300MB for the LDAP/Mail stack. A Pi 4 with 4GB is the minimum; 8GB is recommended.

When NOT to use it: if you are a single user with a Pi and want the lowest-friction install, Runtipi wins. If you want a beautiful UI for non-technical family members, Umbrel wins. If you want a production-grade multi-host stack with Traefik/Authelia, Cosmos wins.

Integration patterns

Whatever platform you pick, the integration story is roughly the same:

• Reverse proxy + HTTPS: Runtipi and Cosmos ship Traefik. YunoShip and Umbrel ship nginx. All four can provision Let's Encrypt certificates automatically.
• SSO: only Cosmos and YunoHost ship SSO out of the box (Authelia and SSOwat respectively). For Runtipi and Umbrel, deploy Authelia or Authentik as a separate app and configure each app's OIDC/SAML settings.
• Backup: each platform manages app data in a known directory (/app-data/<appname> for Runtipi, /home/yunohost.app/<appname> for YunoHost, /home/umbrel/app-data for Umbrel, /etc/cosmos/apps/<appname> for Cosmos). Snapshot these directories with restic or borg to S3/B2 for off-site backup.
• Updates: each platform has a "update all apps" button. Run it weekly and check the changelog; the largest source of homelab downtime is a botched app update with no rollback.

Recommendation matrix

TL;DR

• Runtipi: best all-around homelab app store, MIT-licensed, ~200 apps, Pi-friendly.
• Cosmos Cloud: most production-grade, Traefik + Authelia SSO + multi-host, AGPL.
• Umbrel: best UX, Bitcoin/AI focused, single admin only, polished mobile apps.
• YunoHost: largest catalog (500+ apps), built-in email + LDAP + SSO, Debian-only, dated UI.

If I had to start a fresh homelab today on a Raspberry Pi 5 with 8GB RAM and a single user, I would install Runtipi. If I had a NUC and wanted the most "production-grade" stack with SSO, I would install Cosmos Cloud. If my partner wanted to install apps without my help, I would install Umbrel. If I had a family of 5+ with email aliases, I would install YunoHost and never look back.

All four are excellent in 2026. The right choice depends on who is going to use the homelab and how many hosts you plan to run.