When it comes to Docker containers, the most popular or readily available options aren’t always the most efficient or feature-rich. While Docker undeniably offers excellent value, certain containerized solutions proved to be more time-consuming to configure or ultimately lacked the necessary features I required in my workflow. In several instances, exploring both open-source and even some carefully chosen closed-source alternatives proved to be more effective than their Dockerized counterparts.

7 Firefly III: HomeBank is better

When I first explored personal finance management through containerization, Firefly III emerged as a popular open-source option. Although it boasts a comprehensive set of features for tracking income, expenses, and budgets, its user interface felt less intuitive to me.

In contrast, HomeBank felt like a breath of fresh air. It has a robust UI with better iconography. Its native application provided a straightforward installation process on all my devices (though containerization is possible). One of the key areas where HomeBank did the job for me was in its budgeting options. While Firefly III offers budgeting tools, I found HomeBank's approach to be more flexible and visually clear.

Setting up budgets for different categories and tracking progress against them felt more direct. HomeBank's reporting features also provided the insights I needed in a format that was easy to understand at a glance.

6 Eigenfocus: Try AppFlowy instead

Eigenfocus is an all-in-one project management app. Setting up the Eigenfocus container itself wasn't overly complex, but the initial configuration and understanding its specific workflow took me a while. While it’s ideal for managing personal projects, I wanted a flexible solution where I can tackle everything in a single place.

Here is where I came across AppFlowy. It’s a robust platform for managing personal and complex projects. AppFlowy offers a flexible block editor with a slash command. That means I can add project notes, client feedback, embed wireframes, and more right on a page. The mobile app experience is also better on AppFlowy.

5 Vaultwarden: Just use the official Bitwarden

While the self-hosted nature of Vaultwarden as a Docker container is appealing, I prefer the official Bitwarden client and ecosystem. One of the primary aspects where Bitwarden shines is its polished and consistently updated user interface across all platforms.

Another crucial element is the reliability and access to the full suite of Bitwarden's features. While Vaultwarden aims to be a lightweight with better efficiency, certain advanced features or newer functionalities sometimes take time to be implemented.

4 Docmost: Use Notion for better convenience

This one was an easy choice. Docmost installation via Docker took me a while. The official documentation seemed confusing. But the biggest issue was the lack of useful features. Notion is way better when it comes to databases. It also has robust support for third-party apps where I can embed content from different services.

Notion has a robust templates library, and has a versatile nature where I can use it as a subscription tracker, digital journal, life planner, and even study planner. Unlike Docmost, Notion supports automation, where I can connect different services like Slack to receive alerts in real-time. Notion’s synced blocks is another I missed when using Docmost. Here, I can copy and paste my blocks across different pages and when I make a tweak in a specific block, the change appears across all the pages.

3 ownCloud: I prefer Nextcloud

Having experimented with both ownCloud and Nextcloud as self-hosted cloud solutions, I've ultimately settled on Nextcloud as my preferred platform. Over time, Nextcloud has consistently shown a more rapid development cycle than ownCloud.

For example, the recent v10 update brings a brand-new dashboard on the web with widgets. It’s quite intuitive and seamless to use. Even the Nextcloud mobile apps are better than ownCloud. For example, the Nextcloud Android app supports Material You theme while the ownCloud version gives me an ancient vibe.

2 Penpot: Figma fits better in my workflow

While the idea of a self-hosted, open-source design tool like Penpot running in a Docker container is appealing for privacy reasons, my experience has led me to consistently prefer Figma for my design workflow.

One of the most significant advantages of Figma is its mature and highly polished user interface. Figma's UI feels incredibly intuitive and fluid, and allows me to focus on the design process without getting bogged down. Collaboration is another area where Figma truly excels. Its real-time collaborative features are incredibly robust and seamless. Multiple designers can work on the same file simultaneously without any lag or conflicts.

1 Photoprism: Have you heard of Immich?

I have ditched the Photoprism Docker container in favor of Immich. Here’s why. Firstly, the user experience with Immich feels significantly more modern and intuitive. The interface is clean, supports Material You on Android, navigation is straightforward, and it genuinely reminds me of using Google Photos, which was a big plus for me. In comparison, Photoprism feels a bit more utilitarian.

Immich's AI-powered features, particularly face detection and object recognition, have impressed me. I spent considerably less time merging faces in Immich compared to Photoprism, and the search capabilities are quite accurate (although not as good as Google Photos, which is expected).

Learning the hard way

Docker has a vast ecosystem. However, not every container is worth exploring or configuring. Some of them are complex and simply lack the features that I require in my workflow. As of now, I have replaced them with the above-mentioned options.

The lesson learned is clear: Get out of your comfort zone, don't be afraid to look beyond the obvious, and embrace the alternatives with open hands. If you have a NAS, check out these life-changing containers to host on it.