Self-hosted or cloud
That makes the choice unusually clean. You are not comparing feature lists. You are deciding who runs the server.
What is identical either way#
- The same application, from the same open-source repository.
- The same tracking apps for iOS and Android.
- The same map, heatmap, Fog of War, trips, visits, statistics and insights.
- The same imports and exports. Your data is yours and stays exportable on any plan.
- The same API.
What actually differs#
Who maintains the database
Self-hosted, that is you. Dawarich moved to PostGIS in 0.23.6, which meant replacing the database image, and PostgreSQL major upgrades come with their own procedure. None of it is hard. It is just yours to do, on a day you did not choose.
On cloud, that work is theirs.
Who keeps it reachable
Self-hosted means a reverse proxy or a Cloudflare tunnel, certificates that expire, and a home connection that has opinions about uptime. Your phone is uploading points the whole time, so an instance that is unreachable for a week is a week of history you have to hope the app buffered.
How long history is kept
Self-hosted, as long as your disk lasts. On cloud, the Lite plan keeps 12 months of searchable history while Pro and Family keep it unlimited. Check the pricing page for the current comparison.
API rate limits
Self-hosted, whatever your server tolerates. On cloud, the published limits are 200 requests per hour on Lite and 1,000 on Pro and Family, with full write access on Pro and above.
Cost
Self-hosted: zero to Dawarich, plus your hardware and your electricity, plus your time. Cloud: from €59.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Where the data sits
Self-hosted, wherever you put it. Cloud is hosted in Germany, and the privacy policy lists the processors involved.
A reasonable way to decide#
Keep self-hosting if maintaining a small Postgres and a reverse proxy is something you already do for other services, and one more container costs you nothing extra. The self-hosting guides are complete and the community is on Discord and GitHub Discussions.
Move to cloud when the maintenance has started to feel like a second job, or when the history you are protecting has become too valuable to sit on a single disk you keep meaning to back up.
You can change your mind in either direction. Exports work on every plan, and moving an existing self-hosted history into the cloud is a documented path.
Bring your existing history with you — the migration is seven steps and nothing is final for 14 days.