Why We Self-Host FreeScout, GlitchTip & Analytics on Hetzner Cloud

Relying on dozens of proprietary SaaS platforms adds subscription sprawl, vendor lock-in, and complex data processing supply chains under UK GDPR.

By self-hosting our helpdesk (FreeScout), error monitoring (GlitchTip), and analytics proxy on isolated Hetzner Cloud infrastructure in the UK and EU, we maintain total data sovereignty and slash operating costs.

1. The SaaS Rent Trap

SaaS tools charge per seat, per event, and per contact. For growing agencies, monthly tool subscriptions can easily exceed thousands of pounds per year for software that could be run reliably on a £15/month VPS.

2. Our Self-Hosted Stack

• FreeScout: Self-hosted PHP/Laravel helpdesk replacing Zendesk and Help Scout.
• GlitchTip: Open-source Sentry-compatible error tracker hosted at glitchtip.dimecorp.cloud.
• Plausible Proxy: Lightweight analytics proxy hosted on Cloudflare Workers and Hetzner.

Alongside these we run a handful of other internal tools on the same infrastructure, including invoicing and document signing. Same principle, same servers, and nothing worth a section of its own.

3. Privacy & Sovereignty Wins

When client enquiries and support requests remain on servers we control in the UK/EU, we don't transfer sensitive data to third-party US cloud providers. This simplifies our Privacy Policy and Data Processing Agreements tremendously.

4. Cost & Latency Breakdown

Our entire self-hosted stack runs on two high-performance VPS instances with automated off-site backups, delivering sub-30ms response times across the UK at less than 10% of equivalent SaaS subscription fees.