How it works
From curious to confident in under 10 minutes
A typical self-hosted tool evaluation involves setting up a server, installing Docker, configuring DNS, sorting out TLS, and reading documentation before you even see the UI. We compress all of that into a provisioning pipeline.
The process
Five steps, most of which we handle
You pick a tool from the directory
Each tool page gives you a clear, honest answer to whether this tool fits your use case. Read the audience summary, the problems it solves, and the setup-difficulty note before committing to a trial.
We deliberately keep the directory small and curated. Every listed tool has been vetted for genuine self-hostability, active maintenance, and meaningful use cases. You won't find vaporware or unmaintained projects here.
We provision your instance
After checkout, our provisioning pipeline creates a fresh, isolated VPS on Hetzner infrastructure, installs the tool with its full dependency stack, configures HTTPS via Let's Encrypt, and assigns a private subdomain.
Provisioning typically completes in 3–8 minutes. You'll get an email when your instance is ready. The whole process — from payment to live URL — happens without you touching a terminal.
You get admin access via a private URL
Your trial URL is unique to you. You get full admin-level access to the tool — not a demo account, not read-only access. This is the real software, fully configured.
If the tool supports multi-user workflows, you can create additional accounts and invite teammates to evaluate collaboratively. The 5-day trial clock starts from when your instance is provisioned.
Evaluate with real workloads
Use the tool for actual work. Import your data, configure your settings, stress-test the features that matter. You're not in a sandbox with artificial limits — you're on live infrastructure.
The best evaluations use real documents, real teammates, and real workflows. If the tool isn't right for you after 5 days, you'll know — not because a demo showed you the happy path, but because you hit the actual edges.
Export your data before expiry
At 48h and 24h before your trial expires, we'll send reminder emails. Use the tool’s documented export, backup, or configuration-copy path to take important data with you.
If you decide to self-host, we provide a detailed migration guide to get you running on your own infrastructure. Your $5 trial fee converts to a credit toward setup support or extended managed hosting.
Under the hood
The technical stack behind every trial
We use proven, production-grade infrastructure. Nothing exotic, nothing untested.
Infrastructure: Hetzner Cloud
We use Hetzner CX11 and CX21 instances — European data centers, ISO 27001 certified, and a fraction of the cost of AWS. Each trial gets its own server.
TLS: Let's Encrypt
HTTPS is configured automatically on every instance. Your trial URL is served over TLS from day one, with no configuration required on your part.
DNS: Cloudflare-managed
We assign a subdomain like tool-abc123.try.isitforme.tech. DNS propagates before your instance is ready, so the URL works immediately when provisioning completes.
Isolation: Dedicated VPS
Your instance shares no infrastructure with other trials. No shared databases, no shared storage, no network-level access between customers.
Teardown: Automated and complete
When your trial expires, the VPS is permanently deleted. No residual data, no lingering access, no archival. The subdomain is deprovisioned simultaneously.
BYOK: Handled at provisioning
Some tools require API keys (LLM providers, SMTP relays). If a tool needs BYOK, you provide credentials during the launch flow — they're injected at provisioning and never stored long-term.
Still have questions?
The FAQ covers common concerns about data safety, trial limits, BYOK requirements, and the migration path after a trial.
Ready to try a tool without the setup?
Pick a tool and get a live instance in minutes. $5 for 5 days — $5 credit if you upgrade.