# Self-hosted scheduler

> Same edit + caption pipeline as the recommended stack. Different distribution surface: Postiz, MIT-licensed, self-hosted in Docker. Pays off if you have ops chops, hate per-seat pricing, or run an agency where 10+ team members would balloon a SaaS bill.

Source: https://aistack.sh/stack/short-form-self-hosted
Category: Marketing · Distribution
Level: Intermediate
Last verified by a human: 2026-05-05

## The tools

### CapCut — Edit

- Pricing: Free · $9.99/mo Standard · $19.99/mo Pro
- Site: https://capcut.com
- Why this one: Same role as the recommended stack.
- Swap in instead: Descript
- More: https://aistack.sh/tool/capcut

### Claude — Per-platform caption tailoring

- Pricing: Free · $20/mo Pro · $100/mo Max 5x · $200/mo Max 20x · Sonnet API $2/$10 per M tokens (input/output)
- Site: https://claude.ai
- Why this one: Same prompt as the recommended stack works as-is.
- Swap in instead: ChatGPT
- More: https://aistack.sh/tool/claude

### Postiz — Self-hosted scheduler

- Pricing: Free self-hosted · $29/mo Standard · $39/mo Team · $49/mo Pro · $99/mo Ultimate (cloud)
- Site: https://postiz.com/
- Why this one: MIT-licensed Docker container. Run it on a $5/mo Hetzner box, point your team at it, never pay per-seat. Covers the same major platforms as Post Bridge.
- Swap in instead: Post Bridge
- More: https://aistack.sh/tool/postiz

## Monthly cost

### $25/mo — Self-host, solo (small)

- CapCut: Free
- Claude: $20
- Postiz: $5 (Hetzner VPS)

### $25/mo — Self-host, small team (no per-seat) (medium)

- CapCut: Free
- Claude: $20
- Postiz: $5 (same VPS, multi-user)

### $49/mo — Hosted Postiz (skip ops) (heavy)

- CapCut: Free
- Claude: $20
- Postiz: $29 Cloud

## Workflow

### 1. Edit + caption (same as recommended) (Claude)

CapCut edit + Claude per-platform captions. Use the same prompts.

### 2. Spin up Postiz (Postiz)

One-time: rent a $5 Hetzner box, install Docker, `docker compose up` from the Postiz repo. ~30 minutes for someone who's done this before, longer if it's new.

### 3. Connect your accounts (Postiz)

OAuth each platform from the Postiz UI. Set up posting schedule. Invite teammates without paying per seat.

### 4. Schedule + ship (Postiz)

Same outputs, different button. The ops cost is real but predictable; the per-seat ceiling is gone.

## What it produced

**5-person micro-agency**

Moved from a $99/seat SaaS to self-hosted Postiz on a $5 VPS. Saved $400/mo across the team. Spent ~2 hours/month on routine maintenance (dependency updates, reconnecting OAuth tokens). Net win once the team crossed 3 members.

## Pitfalls

- **Underestimating ops time** — OAuth tokens expire. Platforms change APIs. You'll pay 1-2 hours/month even when 'nothing is wrong'. Worth it at team scale; not worth it solo unless you enjoy the work.
- **Mixing up the brand-color palette in scheduling** — Postiz is open source — UI changes between versions. Lock the version in your docker-compose to avoid surprise breakage on a release morning.

## Other ways to do this

- [Cross-platform short-form](https://aistack.sh/stack/short-form-cross-platform): Cleanest cross-platform UX. Edit once, ship to 6 platforms. — $49/mo
- [AI-native posting](https://aistack.sh/stack/short-form-ai-native): Ghost Feed handles content + scheduling in one. Set-and-forget. — $79/mo
- [Viral content engine](https://aistack.sh/stack/viral-content-engine): GenViral mines trends, Post Bridge distributes. Optimized for breakout reach. — $68/mo

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Curated by tone-d on aistack.sh. Last updated 2026-05-05.