7 Raspberry Pi Projects That Will Save You Money
Maybe you’re debating whether to get a Raspberry Pi to play with some ideas you have. If you’re still on the fence, I’m here to tell you that you will easily make your purchase worth it. In this post, I’ll be covering fun projects that will also save you money.
The Raspberry Pi can replace online services and expensive dedicated hardware. It removes the need for never-ending monthly subscriptions and buying separate devices for every purpose.
The best part? You’re not restricted to just one idea below. Depending on which you choose, your Pi can run multiple projects at the same time.
If you’re looking for inspiration for your next Raspberry Pi project, I’ve put together a list of 75+ ideas with full descriptions, difficulty ratings, and links to tutorials. Whether you’re a beginner or more advanced, there’s something here for you. Grab the list for free here!
Take Back Your Personal Data
One day I got fed up reading about another security breach that leaked my private data. I wondered how to access my files from anywhere without paying for Dropbox every year.
One way to regain control is to roll your own. A Raspberry Pi can be used to host your own, personal cloud. By installing NextCloud, you can sync your work and personal files over the internet when you’re on the move. What about file versioning? NextCloud can do that, too.
With your own, personal cloud, you won’t have to keep paying for cloud storage services every year to access your files. Here are bonus tasks to combine if you want to add up the savings: host your own password manager or sync your Obsidian vault for free.
The secret they don’t want you to know: the cloud is just a computer on the internet somewhere, and so is your Pi!
Related Tutorials:
Spin Up Infinite Storage
I wanted to take my homelab to the next level and make it feel efficient like it does at the office. To create a professional setup, I realized I needed to get network-attached storage (NAS).
A NAS is a giant pool of storage that sits on your network. It lets you centralize important documents for sharing, manage large photo/video files for editing, and automate backups. More complex uses include virtualization or running docker containers to run other services.
A typical 4-bay NAS might run you $500-$700—NOT including the cost of hard drives. If you’re looking for a more cost-effective solution, turn your Raspberry Pi into a NAS with OpenMediaVault. You’ll be getting a steep discount, and you can put those savings toward more terabytes of storage.
Need some inspiration for your next Raspberry Pi project? Get access to my personal list here!
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A NAS has been the biggest upgrade to my workflow and home entertainment setup. It’s like pizza; once you taste it, you wonder how you ever lived without it.
Related Tutorials:
- NAS Software Guides for the Pi: OpenMediaVault | Simple File Server | CasaOS
- Getting Started With Docker On Raspberry Pi (Full Guide)
- Getting Started with Proxmox on Raspberry Pi (Virtualization Server)
Record With an All-Seeing Eye
I was ready to give up on home surveillance. The costs were adding up quickly, especially with multiple cameras and the low-voltage wiring job needed to reach them. There are ongoing costs too: companies wanted to charge me to save footage—even when I wanted to store it myself!
I’ve given up on Ring and Nest devices and have turned to my Pi for a solution. Transform the Raspberry Pi into a Wi-Fi security camera by installing motion detection software like ZoneMinder or MotionEye. You can then store your footage for free on your PC or NAS.
It’s an inexpensive way to get peace of mind for you and your family’s safety. I won’t tell anyone if you mostly use it to watch Amazon packages getting delivered.
Related Tutorials:
- Camera Setup: Install a Camera on your Raspberry Pi: The Ultimate Guide
- Security Software Guides for the Pi: ZoneMinder | MotionEye | Livestream Feed
- Bonus DIY: Pi Camera Doorbell with Notifications!
Build a Media Empire
Remember when cable TV had us paying high prices for bundles with extra channels we never watched? These days, I can subscribe to Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and Max—oh wait, it’s turning into the same thing again.
To put their multimedia in one place, many people have turned to home theater PC (HTPC) devices. But what if you don’t have room in your budget for an Apple TV 4K or NVIDIA Shield TV Pro?
Your Raspberry Pi becomes an HTPC when you install a media server like Plex or Jellyfin. These apps offer free shows and movies, but you can stream your media to your phones, tablets, and smart TVs. You can even cross-share media with friends.
These apps have now added live TV, which I love to use for watching local news or music videos while working out. For some reason, they also have funny video channels where guys with dad-bods trip and fall over things. Not that I know a lot about that or anything.
Related Tutorials:
- TV & Movies Tutorials for the Pi: Plex | Jellyfin | LibreElec | OSMC | Android TV
- Music: How to Install MoOde on Raspberry Pi (Beginner’s Guide)
- Gaming Guides for the Pi: Batocera | RetroPie | Lakka | Recalbox | Steam Link
Launch an E-commerce Business
Sometimes, I’ll get the urge to create a personal website or prototype a site for a new hobby business. But when I’m still in the idea stage, I’m not ready to purchase domain names or dedicated web hosting yet. That’s when I turned to the Pi as my co-founder.
You can host a website using a Raspberry Pi by running Nginx or Apache. If you’re still bootstrapping your venture, hosting a website locally on your Pi will let you get up and running quickly. And it’ll save you the cost of yearly commercial hosting fees.
There’s more to gain than just HTML. You can use your web server to learn web development, such as coding with PHP, creating MySQL databases, or running WordPress.
Here’s a not-so-fun fact: Even unknown websites will face cyberattacks, so don’t expose your site to the internet until you have the proper security protocols.
Need some inspiration for your next Raspberry Pi project? Get access to my personal list here!
Download now
Related Tutorials:
It's a free PDF guide containing every Raspberry Pi Linux command you should know!
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Make Yourself Anonymous Online
I connect to virtual private networking (VPN) whenever I want to safeguard my privacy online or access computers on my network when I’m far from home.
VPN services charge monthly subscription fees that will add up, especially if all you need is a little protection. As a free alternative, your Raspberry Pi can run a VPN server using software like WireGuard or Tailscale.
What if you want to get crazy with home networking? You can use your Pi to build your own router with VPN, install ad-block and DNS encryption to prevent snooping, run a VOIP service for free phone calls, and—where was I again?
Sorry, I got carried away. If you couldn’t tell, using a Pi to DIY expensive network devices is my favorite thing to do.
Related Tutorials:
- VPN Guides for the Pi: WireGuard | OpenVPN | Tailscale
- Ad-Blocker Guides for the Pi: Pi-Hole | AdGuard Home
- DNS Encryption: Install Cloudflared on Raspberry Pi
- VOIP Telephone: How to Install Asterisk on a Raspberry Pi?
- DIY Router Guides for the Pi: Pi as Wi-Fi Router | OpenWrt | Pi Access Point
It's a free PDF guide containing every Raspberry Pi Linux command you should know!
Download now
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Live in the Home of the Future
I’ve always wanted to control my living space the way they do in futuristic sci-fi movies like Mars Express. But after accumulating smart home devices, I noticed a problem: They all use different hubs for control, and soon I had a not-so-smart mess!
Not only that, I had to load one mobile app to control lights but switch to a different app to control the thermostat. I know, life can be very challenging sometimes. I wondered if I could unify these different devices into a single interface. You can with a Pi.
The Raspberry Pi becomes an all-in-one home automation hub with software like Home Assistant. You can control lights, security cams, thermostats, and more from your smartphone. The savings add up when you realize you can skip buying all those extra hubs from different brands.
Now that’s how you put the smart back into the smart home.
Related Tutorials:
- Getting Started with Home Assistant on Raspberry Pi
- How to Install Homebridge on Raspberry Pi
- How To Install Domoticz on Raspberry Pi (Step-by-Step Guide)
- Control Philips Hue Lights with Raspberry Pi
Congrats, you’ve reached the end! But there are still more cost-saving ideas out there. For inspiration, check out our article on using a Raspberry Pi to save your company money.
Whenever you’re ready, here are other ways I can help you:
The RaspberryTips Community: If you want to hang out with me and other Raspberry Pi fans, you can join the community. I share exclusive tutorials and behind-the-scenes content there. Premium members can also visit the website without ads.
Master your Raspberry Pi in 30 days: If you are looking for the best tips to become an expert on Raspberry Pi, this book is for you. Learn useful Linux skills and practice multiple projects with step-by-step guides.
The Raspberry Pi Bootcamp: Understand everything about the Raspberry Pi, stop searching for help all the time, and finally enjoy completing your projects.
Master Python on Raspberry Pi: Create, understand, and improve any Python script for your Raspberry Pi. Learn the essentials step-by-step without losing time understanding useless concepts.
You can also find all my recommendations for tools and hardware on this page.
