Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What is Skylantix?

Skylantix is privacy-first Nextcloud hosting with three tiers: Standard, Dedicated, and Managed. Standard is $12/month or $120/year, Dedicated is $30/month, and Managed is $60/month. All tiers include end-to-end encryption, Nextcloud Talk video conferencing, and California-based infrastructure. Your data stays on hardware we own.

Who runs Skylantix?

Skylantix is founded and managed by Raphael Bitton, a University of Chicago student learning production infrastructure by managing real servers for real users. After graduation, I’m running this full-time from Orange County, California—where the servers live.

How is this different from other hosting providers?

  • Human-scale: Small and focused on personal users, you always talk to a real person
  • Transparent: Published financials, open-source support commitment
  • Privacy-first: California-based hardware we own (not AWS/Google)
  • Your input matters: Your feedback helps shape features and priorities
  • No surveillance capitalism: We never sell your data

Pricing & Billing

How much does it cost?

  • Standard: $12/month or $120/year
  • Dedicated: $30/month or $300/year (coming soon)
  • Managed: $60/month or $600/year (coming soon)
  • Student Discount: $9/month or $90/year (25% off Standard for 3 years for university students)

Is there a free trial?

Due to the amount of effort and care that goes into each user, we can’t offer a traditional free trial, but we have a 14-day money-back guarantee. If Skylantix isn’t right for you within the first 14 days, we’ll refund your payment in full.

Unsure if this is right for you? Send us an email at [email protected] and we can keep the conversation in email.

What’s your refund policy?

  • 14-Day Money-Back Guarantee: Full refund within 14 days of initial signup (both monthly and annual plans)
  • After 14 days (Monthly): No refunds, but you can cancel anytime with no charges after your current billing period
  • After 14 days (Annual): No refunds, but you keep access for the full year you paid for
  • Service Issues: Extended outages may qualify for prorated credits or refunds

Do prices ever increase?

Our goal is to never have to raise prices for existing members. We are planning to have an investment endowment to facilitate that. If, however, economic circumstances beyond our control require us to raise prices, we will give 90 days notice. Prices may be raised for new members as we grow in order to support infrastructure burden, but

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept credit and debit cards through our secure payment processor. We also accept various cryptocurrencies. We don’t store credit card numbers.


Services & Features

What are the three tiers?

Standard is $12/month or $120/year, Dedicated is $30/month, and Managed is $60/month:

  • Standard (200 GB): Fully managed Nextcloud on federated instances, like Google Drive but privacy-first
  • Dedicated (500 GB): Your own instance on our hardware, you manage it after initial setup
  • Managed (500 GB): Your own instance, fully managed by us, perfect for families/small teams

All tiers include end-to-end encryption, Nextcloud Talk video calls, and all Nextcloud features.

How much storage do I get?

  • Standard tier: 200 GB
  • Dedicated tier: 500 GB
  • Managed tier: 500 GB

Can I get more storage?

Storage upgrades may be available in the future. For now, if you need more than your tier provides, reach out via [email protected] to discuss options.

What’s coming soon?

Additional services are on the roadmap:

  • Email - @skylantix.net addresses (coming soon)
  • Bitwarden - Password manager hosting
  • GitLab CE - Git repository hosting
  • Immich - Photo management (Google Photos replacement)
  • Minecraft Server - Community server
  • Custom app hosting - For member projects

Check our Future page for the latest updates on what’s coming next.


Privacy & Security

Where is my data stored?

All data is stored in Orange County, California on hardware we own. No AWS, Google Cloud, or other third-party cloud providers. Your data never leaves California.

Is my data encrypted?

Yes, both at rest (LUKS encryption) and in transit (SSL/TLS). Only the infrastructure administrator has access, and only when necessary for support or maintenance.

Do you sell my data?

Never. We don’t sell, mine, or track your data. We’re privacy-first, not an advertising company. In fact, we don’t even know how to sell data.

What about backups?

We maintain automated encrypted backups following the 3-2-1 rule:

  • 3 copies of your data
  • 2 different storage media (RAID Z3 + backup drives)
  • 1 offsite backup

What happens if there’s a security breach?

We’ll notify you within 72 hours with full transparency about what happened, what was affected, and what we’re doing to prevent it in the future.


Membership & Cancellation

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. Monthly members can cancel anytime with no charges after the current billing period. Annual members keep access for the full year they paid for.

How do I cancel?

You can cancel through Stripe. Email [email protected] if you paid for an annual plan via NowPayments.

What happens to my data if I cancel?

You have 30 days to export your data after cancellation. We’ll send reminders at 14 days and 7 days before deletion. After 30 days, we securely and permanently delete all your data.

Can I rejoin after canceling?

Yes, you can rejoin anytime at the current membership rate.


Student Discount

Who qualifies for the student discount?

University students at any accredited university or college qualify for 25% off ($9/month or $90/year) for 3 years.

How do I verify student status?

Email [email protected] from your university .edu email address with proof of enrollment, such as:

  • Student ID
  • Unofficial transcript
  • National Student Clearinghouse certificate of enrollment

We verify once when you sign up. No ongoing checks—as long as you’re enrolled when you sign up, you get the full 3 years.

What happens after the 3-year student discount period?

After 3 years, your membership will transition to the standard rate of $12/month or $120/year for Standard. We’ll notify you in advance. You can continue at the standard rate or cancel anytime.


Infrastructure & Reliability

What’s your uptime commitment?

We strive for 99% uptime (excluding scheduled maintenance). This means less than 7.3 hours of unplanned downtime per month. We do not offer SLA guarantees at this time.

What if there’s an outage?

We’ll post updates on our status page and email. If a month falls short, we may offer prorated credits at our discretion.

Do you have backups and redundancy?

Yes:

  • RAID Z3 redundancy
  • Automated encrypted offsite backups
  • Redundant internet connections
  • Backup power systems

Community & Governance

How does feedback work?

You can:

  • Share your thoughts on feature priorities
  • Participate in discussions about the service
  • Help shape the direction we take

Do I have to participate?

No, participation is voluntary. You can just use the services and enjoy the privacy and reliability. But we encourage involvement—you can help shape where we go!

How do you support open source?

Supporting open-source and privacy-aligned projects is a core goal once sustainably profitable. Your feedback helps shape which projects we support.


Technical Questions

Can I use my own domain with Nextcloud?

For Dedicated and Managed tiers, custom domain support may be available. Contact us at [email protected] to discuss your needs.

Do you support two-factor authentication (2FA)?

Yes, Nextcloud supports 2FA and we strongly recommend enabling it for your account security.

Can I host my own apps?

Custom containerized app hosting is on our roadmap. Check the Future page for updates on when this will be available.

What happens if I exceed my storage quota?

We’ll notify you when you’re approaching your limit. You’ll need to delete files or contact us to discuss options. We won’t delete your data without warning.

Can I access my data via WebDAV, CalDAV, CardDAV?

Yes, Nextcloud supports WebDAV, CalDAV, and CardDAV. You can sync your files, calendars, and contacts across devices.


Getting Started

How do I sign up?

Visit our Get Started page and fill out the membership form. We’ll contact you via email with next steps.

How long does setup take?

After payment, your account is typically set up within 24-48 hours. We’ll email you with login credentials and instructions.

Do I need technical knowledge?

No. All services are fully managed and come with user-friendly interfaces. We handle all the technical infrastructure—you just use the services.

How do I get support?


Still Have Questions?

If your question isn’t answered here, reach out:

  • Email: [email protected]
  • Before joining: We’re happy to answer questions before you commit
  • After joining: Email is the fastest way to get support

We’re building Skylantix transparently and honestly. If something’s unclear, just ask. We’re here to help.


Last Updated: December 1, 2025

🚀 Skylantix is launching on February 1st, 2026 — Everything here is subject to change