Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What is Skylantix?

Skylantix is a collective microcloud—a privacy-first alternative to Big Tech cloud services. We provide Nextcloud, email, Bitwarden, and more for $20/month or $200/year. We’re capped at 5,000 members globally, and your data stays on California-based 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: Capped at 5,000 members, you know your sysadmin by name
  • Transparent: Published financials, 50/50 profit sharing model
  • Privacy-first: California-based hardware we own (not AWS/Google)
  • Community-driven: Members vote on features and donation allocation
  • No surveillance capitalism: We never sell your data

Pricing & Billing

How much does it cost?

  • Monthly: $20/month
  • Annual: $200/year (save $40)
  • Student Discount: $12/month or $120/year (40% off for 3 years for university students)

Is there a free trial?

Due to the ammount 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 find a time to chat.

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 exceeding our SLA 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 services do I get?

Every membership ($20/month or $200/year) includes:

  • Nextcloud - File storage and digital life management
  • Email - @skylantix.net address
  • Bitwarden - Password manager
  • Linkding - Bookmark manager
  • Mattermost - Community chat
  • Gitea - Git repository hosting
  • Immich - Photo management (Google Photos replacement)
  • Minecraft Server - Shared community server (Java/Bedrock crossplay)

How much storage do I get?

200 GB total:

  • 180 GB shared between Nextcloud and Immich
  • 20 GB for email

Can I get more storage?

Not currently. Storage upgrades may be available in the future as the collective grows. We’re focused on providing a generous baseline for all members first.

What’s coming soon?

Custom containerized app hosting for members (Django, Node.js, Python apps, and more). Members will vote on when to launch this and what to support first.

Bussiness memberships for startups and small businesses.


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 a privacy-first collective, 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] or message via Mattermost 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. However, you will may not get the membership rate you previously had and any early member benefits (if you had them) are not restored.


Early Member Benefits

What are the early member perks?

The first 50 members total (regardless of plan type) receive extraordinary rewards when Skylantix reaches 1,250 members:

  • If you chose annual: Completely FREE for life (as long as Skylantix operates)
  • If you chose monthly: 50% off for life ($10/month instead of $20, as long as Skylantix operates)

When do the perks activate?

Perks activate automatically when we reach 1,250 paying members. We’ll announce this milestone via Mattermost.

Can I transfer my early member status?

No, early member status is tied to your account and non-transferable. If you cancel and rejoin, you lose early member benefits.

Want to see the full growth plan?

Check out our Timeline & Roadmap to see exactly what happens at each milestone from launch to 5,000 members.


Student Discount

Who qualifies for the student discount?

University students at any accredited university or college qualify for 40% off ($12/month or $120/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 $20/month or $200/year rate. 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. However as as we have a limited number of admins this may not be met.

What if there’s an outage?

We’ll post updates on our status page and Mattermost. If uptime drops below 95% in a month (excluding scheduled maintenance), you’ll receive a prorated credit.

Do you have backups and redundancy?

Yes:

  • RAID Z3 redundancy
  • Automated encrypted offsite backups (3-2-1 rule)
  • Redundant internet connections
  • Backup power systems

Community & Governance

How does community governance work?

Members can:

  • Vote on feature priorities
  • Vote on how 50% of profits are donated to open-source projects
  • Apply for grants and zero-interest loans for community projects
  • Participate in polls and discussions via Mattermost

Do I have to participate in governance?

No, participation is voluntary. You can just use the services and enjoy the privacy and reliability. But we encourage involvement—it’s your collective too!

What’s the profit sharing model?

After covering operational costs and livable wages for admins:

  • 50% reinvested in an endowment to help prices stay low long term
  • 50% donated to the open-source community

Members vote on allocation priorities.


Technical Questions

Can I use my own domain for email?

Not currently, but this may be available in the future. For now, all members get an @skylantix.net address.

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

Yes, all services that support 2FA have it enabled. We strongly recommend using it for your account security.

Can I host my own apps?

Custom containerized app hosting is coming soon for members. We’ll announce details and pricing when it’s ready.

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?

  • Mattermost: Message the community or admin directly (fastest)
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Response time: Usually within 24 hours, often much faster

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: Mattermost 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: November 1, 2025

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