Synology (home NAS): A home server you own outright — photos, files, and backup on hardware in your closet, fully under your control. (Self-hosted box + apps (web, mobile, desktop) · One-time hardware ~$200–$700+ (plus drives); no subscription)
Cornerstone: A private operating system for the home: a family AI you can actually ask things, an encrypted vault for photos and documents that only you can open, age-graded kid access with parent oversight, a device mesh, and encrypted cold backup — all under one rule, honest custody: the server holds only ciphertext and refuses to receive your key.
✓ Maximum sovereignty today: the data lives on hardware you physically own
✓ No monthly fee; capable photo, file, and backup apps
✓ Powerful for technical users who want full control
✓ Mature software with years of iteration
Where Cornerstone differs
→ It’s a sysadmin project — setup, updates, security, and off-site backup are on you. Cornerstone aims for own-your-data without the maintenance burden
→ No family AI, and no household kid-oversight model
→ Encryption + secure remote access are your responsibility to configure correctly
→ A box in the closet is a single point of failure without a disciplined backup plan
Pick Synology (home NAS) if…
• You’re technical and want to own the hardware your data sits on
• You’ll happily maintain updates, security, and backups yourself
• A one-time cost with no subscription is the priority
Pick Cornerstone if…
• You want to own your data without becoming your family’s IT department
• You want a private family AI and household oversight on top of storage
• You want verifiable custody now, with a self-host option later — not either/or
Where we’re honestly behind
– Cornerstone is NEW — Proton and Apple are mature, audited, and battle-tested. If you want proven-today encryption from an established vendor, pick them, honestly
– Parts of the vision — the full device mesh, managed cold backup, self-host — are early or still being built
– No decade-deep photo library or app ecosystem yet; the depth of iteration isn’t there
– Own-family-first: this is being built for real use before it’s a polished mass-market product