each has something I like
Three years ago, I built an Umbrel node.
Last summer, I built a node from scratch.
Today, I finished my nostr:npub126ntw5mnermmj0znhjhgdk8lh2af72sm8qfzq48umdlnhaj9kuns3le9ll node.
I don't like recommending technology to people without fully having used it myself. I often tell people to use Start9 even though I only never "used" it in any production sort of manner. I only installed the OS, poked around the settings and marketplace a bit, then stopped using it.
That changes today. I will be migrating my Umbrel node over to my Start9 node as soon as Bitcoin finishes syncing.
Discussion
i like my custom built node. it's much, much more flexible.