and by channel I mean node. 🤦‍♂️

I used Umbrel and Citadel , but it was manual to setup the channel and balance, kind of a pain …

I’m hoping to get a green light from block stream : https://blockstream.com/lightning/greenlight/

and then have breeze manage the channels: https://medium.com/breez-technology/introducing-lightning-service-providers-fe9fb1665d5f

Easiest non-custodial solutions:

Breez: open private channel for you from Breez node with a fee (quite high now). Technically you can receive onchain fund but it's hidden in dev settings, the normal UI will convert found from a Brerz managed address to convert it to lightning (with a fee). It's the easiest for merchants as it has an awsome Point-of-Sale mode. It has as well podcasts, not really sure why, it confuses some users.

Phoenix: similar to Breez, channels are opened for you automatically for a fee, onchain convert to lightning. But as their is no other functions the UX is more clean and clear for simple users.

Blixt: best mobile non-custodial wallet for on-chain + lightning. You can manage your on-chain wallet and your lightning channels or you have an option to open channels for you in a similar way than Breez and Phoenix but here you paid exactly the on-chain cost toopen channels (which is sometimes higher, often lower).

OBW (open bitcoin wallet): another on-chain + lightning wallet but without automatic channel opening. It offers an option to have an hosted inbound channel for free but it's kind of custodial when used in this way (the node opening the hosted channel is keeping your sats until you spend them or close the channel).

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All of the above are mobile solution, without full mode and can only receive when the app is running in forground with screen on. For always on, full node here are the options:

The medium-hard way with small budget:

Umbrel, Citadel, RaspiBlitz on a Raspberry Pi 4 or small PC (powerful enough and with +8GB RAM and 1TB SSD. You download the full blockchain, manage all your channels and their liquidity, ensure that you are always online and powered (good internet cable/FTTH and UPS recommanded). But it can be all installed and managed in a nice GUI.

The medium-hard way if you have a bit more money:

Similar to above but using a dedicated hardware providing a pre-build node. Nodl is the only one I can think of but they are others.

The hardcore way:

Build a dedicated machine for youe Bitcoin full node with lightning. Install all in CLI the hard way, open and manage all channel and liquidity manually (but UI exist once installed if you prefer).

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A full node on a dedicated machine is the way to go if you are serious and it allow the maximum control, privacy and offer a lot of side apps like BTCPay server for merchant, LNbits for ... everything, Dojo for on-chain coin mixing...

I hope if answered your question.