Start9 StartOS home server for a Bitcoin node
- Legal entity
- Start9 Labs, Inc
- Regulatory status
- Not a financial service
- Custody
- Self-custody: you hold the keys
- Open source
- Yes
- Fees
- StartOS free; Server One from USD 899 with lifetime support, international shipping with import VAT and duties paid by the buyer (as of 2026-10-04)
- Website
- https://start9.com
- Status
- Active
Swiss angle
Start9 is an American company. The footer of the Start9 store reads Start9 Labs, Inc, and the same shipping policy says the store charges the taxes and fees the State of Colorado requires. Start9 sells software and hardware and holds none of your coins, so it is not a financial service.
Buying direct from the US costs more than the price tag. The shipping policy, read on 4 October 2026, says Start9 does not collect VAT or import charges, that orders from outside the United States will very likely be charged import VAT, customs duty and a carrier handling fee on arrival, and that the buyer pays them. The Server One page listed the server at USD 899 with a lifetime support membership, and named 13 retailers for EU customers, none of them in Switzerland.
You can also buy one in Switzerland. The yourdevice.ch shop, read on 4 October 2026, sold a Start9 full node for CHF 799.00: a CSL Narrow Box Premium mini PC with an Intel N200, 8 GB of RAM and a 2 TB SSD, StartOS preinstalled and the chain already synchronised. The shop's Impressum gives its address as Spitalstrasse 10, 8180 Bülach, with a Swiss VAT number. The product page describes a third-party mini PC with StartOS on it, not a Start9 Server One, and does not mention the Start9 support membership.
A node does not change your tax duty. You still declare your coins at the ESTV year-end value; the Swiss Bitcoin tax guide explains how. A node does change your privacy: your wallet asks your own server, not a public one.
Who it is for
People who want a home server that runs more than Bitcoin. The yourdevice.ch product page lists a Bitcoin and Lightning node, Nextcloud, Bitwarden and a Matrix chat server among the uses.
Builders with their own hardware. The shipping policy says you can download StartOS and run it on your own machine at no cost, and the install guide says StartOS runs on Intel and AMD, ARM64 and RISC-V machines and on the Raspberry Pi 4.
Anyone who wants an open source licence. The StartOS repository is MIT licensed, unlike Umbrel's noncommercial licence on the Umbrel listing.
The node setup guide and the Lightning home setup guide walk through what to do once the server runs.
Who it is not for
Raspberry Pi 5 owners. The install guide says StartOS 0.4.0 supports the Raspberry Pi 4 only.
People who want support in German or French. We found no Start9 page on 4 October 2026 that offered either, so plan for English.
Anyone who only wants to hold bitcoin. A home server needs power, a network cable and updates; the self-custody guide is the simpler start.
Verified facts
| Source | Checked on |
|---|---|
| Start9 home (Start9 Labs, Inc) | |
| Start9 store: Server One price and support membership | |
| Start9 store: shipping policy (import VAT and duties) | |
| StartOS on GitHub (MIT) |
This directory carries no paid placements and no referral codes. No provider paid to be listed or to be described in a certain way. Each fact was checked against the primary source on the date shown next to it, and facts change after that date. This page is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice.