Hi,
I’m starting out with Nextcloud. I want to have a server at home with all our family photos etc. Then I want it backed up to the cloud in an encrypted way so that no one but us can access the cloud version if we have a house fire or something. This way, we wont be so reliant on Apple.
What are the options for setting this up?
Hey,
many use a Raspberry Pi 5 for NextCloud. This means you can easily create your own energy-saving cloud. You can then attach an SSD or HDD of the desired size to the Raspberry Pi. This means you are independent and have few costs 
Other hardware works too as well
If you don’t want to tinker or have little idea about it, there are also ready-made systems to buy: Geräte - Nextcloud
If you just want to skip big-tech you might want to look at managed Nextcloud solutions. there are many affordable solutions available. This is the easiest option but still results in less control and dependency from the hosting provider 
Hosting providers to see available options see a list at GitHub - nextcloud/providers: community-maintained list of Nextcloud providers…
If you want full flexibility and full control self-hosting is the way to go. Self-hosting requires in significant work investment. don’t take it very easy… you have lot of options from native baremetal install on a Linux system, over virtual machine vm to different container options like All-in- One aio, docker-compose ncp and snap. Some NAS distribution like TrueNas or unraid provide their own packages as well. But you have responsibility - installation, maintenance, regular upgrades, backup, user support - everything is your own task.