When I reported an error with an unofficial app, however, I was instantly told off that I shouldn’t expect any help.<
So, you're complaining about a lack of support for an unsupported app? They are actually called 'unsupported'. That's quite a clue.
Also, the catalogue of supported apps is pretty huge now, thanks to a large and enthusiastic community.
Also, you can run as many TLDs on a yunost instance as you can afford and your machinery can stand. I've got two IP addresses on mine: one for front end apps and one for backend.
Point three: not true. My blog is TLD. With nonpublic services, which a lot of private server functions are, what's the problem with a subdomain?
Most Google services are reached through subdomains, aren't they? They certainly were when I was forced to use them.
It's a mature, well-maintained system and has a solid catalogue of well-maintained apps. I run Nextcloud, Navidrome, Calibre Web, a Matrix Server and Element (on different I.P.s), Wallabag, a Firefox sync server and a Collabora office suite (REALLY useful) on a ThinkCentre Tiny that I got from EBay for just over £100 (storage extra!) It's been running pretty seamlessly for over a year and I feel confident tinkering, doing routine things through the UI and getting a bit deeper with the CLI.
On the support, I've used a lot of FOSS support forums and I think YNH's is one of the best. They are not as polite or friendly as Nextcloud's and they will ignore irrelevant, snarky or duplicate questions, but if you have a genuine enquiry, they will hold your hand through a problem. I think they use a triage system and take shifts covering it. The XMPP chat, duplicated on Element, is also very helpful.
Personally, I have a fondness for Yunohost, in the same way I have a fondness for Debian and for Nextcloud. It is a well-organised group effort which requires some commitment and knowledge from users but not too much. It needs some attention but gives back more value than a user has to.put in. If I could learn all the ins-and-outs of network security, I might try a Docker set-up, just for boast-value, but with Yunohost I don't have to.
I recommend Hendrick's comment in this discussion.
Has anyone suggested a Nextcloud installation? You'd have a notes sync as part of the whole calendar setup. I use QownNotes on my Linux computers and the native notes app on my de-googled Android phone. The phone requires the DavX app to setup the sync, but it's bulletproof after that. The notes are available as .md files and exportable as pdf.
Nextcloud might seem like overkill, but it is light enough to run on a Pi4 and it would take care of most of your server management and update challenges. You can use as much or as little of its functions as you want.