Will echo what @DarthCoin says and give a little more feedback.
Umbrel/Citadel/Start9 are basically the same thing just polished interfaces for the individual software.
Start9 is extremely polished and you can tell they are trying to build a commercial product. Less apps to play with but they barely work on the other platforms anyway so I appreciate that decision.
Umbrel is clearly the most popular, trying to appeal to everyone and build a community. Most apps. But I ended up having to do so much configuration manually I might as well run the individual programs myself.
Citadel is on the right track trying to get the best of both worlds. But looks like there is only a single developer chasing down every little thing. And still not perfect out of the box so needs TLC. I'm keeping my eye on it.
Note that I am trying to run on an actual Ubuntu computer. I want some more performance and flexibility than the Rasberry Pi otherwise I would stick with Start9 no question.
Indeed.
I didn't want to discourage the use of these bundles. No, not at all,
I just want to warn new users about one important aspect of running a node:
Since Linux on ARM (like Raspberry Pi) is barely serviced, and also since PI's prices have skyrocketed in recent years (something to do with a supply chain crunch?) it's a much better option to buy a not-too-old laptop and install Ubuntu + BTC + CLN.
That way, your setup will also have a built-in UPS.
WHY, what is the purpose and destination of running a node?