I pay for Kagi search.

What ads? My browser blocks ads. My vpn blocks ads. I pay for email so don’t see ads there. I pay for search so I don’t see ads there, either. I self host media. My TV doesn’t connect to the internet.

I seriously never see ads.

I use CoMaps. It uses open street maps. Can run completely offline. Zero tracking.

So is this basically just another DAM system (but marketed more to end users/self-hosters?

There are FOSS DAM systems.