Render vs Self-hosted VPS

Side-by-side cost comparison — enter your workload and see which platform is cheaper for your traffic.

1. Pick a workload

Choose the preset closest to your project size.

2. Fine-tune (optional)

Override the preset values with your real numbers.

Self-hosted VPS is cheaper by $70.00/mo (82%) for this workload. Switch presets or adjust the numbers above to see how the gap changes at different scales.

RenderPaid

$85.00/mo
Web Service — Standard (1 vCPU, 2 GB)
Always-on instance, no per-request charges
$25.00
Bandwidth
214.6 GB used / 100 GB included
$60.00
Build Minutes
160 min / 400 included
incl.
Estimate covers the web service only — database, Redis, background workers, and cron jobs are separate services with their own instance costs. PostgreSQL not included. Add $7-90/mo depending on the tier needed for your database storage. IMPORTANT: Render's pricing page could not be automatically verified in 2026-Q1 — confirm current rates before purchasing.
Rates verified 2026-Q1 — Render pricing page

Self-hosted VPSVPS

Lower cost
$15.00/mo
VPS — medium (2 dedicated vCPU, 8 GB RAM)
App server + cache + background workers
$15.00
Cloudflare CDN + R2
Free tier handles most workloads
incl.
Database — add-on
Optional: managed DB ~$25/mo for managed Postgres, Auth, Storage (+$25/mo if needed)
incl.
Add a managed database (+$25/mo) for Postgres, Auth, Storage, and Realtime. Or run Postgres on the same VPS for free. You take on patching, monitoring, and backups — budget ~2–4 hours/month. Add ~$5–15/mo for managed monitoring (Better Stack, Sentry) and email (Resend) if you want them off your plate.
Rates verified 2026-05 — Self-hosted VPS pricing page

What Render excels at

  • Fixed instance tiers give predictable bills — no per-request or per-CPU-second surprises.
  • Multi-language platform: run Python, Go, and Ruby services alongside Next.js.
  • Free tier for static sites and background workers (with caveats).
  • One-click managed PostgreSQL, Redis, and cron jobs alongside your web service.
  • Automatic SSL, deploys from Git, and PR preview environments included.

What Self-hosted VPS excels at

  • Lowest cost per unit of compute — a $15/mo VPS outperforms a $85/mo Render Pro instance on raw CPU.
  • No per-request, per-invocation, or egress charges — traffic spikes are free.
  • Full control: custom runtimes, native cron, WebSockets, long-running processes, any Node.js version.
  • Run your database, cache, and app on one server — no inter-service network latency or egress costs.
  • No vendor lock-in — switch providers with a single rsync + DNS change.
Compatible

MakerKit deploys to Render and Self-hosted VPS

Next.js 16 App Router with Dockerfile included — deploy to your preferred hosting platform without touching config.

Get MakerkitOne-time $349 — yours forever

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