Render vs Self-Hosted: Free Tier Limits & Real Costs
Render's free tier is generous—until you hit the limits. See exactly what you get, what happens when you upgrade, and how self-hosting compares for web services, databases, and background workers.
The Verdict
Render has the best free tier in the PaaS market. But paid plans get expensive fast—especially for databases and multiple services. For production workloads with 2+ services, a VPS is typically 70% cheaper.
Render Free Tier: What's Actually Included
Web Services
- • 512 MB RAM
- • 0.1 CPU cores
- • 100 GB bandwidth/mo
- • Spins down after 15 min idle
- • Build time: 15 min limit
PostgreSQL
- • 1 GB storage
- • 256 MB RAM
- • 0.25 CPU cores
- • Expires after 90 days
- • No backups
Background Workers
- • 512 MB RAM
- • 0.1 CPU cores
- • Always on (no spin-down)
- • Same specs as web
- • No cron jobs (use scheduler)
Render Paid Tiers: The Real Cost
| Service Type | Starter | Standard | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Service | $7/mo 0.5 GB RAM | $25/mo 2 GB RAM | $85/mo 4 GB RAM |
| Background Worker | $7/mo 0.5 GB RAM | $25/mo 2 GB RAM | $85/mo 4 GB RAM |
| PostgreSQL | $15/mo 1 GB RAM, 10 GB | $35/mo 2 GB RAM, 20 GB | $95/mo 4 GB RAM, 50 GB |
| Redis | $10/mo 0.5 GB RAM | $30/mo 2 GB RAM | $90/mo 4 GB RAM |
Note: Prices scale linearly. Need 4 GB RAM for web + 2 GB for worker + 2 GB database? That's $85 + $25 + $35 = $145/month.
Real Pricing Scenarios
Scenario 1: Side Project (Free Tier)
Next.js app + Postgres, low traffic, personal use
Render Free Tier
- Web Service (512 MB)$0/mo
- PostgreSQL (256 MB, 1GB)$0/mo
- Total$0/mo
⚠️ 30s cold starts, 90-day DB limit
Hetzner VPS (CX11)
- 1 vCPU, 2GB RAM$3.29/mo
- 20GB NVMe SSDIncluded
- 20TB BandwidthIncluded
- Total$3.29/mo
✓ No cold starts, persistent storage
Scenario 2: Production SaaS
API + Web + Postgres + Redis + Background Worker
Render (Starter/Standard Mix)
- Web Service (2 GB)$25/mo
- API Service (2 GB)$25/mo
- PostgreSQL (2 GB)$35/mo
- Redis (0.5 GB)$10/mo
- Background Worker (0.5 GB)$7/mo
- Total$102/mo
Hetzner VPS (CPX31)
- 8 vCPU, 16GB RAM$17.52/mo
- 320GB NVMe SSDIncluded
- 20TB BandwidthIncluded
- All services on one serverNo extra cost
- Total$17.52/mo
VPS Savings: $1,014/year (83% cheaper)
Scenario 3: Multi-Service Platform
3 web services, 2 workers, Postgres, Redis, high traffic
Render (Standard Tier)
- 3× Web Services (2 GB each)$75/mo
- 2× Workers (2 GB each)$50/mo
- PostgreSQL (4 GB)$95/mo
- Redis (2 GB)$30/mo
- Total$250/mo
Hetzner (CPX41 + Backup)
- 16 vCPU, 32GB RAM$35.04/mo
- 640GB NVMe SSDIncluded
- 20TB BandwidthIncluded
- All services on one serverNo extra cost
- Total$35.04/mo
VPS Savings: $2,580/year (86% cheaper)
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Render Free | Render Paid | VPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Git Deployments | |||
| Automatic SSL | |||
| Preview Environments | |||
| Always On | |||
| Managed Database | 90-day limit | ||
| Cron Jobs | |||
| Custom Docker | |||
| Private Networking |
The Honest Trade-offs
Why VPS Wins
- 80%+ cheaperfor multi-service setups
- No cold startsever
- Run anything—not just web services
- No service limits—deploy 20 apps on one server
- Predictable costs—no per-service pricing
Why Render Wins
- Best free tierfor prototyping
- Zero config—Git push and done
- Managed databaseswith automatic backups
- PR previewsout of the box
- Great forsingle-service apps
When to Choose What
Choose Render If...
- ✓You're prototyping or building an MVP
- ✓You have a single web service + database
- ✓Cold starts are acceptable (internal tools, demos)
- ✓You need managed Postgres without setup hassle
Choose VPS If...
- ✓You need 2+ services running continuously
- ✓Cold starts would hurt user experience
- ✓Your Render bill would exceed $50/month
- ✓You want to run non-HTTP services (MQTT, game servers, etc.)
Get Render's Experience, Keep VPS Savings
Don't want to give up that slick deployment experience? ServerCompass gives you Render-like Git deployments with a visual desktop app—no server dashboard needed. Deploy to any VPS in seconds, manage multiple projects, and save thousands per year.
Bottom Line
Render has the most generous free tier of any PaaS. If you can live with cold starts and the 90-day database limit, it's perfect for side projects and prototypes.
But the moment you need always-on services or multiple components, costs escalate quickly. At $100+/month on Render, you're paying for a lot of convenience that tools like ServerCompass can provide at a fraction of the cost.
Use Render free tier for experiments. Move to VPS when you go production.