PocketBase Cloud vs DigitalOcean App Platform
DigitalOcean App Platform is a general PaaS: push a repo, it builds with buildpacks or your Dockerfile and runs each service, static site, and worker as a billable component, with managed Postgres or MySQL alongside. PocketBase Cloud is a specialized app platform — database, auth, realtime, storage, frontends, and backends for a flat monthly price. This page compares per-component metering against one predictable bill.
Prices below are as of September 2026 — check the App Platform pricing page and the PocketBase Cloud pricing page for current numbers.
Summary
| PocketBase Cloud | DigitalOcean App Platform | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | App platform (DB + auth + frontend + backend) | Per-component compute + separate managed DB |
| Static sites | Included (5 on Free/Starter, unlimited on Pro) | 3 free, then part of a paid app |
| Service entry price | $20/mo flat (dedicated 2 vCPU) | ~$5 basic / ~$12 production, per service, billed by the second |
| Database | Built in — included | Dev DB from ~$7, managed Postgres from ~$15, billed hourly |
| Auth / realtime / file storage | Built into PocketBase | Compose yourself or add vendors |
| Scaling | Vertical — one bigger compute | Per-component instances and autoscaling |
| 10 small apps | $20/mo flat (one Pro compute) | Sum of every service + every database |
Pricing: per-component vs flat
App Platform bills each running piece: a web service (~$5 basic, $12
production), a worker, a static site beyond the free three, and a database
($7–15+) each add a line, metered by the second. Full flexibility for arbitrary
stacks, but a per-project database and per-service compute mean cost tracks the
number of apps and their traffic.
PocketBase Cloud charges per plan. Pro is a flat $20/mo for a dedicated 2 vCPU compute hosting effectively unlimited PocketBase instances, frontends, and Node/Deno/Bun backends, with the database built into each instance. Ten apps still cost $20.
What you get out of the box
On App Platform you assemble: service + managed database + static site + any workers, each provisioned and billed separately, plus you wire up auth, file storage, and realtime yourself.
On PocketBase Cloud you inherit one PocketBase binary — database, auth, realtime
(SSE), file storage, admin UI, JavaScript hooks, custom domains, logs/metrics —
plus static frontend hosting and container backends on the same compute.
pbc deploy detects the project type; no Dockerfile required.
When to choose which
Choose App Platform when:
- You run non-PocketBase stacks in any language, with buildpacks or a Dockerfile
- You want managed Postgres/MySQL with DigitalOcean’s backups and replicas
- You need per-component autoscaling or you already run other DigitalOcean infrastructure
Choose PocketBase Cloud when:
- Your app fits PocketBase — CRUD, auth, files, realtime
- You want the database included, not a separate hourly line item
- You run several apps and want a flat cost per compute
The honest bottom line
- Arbitrary stacks, managed SQL, per-component scaling — App Platform fits.
- Several standard apps on a fixed budget — PocketBase Cloud’s $20 flat is simpler and usually cheaper once the database and a second app are counted.