PocketBase Cloud vs Render
Render is a modern PaaS: deploy web services, static sites, cron jobs, and managed Postgres, and pay for the compute each one uses. PocketBase Cloud is a specialized app platform — database, auth, realtime, file storage, frontends, and backends for a flat monthly price. This page compares Render’s per-service metering against one predictable bill.
Prices below are as of September 2026 — check the Render pricing page and the PocketBase Cloud pricing page for current numbers.
Summary
| PocketBase Cloud | Render | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | App platform (DB + auth + frontend + backend) | Per-service compute + managed Postgres |
| Entry price | $0 Free / $5 Starter / $20 Pro flat | $0 Hobby workspace / $25 Pro workspace, plus compute |
| Free tier behaviour | Free instance always on (limited requests/storage) | Free web service spins down after ~15 min idle, ~1 min to wake |
| Production baseline | $20/mo flat (dedicated 2 vCPU compute) | ~$7 Starter instance + ~$6 Basic Postgres, per service |
| Database | Built in — included | Separate managed Postgres, billed per instance; free DB expires after 30 days |
| Auth / realtime / file storage | Built in | Compose yourself or add vendors |
| Frontend hosting | Included (5 on Free/Starter, unlimited on Pro) | Static sites free; bandwidth beyond the allowance is metered |
| 10 small apps | $20/mo flat (one Pro compute) | 10 services + 10 databases — each its own compute line |
Pricing: per-service vs flat
Render charges an optional workspace fee (Pro is $25/mo) plus the compute of every service: web services from ~$7/mo (Starter) once you leave the free instance, managed Postgres from ~$6/mo, and outbound bandwidth past the allowance. Each app is its own web service and its own database, so cost scales with the number of projects 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 Render you assemble: web service + managed Postgres + a Redis instance + static site + cron jobs, each provisioned and billed separately.
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. There is no spin-down: your instance is always warm.
When to choose which
Choose Render when:
- You run arbitrary Docker services, background workers, or cron jobs in any language
- You want managed Postgres specifically, with Render’s backups and replicas
- You need per-service autoscaling and region choice per service
Choose PocketBase Cloud when:
- Your app fits PocketBase — CRUD, auth, files, realtime
- You want no cold starts and no per-service database to provision and pay for
- You run several apps and want a flat cost per compute rather than a sum of service and database charges
The honest bottom line
- Custom runtimes, workers, managed Postgres — Render’s per-service model fits.
- Several standard apps, fixed budget, no tolerance for spin-down — PocketBase Cloud’s $20 flat usually wins once you add the database and a second service.