PocketBase Cloud vs WordPress Hosting
Managed WordPress hosts (WP Engine, Kinsta, SiteGround, Cloudways) sell per-site CMS hosting: themes, plugins, and an editor your client already knows. PocketBase Cloud sells custom-app hosting: database + auth + API + frontends + backends for anything WordPress can’t model cleanly. Different tools — here is how to route each client.
Prices below are as of September 2026 — check vendor pages and the PocketBase Cloud pricing section for current numbers.
Summary
| PocketBase Cloud | Managed WordPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Custom apps, SaaS, mobile backends, portals | Brochure sites, blogs, marketing + WooCommerce |
| Editor | None — you build the frontend | Gutenberg / Elementor, client-editable |
| Backend | PocketBase (SQLite, auth, realtime, hooks) + Node/Deno/Bun | PHP + MySQL + plugin ecosystem |
| Pricing shape | $5 first app / $20 unlimited apps flat | Per-site (~$25–35/mo entry, scales per site/visits) |
| 10 client brochure sites | $20/mo (one Pro compute) but no WP editor | ~10 × site fee — expensive, but clients self-edit |
| Custom logic | JS hooks + full backends, versioned in git | Plugins / PHP snippets, update-risk |
| Portability | Stock pb_data directory, exit anytime |
XML export + SQL dump, theme lock-in varies |
When WordPress wins (say it plainly)
If the deliverable is “client edits pages themselves,” WordPress wins. No API-built CMS matches Gutenberg + 50,000 plugins + a decade of freelancer hiring pool for marketing sites, SEO plugins, multilingual, and WooCommerce. PocketBase Cloud has no visual page builder — shipping one means building a React/Vue frontend against the PocketBase API, which is overkill for a 5-page brochure site.
Per-site WordPress pricing also makes sense when each site needs isolation, its own backup cadence, and a non-technical owner.
When PocketBase Cloud wins
When the site stops being pages and starts being an app: member accounts,
dashboards, bookings, file uploads, mobile apps, realtime updates, custom
roles, multi-tenant client portals. WordPress models these as plugin stacks
with update fragility; PocketBase models them as collections + API rules +
hooks, versioned in git and deployed with pbc deploy.
Math favors PocketBase Cloud fast: 5–10 small custom apps on managed WP means 5–10 site fees; on Pro it is one $20 flat compute with unlimited instances and frontends, each with its own custom domain + auto-SSL.
Migration notes
- WP → PBC: keep WordPress for marketing pages, move the app surface (portal, bookings, member area) to PocketBase + static frontend. Common hybrid for agencies.
- Content: WordPress XML export maps to a PocketBase collection import; media migrates to PocketBase file fields or S3. See File uploads.
- Clients who need an editor: pair PocketBase with a git-based CMS frontend (Astro + Decap/Tina) rather than forcing Gutenberg parity.
The honest bottom line
- Content site the client edits — managed WordPress, no contest.
- Custom app, portal, SaaS, mobile backend, or 5+ small apps on a budget — PocketBase Cloud at $5–20 flat.