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Render vs Dokku
Render vs Dokku
A side-by-side look at Render (the paid SaaS) and Dokku (the open source alternative). Use this page to decide if the switch fits your team and workflow.
| Render | Dokku | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | Heroku-style PaaS for web services, workers and databases. | Self-hosted mini-Heroku on a single server. |
| License | Proprietary SaaS | MIT |
| Pricing | Free static sites; paid services from $7/month; managed Postgres priced per plan. | Free to self-host |
| Self-host option | No | Yes — difficulty 2/5 |
| Hosted cloud available | Yes (only option) | No |
| Desktop apps | Varies by product | Web only |
| Mobile apps | Official apps typically available | None official |
Ad slot — between tables
Best for
Ops-minded teams who want to stay close to Heroku-compatible buildpacks.
Dokku strengths
- Deploy via git push, just like Heroku.
- Works on any Linux VPS.
- Plugin ecosystem for databases, SSL, etc.
Dokku weaknesses
- Single-host — limited scaling story.
- Requires Linux sysadmin comfort.
- UI is CLI-first.
What's the catch with Render?
- Free tier spins down after inactivity (cold starts).
- Managed Postgres pricing is higher than running your own.
- Limited regions compared to AWS or GCP.
Still unsure?
Check the full list of alternatives to Render: see Render alternatives, or learn more about Dokku on its project page.
Recommended reading
When self-hosting goes wrong: seven failure modes and how to avoid them
An honest retrospective on the ways self-hosted setups break — not in theory, but in practice — and the small habits that prevent most of them.
Will the open source project you depend on still exist in three years?
Bus factor, maintainer burnout, funding models, and the signals that separate OSS projects that survive from those that quietly decay.
From SaaS to self-hosted: a 30-day migration playbook
A week-by-week plan to move one service off SaaS and onto your own server without breaking your team's workflow.