For developers whose free app keeps falling asleep, and for teams paying per service for things that should come with the platform.
Four things, in the order they matter.
Connect a GitHub repo and every push to main goes live. No repo? Run npx dockhold deploy from the folder. The build, the HTTPS URL and the rollout are all handled for you.
Your app runs around the clock, free tier included. No sleep, no cold start, and if it crashes it restarts on its own. On a paid plan, run several copies of one app on separate hosts, so it stays up even when a copy goes down.
Every app runs in its own isolated environment. HTTPS from the first deploy, secrets encrypted at rest. Flip an app to private and every request is checked at the edge before it reaches your code.
An MCP server, llms.txt and agent rules, written so a machine reads them cleanly. Claude, Cursor or Codex can deploy here from our docs without you explaining the platform.
The Render column was checked on 20 September 2026 against the pages linked in each row. Things change; the links are there so you can check too.
| Feature | Dockhold | Render |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy from GitHub | Connect the repo and push to main. Every push goes live with a zero-downtime rollout. Bring a Dockerfile and it is used as-is; on a paid plan the build detects your stack for you. How deploys work | Connect a repo and Render rebuilds and redeploys on every push to the branch, with zero-downtime deploys for services without a disk. Render docs |
| Deploy from a folder, or from your AI tool | npx dockhold deploy ships any folder, no repo needed. An MCP server, llms.txt and agent rules let Claude, Cursor or Codex deploy here on their own. Deploy from your AI tool | The CLI creates services from a Git repo or a prebuilt image and triggers deploys. An official MCP server works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex and Cursor. Render docs |
| HTTPS and custom domains | HTTPS on every app from the first deploy. Your own domains on any paid plan, several per app, with certificates issued and renewed for you. Custom domains | Automatic TLS. Two custom domains included on Hobby, then $0.25 per domain a month; fifteen included on Pro. Render pricing |
| Managed database | Managed Postgres on every account, free included. One click and DATABASE_URL is injected, with vector search built in. Add dedicated database memory at $10 per GB when you want faster queries. Databases | Render Postgres from $6 a month for 256 MB or $19 for 1 GB, with 1 GB of SSD included and more at $0.30 per GB. Render pricing |
| Persistent storage | Turn on app storage and the app gets a folder that survives restarts and deploys. It draws on the same pool as database disk: $0.20 per GB, first 10 GB free. App storage | Persistent disks with a snapshot every 24 hours. A service with a disk runs as one instance and gives up zero-downtime deploys. Render docs |
| Always on, and extra copies | Every app is always on, free included. No sleep mode, no cold start. On a paid plan, run several copies of one app on separate hosts with traffic shared across them. Runtime | A free web service spins down after 15 minutes without inbound traffic and takes about a minute to wake. Paid services stay on. Render docs |
| Private apps | Flip an app to private and every request needs a token, checked at the edge before it reaches your code. Named tokens you can rotate, an optional IP allow-list, on any paid plan. Private apps | Private services have no public URL and accept traffic only from your other services on the private network. Render docs |
| Scheduled tasks | Run a command on a cron schedule, as its own run of the app’s image, on every account. A task reaches your app, its database and the internet. Pricing | Cron jobs are a separate service type with full cron expressions, billed per minute while running, from $0.00016 a minute for the 512 MB size. Render pricing |
| Pricing model | One pool of capacity, split across as many apps as you want, no per-app fee. $5 per 512 MB + 0.5 vCPU, $10 per GB of database memory, $0.20 per GB of disk. The bill changes only when you change it. Pricing | A fixed price per service: web services at $7 for 512 MB, $25 for 2 GB, $85 for 4 GB; Postgres from $6; disks at $0.25 per GB. The Hobby workspace is $0 and Pro is $25 a month, both plus compute, with autoscaling from Pro. 5 GB of bandwidth included on Hobby, then $0.15 per GB. Render pricing |
| Free tier | 256 MB of always-on app power, a managed database and 10 GB of storage. No card, no trial clock, no sleep. Pricing | A free web service that spins down after 15 minutes idle, 750 free instance hours a workspace a month, and a free Postgres that expires 30 days after creation. Use up the hours and every free service is suspended until next month. Render docs |
| Where it runs | Germany, in the EU. Your apps, databases and storage stay there. Security and trust | Five regions: Oregon, Ohio, Virginia, Frankfurt and Singapore. Render docs |
A production web app with 2 GB of memory, a Postgres database with 1 GB of dedicated memory, and 5 GB of database disk.
$30 a month
Fixed. It changes only when you change it.
At this size private apps, your own domains and extra copies of the app are all unlocked. Fine with the database on the included baseline? Then it is $20 a month.
$45.20 a month
Plus $0.15 per GB of outbound bandwidth past the 5 GB included on Hobby.
Each service is its own line on the bill. A second app of this size is another $25, and a second database another $19.
Render prices read on 20 September 2026 from Render pricing .
Render made deploying easier than running servers. Dockhold goes further: the free app stays awake, the database never expires, the price is one number you set, and it all runs in the EU.
Every app runs in its own isolated environment, hosted in the EU, with an audit trail you can export. How we handle security.
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