Coolify
Open-source, self-hostable alternative to Heroku and Netlify — deploy anything on your own server
Coolify is an open-source platform that gives you Heroku-like deployment on your own server. Install it on a $5/month VPS (Hetzner, DigitalOcean, whatever), and you get git-push deploys, automatic SSL, database provisioning, and a dashboard — all without paying per-app fees. Your $5 VPS can run multiple apps and databases that would cost $50+ on Railway or Render.
The trade-off is real: you manage the server. Updates, disk space, backups, security patches — that is on you. Coolify handles the deployment layer, but the underlying server is your responsibility. For founders who are comfortable with basic server admin and want to keep hosting costs under $10/month for multiple projects, Coolify is the best deal in hosting. For those who would rather not think about servers at all, stick with a managed platform.
What's good
- Completely free if you self-host on your own VPS — no per-app or per-user fees
- Supports databases, apps, static sites, and one-click services (Plausible, Ghost, etc.)
- No vendor lock-in — your infrastructure runs on a standard VPS you control
Watch out for
- Self-hosting means you are responsible for server maintenance, updates, and backups
- Smaller community than mainstream PaaS — fewer tutorials and Stack Overflow answers
- Initial setup requires comfort with SSH, DNS, and basic Linux server administration