Render vs Caprover
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $7-$7/user/mo on Render.
Side-by-side
| Render | Caprover (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $7-$7/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | Render's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | Render controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (NOASSERTION) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (manual) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 70 / 100 |
Why teams leave Render
Caprover answers this by: Self-hostable app platforms, like Render.
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using Render at the midpoint price ($7/user/mo).
| Period | Render | Caprover on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $35 | $4.13 | $30.87 |
| Yearly | $420 | $49.56 | $370.44 |
| 3 years | $1,260 | $149 | $1,111 |
Deploy Caprover now
One-click deploys at the cheapest provider for this workload:
Affiliate disclosure — these links may earn ossreplace a commission at no cost to you.
Common questions
Is Caprover a good alternative to Render?
Caprover is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Render with an ossreplace health score of 70/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the NOASSERTION license, versus Render's $7–7/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is Caprover than Render?
A 5-person team pays about $35/mo on Render. Self-hosting Caprover on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $1,111 less over three years (88% lower).
Is Caprover hard to self-host?
Caprover self-hosts on your own VPS. You handle the install, backups, and updates yourself in exchange for full data ownership and no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with Caprover vs Render?
Yes. Because Caprover runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With Render, Render controls the hosting, storage, and access.