Compare Cloudgate with other deployment platforms
Most platforms run your app on their machines. Cloudgate runs it on yours: your own Servers, your AWS account or your Google Cloud project. Here is how that plays out against the platforms people ask about.
Which comparison are you after?
Each page starts with a short answer, then the detail, then when the other one is the better pick.
- Cloudgate vs HerokuA long-running platform as a service that runs your apps on its own infrastructure.Choose Cloudgate if you want Heroku-style deploys on servers and cloud accounts you own, with a flat monthly price that does not grow with each app.
- Cloudgate vs VercelA frontend cloud built around Next.js, serverless functions and a preview for every push.Choose Vercel for a Next.js or frontend-heavy site that wants global edge delivery and a preview for every push, with no servers.
- Cloudgate vs RenderA cloud platform for web services, workers, cron jobs and managed databases on its own cloud.Choose Render if you want those building blocks fully managed on its cloud, with no servers or cloud accounts of your own.
- Cloudgate vs CoolifyAn open-source, self-hostable platform that deploys apps and databases to your servers.Choose Coolify if an open-source license and a large community catalogue matter most to you.
Cloudgate, Heroku, Vercel, Render and Coolify side by side
The other platforms are described in general terms that rarely change. Check their own sites for current prices and limits.
| Cloudgate | Heroku | Vercel | Render | Coolify | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where your apps run | Your own Servers over SSH, your AWS or Google Cloud account, or a server bought from Cloudgate | Heroku’s own platform, on infrastructure Heroku runs | Vercel’s own global network and serverless functions | Render’s own cloud | Servers you connect over SSH, including cloud VMs |
| Who owns the servers | You do. Apps and data stay on your machines and in your cloud accounts | Heroku does. You rent capacity as dynos | Vercel does | Render does | You do |
| Pricing model | Hosted: $15 or $35 a month, counting Servers and Cloud Environments, never members. Servers and cloud usage are billed by their provider | Pay per dyno and per add-on, by size and how many you run | Plans per team member, plus metered usage | Per service instance by size, plus metered usage | Free to self-host; a paid cloud option runs the dashboard for you |
| AI agent access over MCP | Built in. Each Agent is a member with its own role, grant and keys; every call is audited, secrets are masked, and it gets 120 reads and 10 writes a minute | Has an MCP server of its own; see Heroku’s docs for what an agent can reach | Has an MCP server of its own; see Vercel’s docs for what an agent can reach | Has an MCP server of its own; see Render’s docs for what an agent can reach | See Coolify’s docs for its API and any MCP support |
| Self-hosting | Yes, free under the Elastic License 2.0 (source-available) | No | No. The Next.js framework itself can be self-hosted, for example on Cloudgate | No | Yes, open source under the Apache License 2.0 |
| Preview deployments | One per GitHub pull request, or a requested preview that expires on its own | Review apps for pull requests, through pipelines | A preview deployment for every push, a core feature | Preview environments for pull requests | Preview deployments for pull requests |
The table scrolls sideways on a small screen. For the full picture read Cloudgate’s plans and prices, how to self-host Cloudgate for free, and how AI agents deploy over MCP.
Questions about choosing a platform
What is Cloudgate an alternative to?
To platforms that run your apps on their own infrastructure, such as Heroku, Vercel and Render, and to self-hosted platforms such as Coolify. Cloudgate deploys to servers and cloud accounts you own, from a hosted console or one you run yourself.
What makes Cloudgate different from other deployment platforms?
Three things together: your apps run on your own Servers, AWS or Google Cloud; the hosted price is flat and counts Servers and Cloud Environments, not apps or members; and AI agents connect over MCP as members with their own role, grant, keys and audit trail.
Is Cloudgate cheaper than Heroku, Vercel or Render?
It depends on how much you run. Cloudgate’s hosted plans are $15 or $35 a month, and you pay your server or cloud provider for the machines. Many apps on a few servers usually cost less than a price per app; one small app may not. Self-hosting Cloudgate is free.
Is Cloudgate open source?
No. It is source-available under the Elastic License 2.0: free to use, self-host and modify, but not to offer to others as a hosted service. Read the license in plain English.
See it on your own server
Start the 30-day free trial on the hosted console, connect a server you already have or buy one from us, and deploy. Or self-host it for free from the public source on GitHub. Questions? Write to support@octabyte.io.