An honest comparison — including when Self-Hosting is the better choice.
Hosting for the apps your AI coding agent builds. Your agent deploys full-stack apps with their databases, using the Telbase skills.
Pricing: Flat plans: Free, $5/mo, $19/mo, $79/mo
Best for: Developers building with AI coding tools who want zero infrastructure setup
Full control on your own VPS — you manage everything
Pricing: $5-10/mo for a VPS (Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Linode). Infrastructure is free — you pay with time.
Best for: Experienced operators who want full control and have time for infrastructure management
| Feature | Telbase | Self-Hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $5/mo (Starter) — $79/mo (Pro) | ~$5-10/mo (VPS hardware only) |
| Setup time | Install the CLI and the skills, then ask your agent | 2-8 hours (OS, firewall, SSL, DNS, process manager) |
| Deploy workflow | Ask your coding agent (Telbase skills) | git pull + build + restart (or CI/CD you maintain) |
| SSL certificates | Automatic (included) | Manual (Let's Encrypt + renewal cron) |
| Database provisioning | Created with the app | Manual install, configure, backup, and update |
| Security patches | Managed by platform | Your responsibility (OS + runtime + dependencies) |
| Full root access | No | Yes — full control over the machine |
| Custom networking | Not available | Full control (iptables, VPN, private networks) |
| Persistent storage | R2 object storage only | Local disk, NFS, any volume mount |
| Database choice | PostgreSQL or SQLite (created with the app) | Any — MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, Elasticsearch, etc. |
Choose self-hosting if you need databases Telbase doesn't support (MySQL, MongoDB, Redis), persistent local storage, GPUs, or full root access. Also consider it if you have a mature DevOps workflow and the bandwidth to maintain infrastructure.