IndieCloud or VPS? Which one is right for your next project?
Should you choose a classic VPS or a managed PaaS like IndieCloud? Let’s compare pros, cons, costs, and use cases.
- 4 min read
When starting a new project, many developers face the same question:
Should I rent a VPS and manage everything myself, or use a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) like IndieCloud?
At first glance, a VPS looks cheap and simple. 5–20 € per month and you’re ready to go.
But what about backups, scaling, monitoring, and updates? Suddenly the picture changes.
This article compares VPS hosting vs IndieCloud to help you decide what fits your needs best.
What is a VPS?
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is basically your own slice of a physical machine in a data center.
You get root access, install whatever you want, and have full control.
Advantages of a VPS
- Cheap: Hetzner, OVH, Scaleway, DigitalOcean, etc. offer VPS starting at ~5 €/month.
- Full control: You decide the OS, packages, versions.
- Flexible: Any stack, any configuration.
- Dedicated resources: More predictable performance than pure shared hosting.
Downsides of a VPS
- You are the sysadmin: You configure Nginx, SSL, firewalls, databases.
- Maintenance hell: Security patches, upgrades, backups are on you.
- Hidden cost: Your time. Even one hour/month of DevOps is more expensive than the VPS itself.
- Scaling pain: Going from one VPS to high-availability clusters is complex.
VPS = great if you like tinkering, have DevOps skills, or need total control.
But if you want to just build apps… it can be a trap.
What is IndieCloud?
IndieCloud is a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS):
You focus on code, and the platform takes care of infrastructure.
How IndieCloud works
- Push your code (Next.js, Angular, FastAPI, Spring Boot, …).
- IndieCloud builds, deploys, and hosts it automatically.
- Add managed services like PostgreSQL, Keycloak, or Elasticsearch with one click.
- All hosted on trusted European providers (Hetzner, Scaleway, OVH).
Advantages of IndieCloud
- No DevOps stress: No servers to configure, no Nginx to debug.
- Faster to market: Idea → deploy → live in minutes.
- Privacy-first: 100 % EU-hosted, GDPR-compliant, no Schrems-II risk.
- Integrated services: Databases, auth, monitoring out of the box.
- Scaling built-in: Don’t worry about traffic spikes.
Downsides of IndieCloud
- Less control than a raw VPS.
- Monthly cost higher than the cheapest VPS (but includes all management).
- Opinionated stack: If you want exotic software or kernel-level tweaks, a VPS is better.
IndieCloud = great if you want to focus on building instead of babysitting servers.
Cost comparison: VPS vs IndieCloud
A VPS sounds cheap, but let’s look deeper.
VPS
- Hetzner CX21 VPS (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM): ~8 €/month.
- Add storage upgrades, backups, monitoring tools: +10–20 €/month.
- DevOps time: even 2 hours/month at 50 €/hour = 100 €.
Real cost: 120–150 €/month, not 8 €.
IndieCloud
- Plans start higher than a raw VPS, but include:
- Infrastructure (servers, scaling)
- Backups & monitoring
- Managed databases & services
- SSL & routing pre-configured
- Support
Real cost: predictable and fixed monthly fee. Starting at 5€/month
When to choose a VPS
A VPS is the right choice if:
- You love tinkering with infrastructure.
- You want full control over every config.
- You run unusual software stacks.
- You are cost-sensitive and can spend your own time instead of money.
Example: A personal side project, a self-hosted experiment, or a legacy stack that PaaS doesn’t support.
When to choose IndieCloud
IndieCloud (PaaS) is the right choice if:
- You want to build fast without DevOps headaches.
- You want GDPR compliance and EU-only hosting.
- You value predictable pricing over “cheap but risky”.
- You want out-of-the-box scaling, monitoring, and managed services.
Example: A SaaS MVP, a client project, or any app where speed and privacy matter.
IndieCloud vs VPS: a summary
| Feature | VPS | IndieCloud (PaaS) |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Manual (hours/days) | Minutes (push code) |
| Control | Full (root access) | Limited (platform-managed) |
| Cost (visible) | 5–20 €/month | Higher than VPS |
| Cost (realistic) | 100–150 €/month (incl. DevOps time) | Transparent monthly fee |
| Scaling | Manual, complex | Built-in |
| Privacy / GDPR | Depends on host | 100 % EU-based |
| Managed services | DIY install | One click (Postgres, Keycloak, …) |
Conclusion
There’s no absolute “better” choice.
- If you want maximum control and are happy to manage servers: go with a VPS.
- If you want to build and launch quickly, EU-hosted and privacy-first: IndieCloud is the way.
👉 Try IndieCloud free today and deploy your first app in minutes:
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