Quick answer
Ownkube - Ownkube wins for most builders who want a free tier to start and grow cautiously, because it requires no credit card, keeps the free plan genuinely usable, and has a cheaper entry into paid usage; Koyeb wins if you want a broader managed cloud platform with built-in Postgres, more regions, and tighter production hosting features.
How the free tiers compare
Koyeb and Ownkube both sit in the cloud hosting and deployment lane, but they optimize for different kinds of builders. Koyeb is the more self-contained platform: serverless compute, managed Postgres, global regions, built-in networking features, and a free tier that already includes bandwidth, custom domains, logs, metrics, and autoscaling. It looks better if you want one place to run services without wiring up your own cloud account. Ownkube is narrower but more frugal at the start: it deploys into your own AWS account, gives you one AWS instance on the free tier, and keeps the core deployment workflow, preview environments, certificate management, and basic observability available without a card. Its paid path is also more granular and can stay cheaper for small workloads. Koyeb’s free tier is richer in platform features, while Ownkube’s free tier is easier to try and extend into paid usage.
Koyeb vs Ownkube free tier, side by side
| KoyebFTV 40 | OwnkubeFTV 54 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free compute / instanceKoyeb gives compute credit; Ownkube gives one instance in your AWS account. | $10 included compute on Pro free tier | One AWS instance |
| Free applications / servicesKoyeb caps services; Ownkube does not cap apps on Starter. | Up to 100 services | Unlimited applications |
| Free usersOwnkube input does not provide a free-user limit. | Up to 10 users | Not specified |
| Free bandwidthOnly Koyeb lists bandwidth in the provided free tier facts. | 1 TB per month included | Not specified |
| Free databaseKoyeb includes database capacity; Ownkube input does not mention a managed database. | Serverless Postgres included; 5 hours/month at $0/hr, 1 GB storage, 0.25 vCPU, 1 GB RAM | Not specified |
| Free monitoring / logsKoyeb separates metrics and logs; Ownkube only states monitoring retention. | 7 days retention for realtime metrics and logs | 7 days of monitoring |
| Free card requirementThis is stated only because the field is present for both products. | Required | No card required |
After you outgrow the free tier
Koyeb’s paid path is mostly flat-plan plus compute overages: Pro starts at $29/mo, Scale at $299/mo, and Enterprise is custom. Ownkube is usage-based from the start, with Production priced at $5 per vCPU per month and $1 per GB RAM per month, plus per-second rates; Enterprise is custom. That means Koyeb is easier to budget at the plan level, while Ownkube can be much cheaper for tiny workloads and scales more directly with resource use. For small teams with light traffic, Ownkube is usually the cheaper paid option unless you need Koyeb’s bundled platform features.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Koyeb | Ownkube |
|---|---|---|
| 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, steady monthOwnkube estimate uses the listed monthly rates; seconds-based charges may matter for shorter runtimes. | $29/mo + compute | ~$6/mo |
| 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, steady monthOwnkube estimate is based on $5 per vCPU and $1 per GB RAM per month. | $29/mo + compute | ~$14/mo |
| 5 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, steady monthKoyeb still starts at the flat plan price before compute overages; Ownkube grows with resource usage. | $29/mo + compute | ~$33/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Koyeb when…
- You want managed hosting without bringing your own AWS account.
- You need built-in Postgres on the free tier for a small app or prototype.
- You care about global regions, built-in load balancing, or HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 support.
- You expect to use more than one service and want a platform with service quotas and autoscaling already in place.
- You want a single vendor for deploys, observability, networking, and database hosting.
Pick Ownkube when…
- You want to try the platform without entering a credit card.
- You are deploying into your own AWS account and want to keep cloud ownership on your side.
- You mostly need GitHub deploys, preview environments, certificates, and basic monitoring for small apps.
- You want a free tier that stays useful even before paying, especially for a single-instance setup.
- You expect to start small and pay only for vCPU and RAM as usage grows.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, Ownkube is the better free-tier choice because you can start without a card, keep apps and previews on one AWS instance, and move into paid usage with a clear resource-based model. Pick Koyeb if you want a more complete managed platform from day one, especially if you need built-in Postgres, more regions, or a broader set of hosting features without managing AWS yourself.
Read the full listings: Koyeb and Ownkube. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.