Clever Cloud vs Render (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Clever Cloud and Render share a 2.4 GPA, and only Render has a free plan.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Render
Cloud hosting for web services, databases and workers
Which one is for you
Pick Clever Cloud if
- Fits if you want a European host with Git-based deploys
- Works for teams that need certifications and sovereignty claims
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price before you sign up, as none is published
- Tight if you want a lasting free tier, as the sign-up credits are a one-time grant
- Watch out: billing runs on funds paid monthly in advance against your expected usage
- Not for you if you need the site in another language, as it is only in English and French
Pick Render if
- Fits if you want web services and Postgres together
- Works for backends that need cron jobs and background workers
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: free instances have limits and 5 GB of bandwidth
- Pricey if you add it up: workspace plus each service's instance
- Watch out: full-stack previews and autoscaling need Pro
- Watch out: HIPAA workspaces, SAML SSO and SCIM start at $499 on Scale
- Watch out: no bandwidth overage price is named
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAClever CloudFair | 2.4GPARenderFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo plan prices are published as text. Cost comes from an online estimator, billed per second against funds paid monthly in advance. | CPro is $25 a month plus compute, above the dearer quarter's $19 as a floor, but Hobby is $0. A $7 instance buys 512 MB RAM and Postgres starts at $6. |
| Free plan and trial | CSign-up credits need no card, but they are a one-time grant and larger programs go through sales. | CHobby is $0 with up to 25 services, but free instance types come with limitations and bandwidth is 5 GB. |
| Features | BGit deploys, many runtimes, managed databases, autoscaling with a cap and certifications. The listing names no gap in the core hosting job. | BWeb services, workers, cron, Postgres, Key Value, previews, autoscaling, API and infrastructure as code. The listing names no core gap. |
| Ease of use | CPick runtimes, instance sizes and databases yourself. The site and docs are only in English and French, and there is no store rating. | CNo store rating on record. You define services, instance types and databases. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb console and Git workflow with a handful of integrations. No phone or desktop app. | BWeb only, with Docker, a CLI, a REST API and an MCP server. |
| Best for | git-push deploys with European hosting | web services and Postgres in one place |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Clever Cloud and Render. How we grade
Where they differ
At a glance
| Clever Cloud | Render | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $25 per month plus compute (Pro workspace) |
| Free plan | None | Hobby workspace: $0 a month, up to 25 services, 5 GB of bandwidth, and free instance types for web services, Postgres and Key Value (limitations apply). |
| Free trial | Free credits on sign-up, no payment card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Clever Cloud | Render |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | render.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Clever Cloud
- No plan prices are published as text: pricing depends on the instance size and count chosen in an online estimator.
- Billing is per second on resources funded monthly in advance against your expected usage, with an itemised bill.
- The free credits on sign-up are a one-time grant, and larger credit programs go through the sales team.
- The site and its documentation are available in English and French.
Render
- The workspace fee is only part of the bill: every service pays for its instance, for example $7 a month for 512 MB RAM or $25 for 2 GB.
- Free instance types carry limitations, and Postgres on a paid plan starts at $6 a month for 256 MB RAM.
- HIPAA-compliant workspaces, SAML SSO and SCIM start on the $499 Scale plan.
- Bandwidth is included per workspace plan (5 GB, 25 GB, 1 TB), with the page naming no overage price.
Key features
Clever Cloud
- Git-push deployment
- A git push triggers a full deployment, and the platform handles monitoring, updates and restarts for the application.
- Many runtimes
- Runtime pages cover Node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, Go, Rust, Elixir, .NET Core, Docker, static sites and more.
- Managed databases
- Offers PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis and Elasticsearch as managed services, with daily backups on PostgreSQL.
- Autoscaling with a cap
- Resources adapt automatically within the limits you set, so you choose the maximum you are willing to pay.
- Sovereignty and certifications
- Says it runs its own datacenters in France, and is certified ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and Health Data Hosting (HDS).
Render
- Services and workers
- Web services, private services, background workers and cron jobs run Node, Python, Go, Rust, Ruby, Elixir or custom Docker containers.
- Managed Postgres and Key Value
- Fully managed PostgreSQL with point-in-time recovery and connection pooling, plus a Redis-compatible Key Value store.
- Preview environments
- Pull requests can get their own preview, single-service on Hobby and full-stack on Pro and above.
- Autoscaling and zero-downtime deploys
- Horizontal autoscaling is a Pro feature, and deploys are listed as zero downtime in the product menu.
- Infrastructure as code and API
- Services can be defined as code, managed with the Render CLI and REST API, or driven from an MCP server.
- Persistent disks
- SSD disks can be attached to services at $0.25 per GB per month.
Plans
Clever Cloud
Pricing could not be confirmed. See clever.cloud.
Render
Hobby$0
per month, plus compute
Up to 25 services, 5 GB of bandwidth, single-service previews, custom domains, database PITR and chat support.
Pro$25
per month, plus compute
Unlimited seats and services, 25 GB of bandwidth, full-stack previews, horizontal autoscaling and isolated environments.
Scale$499
per month, plus compute
Multiple workspaces, 1 TB of bandwidth, HIPAA-compliant workspaces, SAML SSO and SCIM, and advanced RBAC roles.
EnterpriseCustom
Contractual uptime SLAs, a dedicated technical account team, a support Slack channel and support response SLAs.
Ways to pay less
Clever Cloud
No public discounts listed.
Render
- Startups
Up to $100K in credits for VC-funded startups
The pricing page links to Render for Startups, which offers up to $100K in credits to VC-funded startups.
- Other savings
Up to $10K in migration credits
Teams moving to Render can get up to $10K in credits through the migration program linked from the pricing page.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Clever Cloud or Render?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Clever Cloud has no price we could confirm, and Render starts at $25 per month plus compute (Pro workspace).
Which has a free plan, Clever Cloud or Render?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Render has a free plan. Clever Cloud does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.