Nhost vs Render (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Render grades higher than Nhost: 2.4 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Render grades higher on value for money, features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Nhost
Managed Postgres backend with GraphQL, auth, storage and functions
Render
Cloud hosting for web services, databases and workers
Which one is for you
Pick Nhost if
- Fits if you want Postgres with GraphQL and auth without running servers
- Makes sense if a free project that pauses is fine for prototypes
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you leave a project idle, as the free Starter pauses after a week
- Pricey if you grow, since usage is billed on top of $25 a month and Team is $599
- Watch out: compute is $15 a shared or $50 a dedicated vCPU a month
- Watch out: custom domains are $10 per project a month and point-in-time recovery starts at $100
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
| 1.8GPANhostWeak | 2.4GPARenderFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DPro is $25 a month plus usage, above the $20.83 dearer-quarter line for web hosting, with compute at $15 per vCPU and custom domains $10 per project. The free tier pauses, so real use sits on Pro. | 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 | CA free Starter with 1 project, 1 GB database, 1 GB storage and 5 GB egress. It pauses after a week of inactivity and has one workspace member. | CHobby is $0 with up to 25 services, but free instance types come with limitations and bandwidth is 5 GB. |
| Features | CPostgres, Hasura GraphQL, auth, storage, functions and containers with a CLI. Point-in-time recovery starts at $100 and custom domains cost extra. | BWeb services, workers, cron, Postgres, Key Value, previews, autoscaling, API and infrastructure as code. The listing names no core gap. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You design the data model and wire up the client yourself. | CNo store rating on record. You define services, instance types and databases. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with a short list: Hasura, Postgres, Grafana and GraphQL. | BWeb only, with Docker, a CLI, a REST API and an MCP server. |
| Best for | a managed Postgres backend with GraphQL, auth and storage | 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: Nhost and Render. How we grade
Price against what you get
Nhost starts at $25 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Render starts at $25 a month and scores 2.7.
Render scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 48 score higher than Nhost for less, and none scores higher than Render for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Render also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| Nhost | Render | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $25 per month and up (Pro), with $15 of compute credits included | $25 per month plus compute (Pro workspace) |
| Free plan | Starter: 1 active project that pauses after a week of inactivity, with a 1 GB database, 1 GB storage and 5 GB egress. | 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 | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Nhost | Render |
| Price read from | nhost.io | render.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Nhost
- The free Starter project is paused after a week of inactivity, and it is limited to one project and one workspace member.
- Usage beyond included amounts is charged: $0.20 per GB of database, $0.05 per GB of storage and $0.10 per GB of egress.
- Compute is billed separately at $15 per shared or $50 per dedicated vCPU core a month.
- Custom domains cost $10 per project per month, and point-in-time recovery starts at $100.
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
Nhost
- Postgres database
- Every project has a dedicated Postgres instance, with 7 days of daily backups on paid plans and point-in-time recovery as an add-on.
- Hasura GraphQL API
- A GraphQL engine gives instant real-time APIs over the data, with event triggers, subscriptions and role-based authorization.
- Authentication
- Email and password, magic links, social OAuth providers, WebAuthn and 2FA, with unlimited users on every plan.
- Storage and functions
- File storage with a global CDN and image transformation, plus serverless JavaScript and TypeScript functions with per-plan execution limits.
- Nhost Run containers
- A managed container runtime for your own services in any language, billed per vCPU and memory allocated.
- CLI and git deploys
- A CLI runs the whole stack locally, and pushing to git deploys the backend; infrastructure can be managed as code.
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
Nhost
Starter$0
1 project and 1 workspace member, unlimited users, functions, realtime APIs and community support.
Pro$25
per month and up, plus usage
10 GB database, 50 GB storage, 50 GB egress, daily backups, email support and $15 of compute credits; unlimited projects.
Team$599
per month and up, plus usage
Everything in Pro plus SOC 2 Type II, email support SLA, a dedicated Discord channel and external database connections.
EnterpriseCustom
SLAs, a dedicated technical account manager and optional dedicated clusters. Sold through sales.
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
Nhost
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, Nhost or Render?
As of Nov 13, 2026, they start at the same price. Nhost starts at $25 per month and up (Pro), with $15 of compute credits included, and Render starts at $25 per month plus compute (Pro workspace).
Which has a free plan, Nhost or Render?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Nhost and Render have a free plan.
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.