Render vs Scalingo (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Render grades higher than Scalingo: 2.4 against 2.2 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 features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
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
Scalingo
European PaaS and managed databases billed by the minute
Which one is for you
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
Pick Scalingo if
- Fits if you want Heroku-style Git deploys and European regions
- Works for small apps that need a managed database
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: prices are in euros, exclude VAT and are on a 30-day basis
- Tight if uptime matters, as the 99.96% SLA is on the Business plan and starter databases are 98%
- Pricey if you add extras: a Docker image download costs €50 and OpenVPN €30 a month, both ex. VAT
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as it has only a 30-day trial
How we grade them
| 2.4GPARenderFair | 2.2GPAScalingoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CA container starts at €7.20 a month and a starter database at €7.20, ex. VAT, in the ordinary range. Dollar prices are not shown. |
| Free plan and trial | CHobby is $0 with up to 25 services, but free instance types come with limitations and bandwidth is 5 GB. | C30 days free per the pricing page. The page does not say here whether a card is needed. |
| Features | BWeb services, workers, cron, Postgres, Key Value, previews, autoscaling, API and infrastructure as code. The listing names no core gap. | CGit deploys, managed databases and vector search. Starter databases run on one node with a 98% SLA, a gap, as the 99.96% SLA is on Business. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You define services, instance types and databases. | CDeploys follow a Git workflow and databases need setting up, with no store rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Docker, a CLI, a REST API and an MCP server. | BWeb dashboard with a few integrations. No phone or desktop app. |
| Best for | web services and Postgres in one place | Git-deployed apps with European hosting |
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: Render and Scalingo. How we grade
Price against what you get
Render starts at $25 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Scalingo starts at about $8.04 a month and scores 2.3.
Render scores higher, and starts $16.96 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other web hosts on the chart, none scores higher than Render for less, and 2 score higher than Scalingo 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
| Render | Scalingo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $25 per month plus compute (Pro workspace) | €7.20 per month ex. VAT (smallest container or database) |
| Free plan | 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). | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free for 30 days, per the pricing page description |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Render | Scalingo SAS |
| Price read from | render.com | scalingo.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Scalingo
- Prices are in euros, exclude VAT and are estimated on a 30-day basis; the page shows no dollar prices.
- Starter databases run on a single node with a 98% SLA; the 99.96% SLA is on the Business plan.
- Extra database storage is charged on top of the storage included in each plan.
- A Docker image download costs €50 and an OpenVPN option €30 per month, both ex. VAT.
Key features
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.
Scalingo
- Git-based deploys
- Connect a Git repository for deploys, with autoscaling on metrics and zero-downtime rolling deploys.
- Managed databases
- Offers PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, caching, Elasticsearch, OpenSearch and InfluxDB, with daily backups and PostgreSQL point-in-time recovery.
- Always-included extras
- Custom domains, Let's Encrypt SSL, metrics, unlimited collaborators and log archives come with every container.
- Sovereign and health regions
- A SecNumCloud region built on Outscale costs 20% more, and HDS plans exist for health data hosting.
- Vector search for AI apps
- Pgvector on PostgreSQL, plus ML and KNN features on OpenSearch, for semantic search and LLM applications.
Plans
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.
Scalingo
Container S€7.20
per month, ex. VAT, 30-day basis
256 MB RAM at low CPU priority. Sizes run to 3XL (8 GB RAM) at €230.40.
Container M€14.40
per month, ex. VAT, 30-day basis
512 MB RAM at standard CPU priority; L (1 GB) is €28.80 and XL (2 GB) is €57.60.
PostgreSQL Starter 512M€7.20
per month, ex. VAT, 30-day basis
512 MB RAM, 10 GB storage and 30 connections on a single node with a 98% SLA.
Ways to pay less
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.
Scalingo
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Render or Scalingo?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Scalingo is cheaper to start with: about $8.04 a month, against $25 a month for Render. Render starts at $25 per month plus compute (Pro workspace), and Scalingo starts at €7.20 per month ex. VAT (smallest container or database).
Which has a free plan, Render or Scalingo?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Render has a free plan. Scalingo 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.