If you're running PocketBase and looking for managed hosting instead of babysitting your own VPS, you've probably run into two names: PocketHost and PocketBase Cloud. Both let you deploy PocketBase in minutes with zero Docker or Nginx config. But under the "managed hosting" label, they're solving pretty different problems.
Full disclosure: I built PocketBase Cloud, so this isn't 100% neutral — but I'll stick to concrete numbers so you can judge for yourself.
Rate limits — the biggest difference
PocketHost enforces several layers of rate limiting at the Cloudflare edge:
- 50 requests / 10 seconds / IP
- 1,000 requests / hour / IP
- 10,000 requests / hour / instance
- 5 concurrent requests / IP
- 50 concurrent requests / instance
That's fine for a side project, but if you're running SSR (Next.js, Nuxt, etc.) or a backend proxy that talks to PocketBase from a single server, all your traffic comes from one IP. That "5 concurrent requests per IP" cap suddenly becomes a real bottleneck, not a theoretical one.
PocketBase Cloud doesn't enforce per-IP or per-instance caps. Throughput depends entirely on the server resources you're on — a Pro plan instance with 2 vCPU / 4GB RAM can handle 1,000+ requests per second with no artificial ceiling.
Hibernation — does your cron job actually fire on time?
This is the one people usually don't notice until it bites them. PocketHost instances can hibernate during periods of inactivity. When that happens:
- Cron jobs and scheduled tasks may fail to run
- The first request after waking up can be delayed or fail outright
- Missed cron intervals are not replayed after wake-up
For an app with steady traffic this barely matters. But for a low-traffic B2B app, or anything relying on cron for emails, syncing, billing, etc., hibernation is a quiet risk sitting in the background.
PocketBase Cloud runs 24/7 — no hibernation, no cold starts. It behaves exactly like PocketBase on your own server, except we handle the infra, monitoring, and security hardening for you.
Not just PocketBase hosting
This is more of a product philosophy difference than a feature checklist. PocketHost is single-purpose: it only hosts PocketBase. PocketBase Cloud is a full application platform — within the same project you can deploy:
- PocketBase — database, auth, realtime
- Backend services (Node.js, Deno, Bun) — for logic that goes beyond what PocketBase hooks can do, or when you need something from the JS ecosystem
- Static sites / frontends — React, Vue, Svelte, Astro, etc., with custom domains
Everything in the project shares the same infrastructure and can talk to each other directly — no CORS workarounds, no billing scattered across three different providers.
Quick comparison
| Feature | PocketBase Cloud | PocketHost |
|---|---|---|
| Request rate limits | None (based on server resources) | Per-IP / per-instance caps |
| Hibernation | No — 24/7 uptime | Yes |
| Free plan | 1 PocketBase + 5 frontends | No |
| Static site hosting | Yes, custom domains | No |
| Backend hosting (Node/Deno/Bun) | Yes (Pro plan) | No |
| Multi-service in one project | Yes | PocketBase only |
| Custom domains | Starter plan and up | No |
| Real-time log streaming | Yes | No |
| Server monitoring (CPU/RAM/disk) | Yes (Pro plan) | No |
So which one should you pick?
If you're running a small side project with low traffic and don't care about cold starts, PocketHost is a fine, simple choice.
If you need real production reliability, have SSR/proxy traffic funneling through one IP, rely on cron jobs, or want your frontend + backend + database in one place instead of juggling three providers — that's exactly the gap PocketBase Cloud was built to fill.
PocketBase Cloud has a free plan (1 PocketBase instance + 5 frontend deployments), no credit card required to actually try it — check it out at pocketbasecloud.com.
Where are you hosting PocketBase right now — self-hosted, PocketHost, Coolify, something else? Curious to hear how it's going for you 👇
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