Migrate from Render to HostStack

EU-hosted Render alternative. Same git-push workflow, lower bill, and your data stays in Germany or Finland. Migrate in under an hour.

Render is great until your customers ask where their data lives, or your invoice creeps up. HostStack offers the same git-push deploy model, managed databases, cron jobs, and preview environments — all on EU infrastructure with predictable, pay-as-you-go pricing.

Why switch from Render?

EU data residency by default — compute and data in Germany or Finland, no US sub-processors in the request path.
GDPR Article 28 DPA signed automatically at signup, sub-processor list published, EU VAT invoices.
Predictable pay-as-you-go pricing — Pico web service from €1/mo, Pro from €29/mo. No surprise bandwidth bills.
Free tier that fits a real side project: 1 Nano service + 1 Starter Postgres + 1 cron + 1 preview env.
Cheap, predictable egress — 200 GB/team free, then a flat 1¢/GB, not bundled into a fat per-instance line.
Managed Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, and Redis — Render only ships Postgres + KV.
Open-spec hoststack.yaml: portable config you keep in your repo, not a proprietary dashboard.

Price comparison

Resource	Render	HostStack	Comparison
Hobby web service	$7/mo Starter	€1/mo Pico (or free Nano)	Up to 100%
Production web service	$25/mo Standard	€29/mo Pro Standard	Comparable — but EU-hosted
Managed Postgres (1GB)	$7/mo Starter (90-day expiry on Free)	€4/mo Micro (free Starter never expires)	~40%
Bandwidth (100GB egress)	$10 (after 100GB free)	€1 (1¢/GB)	~90%
Persistent disk (10GB)	$2.50/mo (0.25/GB)	€1/mo (10¢/GB·mo)	~60%

Prices as of 2026-05-30. Always check current pricing on each provider before deciding.

Code migration

Before (Render)

yaml

# render.yaml
services:
  - type: web
    name: my-api
    runtime: node
    buildCommand: bun install && bun run build
    startCommand: bun run start
    envVars:
      - key: NODE_ENV
        value: production
databases:
  - name: my-db
    plan: starter

After (HostStack)

yaml

# hoststack.yaml
services:
  - name: my-api
    type: web
    runtime: bun
    build: bun install && bun run build
    start: bun run start
    plan: pro-standard
    env:
      NODE_ENV: production
databases:
  - name: my-db
    engine: postgres
    plan: micro

Feature comparison

Feature	Render	HostStack
Git push deploys	Yes	Yes
Native runtimes	Node, Python, Go, Ruby, Rust	Node, Python, Go, Rust, Bun, Java, Docker
Managed databases	Postgres, KV	Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, S3
Preview environments	Paid only	1 free per project
Cron jobs	Paid only	1 free per project
Data residency	US, Frankfurt, Singapore	Germany + Finland (EU only)
Egress fees	After 100GB bundle	Flat 1¢/GB
EU VAT invoices	No	Yes (Stripe Tax)
DPA signed automatically	On request	At signup
Open YAML config	render.yaml	hoststack.yaml
CLI	render-cli (limited)	@hoststack.dev/cli
MCP server	No	Yes (@hoststack.dev/mcp)

Migration gotchas

Disk-backed services on Render are tied to a single instance.

HostStack persistent volumes are also single-AZ today. If you rely on Render disks you can lift-and-shift; if you want HA storage, plan to migrate to a managed database or S3-compatible object storage.

Render KV → HostStack managed Redis.

Render KV is a Redis-protocol KV store. HostStack provisions real managed Redis. The protocol is compatible; just point your client at the new connection URL.

Migration steps

1Sign up at hoststack.dev — no credit card required for the free tier.
2Translate your render.yaml to hoststack.yaml (or use the dashboard wizard). Most keys map 1:1.
3Connect your GitHub / GitLab / Bitbucket account and import the same repo.
4Take a pg_dump of your Render database and restore it into your new HostStack Postgres (one-line CLI command in the dashboard).
5Trigger the first deploy. HostStack issues a free SSL certificate for *.hoststack.dev automatically.
6Update DNS to point your custom domain at HostStack. Switch traffic when you’re ready; both providers can run in parallel for as long as you need.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a typical migration take?

For a single web service + Postgres, under an hour. The bulk of the time is the database dump/restore and DNS propagation, neither of which is HostStack-specific.

Can I run on both providers during the migration?

Yes. Update your DNS only when you’re ready to cut over. Both providers can serve the same traffic in parallel, which is the safest way to migrate a production workload.

What about my Render preview environments?

HostStack ships preview environments natively. Every pull request gets its own ephemeral environment with isolated databases and a unique URL. The free tier includes one preview env per project; paid tiers get unlimited.

Ready to switch?

Start free. Migrate in under an hour. Keep your data in the EU.