Feature by feature
11 dimensions compared, August 2026
8
Hostwares
2
Netlify
| Feature | HHostwares | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat packs: $3 / $7 / $18 per month | Credit-based: Free 300 / Personal $9 / Pro $20 + credit consumption |
| Bill predictability | Fixed | Deploys, bandwidth, and compute all burn credits |
| Backends / long-running processes | Full support (persistent containers) | Serverless functions only |
| Managed databases | Postgres, MySQL, Redis, Mongo from $3/mo | Third-party integrations |
| One-click services | 326+ | None |
| Deploy previews | Not yet | Unlimited deploy previews, core feature |
| Free tier | No - $3/mo entry | Free plan with 300 credits/mo |
| AI capabilities | AI DevOps agent (web + CLI) | AI deploy assistance; no infra agent |
| Bandwidth | Not metered (fair use) | ≈$0.13/GB via credits |
| Forms / identity add-ons | Run any self-hosted equivalent (326+ catalog) | Built-in, credit-metered |
| Payment methods | PayPal, Stripe, bKash | Credit card |
Sources: netlify.com pricing page & docs, August 2026. Vendors change pricing - confirm on their site.
Netlify pricing vs Hostwares pricing
Netlify's 2026 pricing is credit-based: the Free plan includes 300 credits/mo, Personal $9/mo includes 1,000, Pro $20/mo includes 3,000. Usage burns credits - a production deploy costs 15 credits (~$0.10), bandwidth 20 credits per GB (~$0.13), compute 10 credits per GB-hour (~$0.07), web requests 2 credits per 10k. A moderately active site can burn through plan credits quickly. Hostwares charges a flat $3–18/mo per pack with no consumption billing at all.
$ scenario: Marketing site + API backend + Postgres
Netlify
HHostwares
- flat. same price in your biggest month.
The honest verdict
Choose Hostwares if…
- Your app has a real backend - API server, websockets, workers
- You want databases included instead of external vendors
- You don't want to do credit math to predict a hosting bill
- You want AI DevOps, cPanel, domains, and one-click apps in one place
Choose Netlify if…
- You're deploying a purely static site and want a $0 tier
- You want deploy previews and form handling out of the box
- Your team lives in the Jamstack workflow (build plugins, edge functions)
Why teams switch from Netlify
No credit mathematics
Predicting a Netlify bill means estimating deploys × 15 + GB × 20 + GB-hours × 10. A Hostwares bill is the number on the pack you chose.
A backend is not an afterthought
Netlify apps outsource their backend to functions and third-party databases. Hostwares runs the whole stack - frontend, API, database, cache - as flat-priced containers.
Static sites are the easy case
Any framework Netlify hosts, Hostwares hosts too - auto-detected from GitHub with SSL. The difference shows the moment you need more than static.
AI-managed infrastructure
Hostwares' agent deploys, monitors, and fixes your services from chat or CLI. Netlify's AI helps you deploy; it doesn't operate infrastructure.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hostwares a good Netlify alternative?
For full-stack apps, yes - Hostwares runs frontends the same way (GitHub deploy, auto-SSL) and adds persistent backends, databases, and 326+ services at flat prices. For purely static hobby sites, Netlify's free tier is hard to argue with.
Why did Netlify bills become unpredictable?
Netlify moved to a credit system where deploys, bandwidth, compute, and requests each consume credits from your plan allowance, with overage beyond it. Traffic spikes translate directly into credit burn. Hostwares avoids the problem entirely with fixed-resource flat pricing.
Can Hostwares do deploy previews like Netlify?
Not yet - per-PR preview deployments are on the roadmap. If previews are central to your team's workflow today, that's Netlify's strongest card.
Can I host a static site on Hostwares?
Yes - a $3/mo Starter pack serves a static or SSR site comfortably, always-on, with custom domain and free SSL.
How do I migrate from Netlify to Hostwares?
Connect the same repo; Hostwares detects the framework and builds it. Move environment variables, repoint DNS, and replace Netlify Forms/Identity with self-hosted equivalents from the one-click catalog if you use them.
How much does Hostwares cost?
Resource packs are $2/mo for Micro (0.25 vCPU, 256 MB, 5 GB), $3 for Starter (0.5 vCPU, 512 MB, 10 GB), $7 for Standard (1 vCPU, 2 GB, 25 GB), $18 for Performance (2 vCPU, 4 GB, 50 GB) and $35 for Business (4 vCPU, 8 GB, 100 GB). One pack runs one deployment - a site, a database or a service.
Is there a free tier?
No. Entry is $2/mo for a Micro pack. There is no free tier and no signup bonus - if a competitor's free tier covers your project, use it.
Do you charge for bandwidth?
No. Packs are a flat monthly price and traffic is not metered, so a busy month costs the same as a quiet one.
Are there per-seat fees?
No. You pay for resources, not for people. Adding teammates does not change the bill.
What is your refund policy?
Resource packs carry a 7-day money-back guarantee on first purchase. cPanel hosting is a pro-rated refund within the first 7 days if the account has not been used. Servers are a full refund within 48 hours if not provisioned, pro-rated within 7 days. Domains are non-refundable per ICANN policy. Full terms are on the refund policy page.
How do I pay?
PayPal, Stripe (card) and bKash, invoice-based. AI credits are a separate balance and are only used for the AI agent, never for hosting.
Does the price change at renewal?
No. The price you buy at is the price you renew at. There is no introductory rate that steps up later.
How do I deploy an application?
Connect a GitHub repository and Hostwares detects the framework and builds it. Next.js, React, Vue, Svelte, Node, Python, Go, Ruby, PHP and static sites are detected without configuration. You can also deploy any Docker image or upload a ZIP.
Can I deploy from a private repository?
Yes. Connect your GitHub account and private repositories become selectable in the deploy panel.
Do you support Docker?
Yes. Deploy any public or private Docker image with a tag and a port, or let a Dockerfile in your repository drive the build.
What databases can I run?
Managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Redis and MongoDB from $3/mo, with automated backups and a connection string. Each database occupies its own pack.
Do I get shell access?
You get a shell into your own container. You do not get root on the host - if you need kernel modules or arbitrary system packages, an unmanaged VPS is the right tool rather than a managed platform.
Can I run background workers and cron jobs?
Yes. A worker or scheduled job is a separate deployment from the same repository with a different start command, so it needs its own pack.
How long does a deployment take?
Most applications build and go live in about 60 seconds. Larger stacks - Supabase runs 14 containers - take a few minutes.
Are custom domains and SSL included?
Yes. Custom domains are included on every pack and SSL certificates are issued and renewed automatically once DNS resolves to us. There is no per-domain charge.
Can I register domains through Hostwares?
Yes, from $9.58/yr for a .com, with DNS management included for domains in your account.
Do you offer email hosting?
Email mailboxes come with cPanel hosting, which is a separate product from container packs and starts around $1.25/mo equivalent. Container packs do not include mailboxes.
How do I migrate an existing application?
Push the project to GitHub, connect the repository, move your environment variables across, and dump and restore any databases. For most standard applications this is under an hour. Detailed guides exist for Heroku, Vercel and Railway.
Will you help me migrate?
Ask through a support ticket. The AI DevOps agent can also perform much of the work directly - connecting the repository, setting environment variables, provisioning a database and diagnosing failed builds.
What is the AI DevOps agent?
An AI that operates your infrastructure through conversation - deploying from GitHub, reading build logs, diagnosing failures, setting environment variables, configuring domains and provisioning databases. It is available in the dashboard, from a CLI, and as an MCP server for editors such as Cursor and Claude Desktop.
Does the AI agent cost extra?
It uses AI credits, which are a separate balance from hosting. Chat starts at $0.10 and task execution at $0.50. Billing and support questions are free regardless of balance.
What support do you offer?
Support tickets from the dashboard, with the AI agent available for technical troubleshooting at any hour. We are a small team - if you need a contractual enterprise SLA with named contacts, we do not offer that today.
Are backups included?
Managed databases have automated backups. Verify a restore before you rely on it - that advice applies to any provider, ours included.
Where are your servers located?
Deployments run in a single region per container rather than across a global edge network. If your application needs multi-region placement or edge delivery close to users on several continents, a platform built for that is the better choice.
Do you have a status page?
Yes, at /status, showing real-time platform and infrastructure status.
Are you SOC 2 certified?
No. We have not completed a SOC 2 audit. If your procurement process requires one, that is a genuine reason to choose a larger provider.
How long has Hostwares been running?
Hostwares LLC was incorporated in Wyoming in 2026, so we are a new platform. If a long uptime track record is your main criterion, an established provider is the honest answer.
Can I export my data and leave?
Yes. Deployments are standard containers built from your own repository, and databases can be dumped with the usual tools. There is no proprietary format holding your application in place.
What happens if I do not pay an invoice?
Invoices are raised ahead of the due date so you can pay early. After the due date a grace period runs before services are suspended, and suspended services are terminated after 30 days of non-payment. You are emailed at each stage.
More platform comparisons
Deploy in 60 seconds.
From $1/mo, flat.
Connect GitHub, pick a pack, and let the AI DevOps agent handle the rest - deploys, debugging, and fixes included.
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