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Per seat, per server or per project: how Docker hosting platforms charge

By Peon October 29, 2026
The common pricing models for Docker hosting and deployment platforms, and how to compare them with your own numbers.

Two Docker hosting platforms with similar features can differ in cost by a factor of ten for the same team. The difference is almost always the pricing model, not the headline price. Here is how the common models behave and how to compare them honestly.

Usage based

You pay for CPU, memory, bandwidth and sometimes requests, metered by the minute or second.

  • Good for: spiky or low traffic apps, prototypes
  • Watch out for: always on services, where usage pricing often exceeds a flat server; egress fees; surprise bills from a runaway loop

Per seat

A monthly fee per team member, sometimes with usage on top.

  • Good for: small, stable teams with heavy usage
  • Watch out for: contractors, designers and reviewers who need occasional access; growing teams; seats required for features like previews

Per server

A fee for each server the platform manages, and you pay the server provider separately.

  • Good for: a few large servers
  • Watch out for: many small servers, for example one per client or per environment

Per project

A fee per project or application group, regardless of servers or users.

  • Good for: teams with many collaborators and a moderate number of projects
  • Watch out for: very many tiny projects; check what counts as a project

Self hosted and free

You run the platform yourself and pay only for servers.

  • Good for: cost control, data location requirements
  • Watch out for: your time for upgrades and backups of the platform itself

How to compare with real numbers

Make a small table for the next 12 months:

  1. Number of team members, including occasional ones
  2. Number of servers, and their sizes
  3. Number of projects and services
  4. Expected traffic and egress
  5. Hours per month you expect to spend on maintenance

Price each platform against the same table. Add the server provider’s cost where the platform does not include it.

Hidden costs to include

  • Managed database add-ons
  • Log retention beyond a few days
  • Audit logs or roles locked behind higher tiers
  • Build minutes
  • Support plans

A rule of thumb

If your team is growing, avoid models that charge for the thing that is growing. Growing headcount favors per project or server pricing. Growing traffic favors flat server pricing.

A comparison of specific platforms, with current prices and features, is in this roundup of the best Docker hosting platforms in 2026.

Disclosure: I work on Peon.

#pricing #docker #paas
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