Overview
Clever Cloud is a French platform-as-a-service that runs on data centers it operates in France, which it pitches as sovereignty from extraterritorial laws such as the US Cloud Act. A git push triggers a build: the platform detects the language (Node.js, Python, PHP, Java, Scala, Go, Rust, Ruby, .NET, Elixir, Haskell, Meteor, static or Docker), configures the environment and deploys with zero downtime. It then monitors, restarts and updates the app, with Grafana dashboards built in.
Pricing is per second of running time for each instance ('scaler'). You set minimum and maximum scalers and sizes, and Clever Cloud autoscales within them, so the upper bound of the bill is under your control. Sizes run from pico and nano (with reduced CPU priority) up to 3XL; the vendor's own comparison gives nano (1 vCPU, 512 MB) at €6 a month and XS (1 vCPU, 1 GiB) at €16.
Managed PostgreSQL (daily backups, optional replication), MySQL, MongoDB, Redis and Elasticsearch are available, along with Cellar S3-compatible storage, FS Buckets, Pulsar, Keycloak as a service and an AI gateway. The platform is ISO 27001:2022 and HDS certified, and the standard SLA is 99.90%.
Pricing and plans
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| nano | €6/mo | 1 vCPU, 512 MB RAM; reduced CPU priority |
| XS | €16/mo | 1 vCPU, 1 GiB RAM |
| Enterprise | Custom | Startup and enterprise programs, 99.99% SLA with Premium |
What it does
- Language detection
- Git push deploys without a Dockerfile for a dozen runtimes, or bring a Docker image.
- Bounded autoscaling
- Horizontal and vertical autoscaling between minimum and maximum instances you define.
- Managed databases
- PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis and Elasticsearch billed per second.
- Cellar object storage
- S3-compatible storage hosted in Europe.
- Keycloak IAM
- Identity and access management as a managed service.
- On-premise option
- The same platform can run on-premise or in air-gapped environments.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Data stays in France on the vendor's own data centers.
- ISO 27001 and HDS (French health data) certification.
- Per-second billing with a cap you control through autoscaling limits.
- Wide runtime support without writing Dockerfiles.
Limitations
- No permanent free tier, only signup credits.
- Instance prices are shown through an estimator rather than a static price list.
- Pico and nano instances get reduced CPU priority under host load.
- Region choice is centred on France.
Who it suits
Good for
- European companies with sovereignty or GDPR requirements
- Healthcare projects that need HDS hosting in France
- Teams moving from Heroku who want git push without Dockerfiles
Look elsewhere if
- Free hobby hosting
- Apps that need many regions outside Europe
Alternatives to Clever Cloud
| Tool | From | Free option | Stages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Render Managed PaaS | $7/mo | Free tier | |
| Scalingo European managed PaaS | €7.20/mo | ||
| Heroku Managed PaaS | $5/mo | ||
| Cloudflare Workers (incl. Pages) Edge serverless platform | $5/mo | Free tier | |
| Netlify Frontend and serverless platform | $9/mo | Free tier | |
| Northflank Kubernetes-based PaaS | $2.70/mo | Free tier |
Questions
Does Clever Cloud have a free tier?
No permanent free tier; new accounts receive free credits to try the platform without a payment card.
Where does Clever Cloud host data?
In data centers it operates in France, and it holds ISO 27001:2022 and HDS certification.
How is Clever Cloud billed?
Per second of running time for each instance and add-on, prepaid monthly and adjusted to actual consumption.
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