Overview
Leapcell is a newer platform aimed at getting many small projects online cheaply. It imports a GitHub repository and runs it on a serverless runtime: services scale from zero to over 1,000 instances, cold starts are under 250 ms according to Leapcell, and you pay only when requests arrive. Templates cover Next.js, Nuxt, Express, Django, FastAPI, Flask, Gin, Echo, Axum, Actix and headless-browser crawlers.
The free Hobby plan allows 20 projects and one PostgreSQL database with custom domains, CDN, analytics, logs and metrics. Plus ($12.90 per seat a month, $5.90 for the first month) raises that to 100 projects and adds persistent servers and dedicated Postgres; Pro ($29.90) adds priority builds and chat support. Both paid plans bill resource usage on top of the seat fee.
For steady traffic, persistent servers have fixed prices from $7 a month (0.25 vCPU, 512 MB) so serverless bills cannot run away. Managed Postgres, a Redis-compatible store, async tasks with retries and path-based routing across projects are included components. Leapcell is younger and smaller than the established platforms, so check its limits and support before running critical workloads.
Pricing and plans
Free tier
Hobby: up to 20 serverless projects (up to 3 vCPU / 4 GB each), 1 free PostgreSQL database, custom domains with SSL, CDN, logs and metrics; you pay nothing for idle time.
At the limit Stops at the limit Requests past a Hobby limit get a 429 error; nothing is charged.
Non-commercial only| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby | $0 | 20 projects, 1 free Postgres |
| Plus | $12.90/seat/mo | $5.90 for the first month; 100 projects, persistent servers, dedicated Postgres, DDoS protection |
| Pro | $29.90/seat/mo | Priority CI/CD and chat support |
| Persistent server Basic Micro | $7/mo | 0.25 vCPU, 512 MB |
| Persistent server Basic Medium | $28/mo | 1 vCPU, 2 GB |
| Postgres Basic Micro | $9/mo | 0.25 vCPU, 512 MB |
What it does
- Serverless with zero idle cost
- Services scale to zero and are billed only when handling requests.
- Persistent servers
- Fixed-price always-on instances from $7/month for steady workloads.
- Managed PostgreSQL
- One free database on Hobby; dedicated instances from $9/month.
- Redis-compatible store
- Serverless key-value store where a write counts as 10 reads.
- Async tasks
- Background tasks with built-in retries and scheduling.
- Path-based routing
- Serve several projects under one domain by route.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- 20 free projects with no idle charges.
- Supports Python, Go and Rust as well as JavaScript.
- Choice between serverless and fixed-price servers.
- Postgres included on the free plan.
Limitations
- Serverless usage rates are not published on the pricing page.
- Paid plans are priced per seat.
- No EU region or compliance certifications stated.
- Younger company with a shorter track record than major platforms.
Who it suits
Good for
- Many small side projects on one account
- Prototypes and crawlers with occasional traffic
- Developers who want free Postgres with their app
Look elsewhere if
- EU data-residency requirements
- Regulated production workloads
Alternatives to Leapcell
| Tool | From | Free option | Stages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pethost Managed Docker Compose hosting | $11.99/mo | ||
| Netlify Frontend and serverless platform | $9/mo | Free tier | |
| Vercel Frontend and serverless platform | $20/mo | Free tier | |
| Deno Deploy Serverless JavaScript platform | $20/mo | Free tier | |
| Render Managed PaaS | $7/mo | Free tier | |
| alwaysdata European managed hosting | €5/mo | Free tier |
Questions
Is Leapcell free?
Yes, the Hobby plan lets you deploy up to 20 projects and one PostgreSQL database for free, with no charge for idle time.
What does Leapcell's Plus plan cost?
$12.90 per seat per month ($5.90 for the first month) plus resource usage.
Which languages does Leapcell support?
Node.js and TypeScript, Python, Go and Rust, with templates for frameworks such as Next.js, Django, FastAPI, Gin and Axum.
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