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Ploy vs Vercel: open-source serverless cloud or managed hosting?

An honest comparison of Ploy and Vercel: both deploy from GitHub with preview URLs, but Ploy is open source, self-hostable, and ships databases, queues, cron, workflows, auth, and an AI gateway as part of the platform.

Abstract indigo glow on a dark background representing a Ploy versus Vercel comparison

Vercel is the default answer to "where do I host a Next.js app", and for good reason: push, preview, production, done. The question this post answers is what happens after the frontend is live, when the app needs a database, background jobs, user accounts, and you want the option to run all of it yourself.

Ploy is an open-source serverless cloud. It deploys from GitHub with a preview URL per branch like Vercel does, and it also runs SQLite databases, queues, cron, durable workflows, sandboxes, managed auth, and an AI gateway as part of the platform rather than as add-ons. You can use the hosted version or self-host the whole thing for free. We build Ploy, so read this with that in mind; we have tried to keep it fair.

The short version

Topic Ploy Vercel
Source Open source (AGPLv3) Proprietary
Self-hosting Yes, free, Docker Compose or Kubernetes No
Deploy from GitHub Yes, plus Ploy Git for GitHub-free pushes Yes
Preview deployments Every branch Every branch
Frameworks Next.js, Vite, TanStack Start, static sites, plain workers Next.js and most frontend frameworks
Database SQLite per project, included, migrations on deploy Marketplace integrations
Queues Included Vercel Queues (beta)
Cron Included, down to per-second schedules Cron Jobs
Durable workflows Included, step retries and resume Vercel Workflows
Sandboxes Included Vercel Sandbox
AI gateway Included, OpenAI-compatible, AI SDK default provider AI Gateway
Authentication Included (auth: in ploy.yaml) Marketplace integrations
Skew protection On by default Available
Hosted entry price Free; Pro $10/month Hobby free; Pro per seat

Where Ploy is the better fit

You want to own the platform

Ploy's source is public under AGPLv3. You can read how deployments are built, how databases are stored, and how bindings are isolated, and you can run the whole platform on your own infrastructure. The self-host guide is a Docker Compose file and a .env. Self-hosting has no usage limits and costs nothing beyond your servers.

Vercel is a managed service. There is no self-hosted Vercel, and migrating off it means re-creating anything platform-specific elsewhere.

You want the backend included

On Ploy, a database is one line in ploy.yaml:

kind: dynamic
build: pnpm build
out: dist
db:
  DB: default
queue:
  TASKS: tasks
cron:
  NIGHTLY: "0 3 * * *"
auth:
  binding: AUTH_DB
ai: true

That gives a Next.js app a SQLite database with migrations applied on deploy, a queue and a cron trigger handled in app/ploy.ts, managed email/password auth with @meetploy/auth-react components, and an AI gateway that the Vercel AI SDK picks up as its default provider with no keys to manage. Everything runs in the same deployment, with the same preview URL per branch, and the local emulator provides all of it during ploy dev.

Vercel covers several of these too: Cron Jobs, Vercel Queues, Vercel Workflows, Vercel Sandbox, and AI Gateway are all real products. Databases and auth come from marketplace integrations, which means a second vendor, a second bill, and a second dashboard.

Predictable cost

The hosted Free plan includes up to 3 repositories and 1 concurrent deployment. Pro is $10 per month (or $100 per year) with unlimited repositories, custom domains, and higher concurrency. Self-hosting is free forever. There are no per-seat charges.

Where Vercel is the better fit

You are all-in on Next.js and want the reference implementation

Vercel maintains Next.js, and features tend to land on Vercel first. If you need the newest framework capability on day one, Vercel is the safest place to run it.

You need a large, mature ecosystem

Vercel has years of integrations, templates, and community answers. Ploy is younger and its marketplace is smaller; what it has instead is built in.

You want a large managed edge footprint and never want to think about infrastructure

If self-hosting holds no appeal and you are happy with a managed service, Vercel is a polished one.

Migration is small

For most Next.js apps, moving to Ploy is a ploy.yaml and a push. getPloyContext() from @meetploy/nextjs is only needed when you adopt bindings. Environment variables stay process.env. Preview URLs, rollbacks, and build logs work the same way you are used to.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ploy a drop-in Vercel alternative for Next.js?

For deploying Next.js with previews and rollbacks, yes. The App Router, Server Components, and route handlers work. Vercel-specific APIs do not exist on Ploy; the equivalents are ploy.yaml bindings.

Can I run Ploy on my own servers?

Yes. The self-host guide covers a single unified container for testing and a split Compose setup for production. See Self-host Ploy.

What about AI apps?

Both platforms have an AI gateway. On Ploy, ai: true in ploy.yaml gives workers env.AI.run() and an OpenAI-compatible URL and token, and Next.js apps get the AI SDK default provider registered automatically. See Build an AI app with the Ploy AI gateway.

Which is cheaper?

It depends on usage. Ploy's hosted plans are flat ($0 and $10 per month) and self-hosting is free. Vercel's pricing is per seat plus usage. Check both pricing pages for your own numbers.

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