Answer Details

Here’s a concise, founder-friendly short-list. Pick from the column that matches your stage and constraints: ### Top picks by category * **Best all-around (credits + breadth):** **AWS**, **Google Cloud**, **Azure** — hyperscalers with massive ecosystems and strong startup credits. Typical headline offers: AWS Activate (often up to **$100k**), Google for Startups Cloud (**$200k–$350k** depending on AI focus & stage), and Microsoft for Startups (**$100k–$150k** tiers). Great if you’ll need managed databases, queues, AI/ML, compliance, VPCs, and multi-region later. ([Amazon Web Services, Inc.][1]) * **Fast developer experience (PaaS):** **Vercel** (front-end + serverless/edge functions), **Render** (full-stack PaaS, autoscaling), **Railway** (one-click services, simple pricing), **Fly.io** (global VMs/Machines), **Heroku** (classic simplicity). Choose when speed of shipping beats deep infra control. ([Vercel][2]) * **Edge/serverless first (global, low ops):** **Cloudflare Workers/Pages + R2** — global edge compute, KV/Durable Objects for state, and **R2 object storage with zero egress fees**. Simple $5/mo paid plan for higher limits; great for APIs, web apps, and multi-cloud storage without bandwidth surprises. ([Cloudflare Docs][3]) * **Budget-friendly VMs (indie/bootstrapped):** **DigitalOcean** (straightforward UX; “Hatch” startup program recently expanded up to **$100k** in credits), **Akamai/Linode** (flat, predictable pricing), **Hetzner Cloud** (very low-cost EU/US instances), **Scaleway** (EU-centric). Ideal when you want raw VMs and keep services lean. ([investors.digitalocean.com][4]) * **Free-to-start compute (generous always-free):** **Oracle Cloud (OCI) Free Tier** — “Always Free” **Ampere A1** allows up to **4 OCPUs & 24 GB RAM** across instances, plus free databases; good for prototypes and small services. ([Oracle Docs][5]) --- ### How to choose in 30 seconds 1. **Need rich managed services/compliance or plan to scale globally?** Pick **AWS/GCP/Azure** (apply for credits). 2. **Shipping a SaaS fast with a JS front-end?** **Vercel** (+ a managed Postgres like Neon/PlanetScale) or **Render/Railway** for a simpler full-stack. 3. **Cost is king & you’re comfy with ops?** **Hetzner/Akamai(Linode)/DigitalOcean**, optionally fronted by **Cloudflare** for edge + CDN. --- ### Opinionated starter combos (battle-tested) * **Next.js SaaS:** Vercel (web + functions) + Postgres (Neon) + Auth + Cloudflare R2 for assets. ([Vercel][2]) * **API-heavy app:** Render (web/worker/autoscale) + managed Postgres + Cloudflare for caching. ([Render][6]) * **Bootstrapped EU stack:** Hetzner VMs + Docker + Cloudflare DNS/SSL/R2 to keep egress at zero. ([hetzner.com][7]) If you share your stack (language, DB, expected monthly users/requests, data residency, and budget), I’ll map this to a concrete, line-item architecture and rough cost. [1]: https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Apply for Activate Credits - AWS Startups" [2]: https://vercel.com/docs/functions?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Vercel Functions" [3]: https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/platform/pricing/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Pricing - Workers" [4]: https://investors.digitalocean.com/news/news-details/2025/DigitalOcean-Announces-New-Benefits-for-Hatch-Startup-Program/default.aspx?utm_source=chatgpt.com "DigitalOcean Announces New Benefits for Hatch Startup ..." [5]: https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/FreeTier/freetier_topic-Always_Free_Resources.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Always Free Resources" [6]: https://render.com/docs/scaling?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Scaling Render Services" [7]: https://www.hetzner.com/cloud?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Flexible Cloud Hosting Services und VPS Server - Hetzner"