Compare

Selfhost.dev vs

ClickHouse® Cloud

Selfhost.dev and ClickHouse Cloud both run real, managed ClickHouse; the difference is cost and ownership. For an always-on analytics instance, a dedicated Selfhost.dev box runs about $65/mo versus about $173/mo on ClickHouse Cloud's serverless model in ap-south-1 (Mumbai), about 2.6x less and you can run it in your own AWS account with 189 MCP tools.

TL;DR

The short
version.

Always-on cost

The same always-on 2 vCPU / 8 GB / 100 GB box is about $65/mo on Selfhost.dev versus about $173/mo on ClickHouse Cloud. About 2.6x less for steady workloads.

You own it

A dedicated instance you can see into, with BYOC to run it in your own AWS account. Not a serverless black box you cannot see into.

AI management

189 AI-powered MCP tools included, so you provision and manage ClickHouse from your editor. ClickHouse Cloud has no equivalent MCP layer.

Pricing comparison

Same box,
a fraction of the bill.

ClickHouse Cloud's serverless model is priced for spiky, idle-heavy usage. For an analytics database that stays on, a dedicated Selfhost.dev instance is far cheaper and the bill does not move with load.

Config 1

100 GB, 2 vCPU / 8 GB, always on

ClickHouse Cloud
~$173/mo
  • Serverless, usage-based, metered per minute
  • Priced for the instance running 24/7
Selfhost.dev
~$65/mo
  • Dedicated instance, pay-as-you-go by the hour
  • Pauses to $0 when you stop it, BYOC available
About 2.6x less, always-on, ap-south-1

Figures verified against billed rates in August 2026. The Selfhost.dev figure excludes the public IPv4 address every instance gets at deploy, about $5/mo, itemized in the console before you launch. ClickHouse Cloud's bill is compute-dominated and usage-metered, while a dedicated Selfhost.dev instance is a flat hourly rate whose bill does not move with load. We are cheaper for always-on workloads; a bursty or mostly-idle workload narrows the gap, since ClickHouse Cloud scales compute down. Build your exact Selfhost.dev number on the pricing calculator.

Our recommendation

Analytics database that stays on? A dedicated Selfhost.dev instance is about 2.6x cheaper than ClickHouse Cloud's serverless model, prepaid and paused at $0 when you stop it and it runs in your own AWS account. Or see how it stacks up against the other real-time analytics databases and the best managed ClickHouse services or, if your data is time-series, the best time-series database.

Deploy managed ClickHouse โ†’

Feature by feature

Full
comparison.

Feature Selfhost.dev ClickHouse Cloud
2 vCPU / 8 GB / 100 GB, always on ~$65/mo ~$173/mo
Model Dedicated instance, PAYG Serverless, usage-based
Pauses to $0 when stopped Yes Idles compute, storage keeps billing
BYOC (your own AWS) Yes, transparent management fee GA, committed contract
See into the instance Live metrics, logs, dedicated host Managed, abstracted
Protocols HTTP 8123 + native 9000 HTTP + native
High availability Keeper Multi-AZ, auto failover Managed HA
Storage / compute separation S3 by default or EBS or tiered Yes (object storage)
Serverless elastic autoscale Scheduled + reactive resize Yes (signature)
First-party (ClickHouse Inc) No, we operate it for you Yes
AI management 189 MCP tools 13 MCP tools, read-only

Deep dive

Where the
differences matter.

Always-on economics

Serverless is priced for idle

Serverless pricing assumes your database sleeps. Product analytics, dashboards and log stores run all day.

  • Metered per minute, idles to zero. A good fit for spiky analytics, though storage keeps billing while it sleeps.
  • $65/mo versus $173/mo, always on, for the same 2 vCPU / 8 GB / 100 GB box in ap-south-1 (Mumbai). About 2.6x less and it does not swing with query load.
  • The gap is compute-driven. Their storage is cheap, so it is widest on compute-heavy configs and narrows as your dataset grows. A dedicated instance is still cheaper at 1 TB.
Ownership and control

A box you can see into

A dedicated instance with live metrics and logs, not an abstraction in front of one.

  • Standard protocols. HTTP 8123 and native 9000, so any ClickHouse client connects.
  • BYOC. It runs in your own AWS account, so the data and the exit path stay yours.
  • One account for the whole stack. Your app, your Postgres or MySQL and 189 MCP tools to drive it from your editor.
Where ClickHouse Cloud wins

Real reasons to pick ClickHouse Cloud

Pick ClickHouse Cloud if your usage is spiky or if you want the vendor that builds ClickHouse to run it.

  • First-party, from ClickHouse Inc.
  • True serverless elasticity, so an idle-heavy workload never pays for an always-on box.
  • Shared object storage billed per compressed TB, which suits a very large and mostly cold dataset.

If your analytics database runs steadily and you want a cheaper dedicated instance you own and can drive from your editor, Selfhost.dev is the better fit.

Migration

Moving off ClickHouse Cloud?
We migrate you, free.

It is standard ClickHouse on both ends, so the data moves with standard tooling. A Selfhost.dev engineer plans and runs the move with you, at no extra cost.

01
Tell us what you run

Your ClickHouse Cloud service, dataset size and version. The free cost audit gives you the exact monthly Selfhost.dev number and a migration plan before anything moves.

02
We move the data with you

Standard ClickHouse paths: the remote and s3 table functions, native INSERT SELECT or clickhouse-client export and import. Nothing proprietary to convert.

03
Verify, then cut over

We confirm row counts and query results on the new instance first and you repoint your app only when you are satisfied.

Get migrated free

Free on every plan size. If the numbers do not work for you, you keep the breakdown.

cost check

Frequently asked questions

How does ClickHouse Cloud pricing compare to Selfhost.dev?
For an always-on 2 vCPU / 8 GB / 100 GB instance on AWS ap-south-1 (Mumbai), verified August 2026, ClickHouse Cloud is about $173/mo and Selfhost.dev is about $65/mo, about 2.6x less, plus about $5/mo for the public IPv4 the instance gets at deploy. ClickHouse Cloud is serverless and usage-based, metered per minute and able to idle compute to zero, so a bursty or mostly-idle workload narrows the gap; Selfhost.dev is a dedicated instance billed by the hour that pauses to $0 when you stop it. Build your exact bill.
Is Selfhost.dev a good ClickHouse Cloud alternative?
Yes, if your analytics database runs steadily and you want a cheaper, dedicated instance you own. Selfhost.dev gives you a dedicated ClickHouse instance on AWS with live metrics and logs, BYOC into your own account, pay-as-you-go billing that pauses at $0 and 189 MCP tools. Choose ClickHouse Cloud if your workload is spiky or idle-heavy and you want first-party serverless elasticity.
What does ClickHouse Cloud do that Selfhost.dev does not?
ClickHouse Cloud is the first-party service from ClickHouse Inc and separates storage from compute over object storage with true serverless elasticity. That is genuinely better for bursty or idle-heavy workloads and very large datasets. Selfhost.dev runs a dedicated instance with instance-attached storage, which is cheaper and simpler for always-on databases but does not scale compute to zero. ClickHouse Cloud also has ClickPipes, its managed CDC connector for Postgres, which only runs on ClickHouse Cloud. If you are feeding ClickHouse from Postgres, the open-source and third-party tools that do the same job on any host are covered in our guide to syncing Postgres with ClickHouse.
Can I run managed ClickHouse in my own AWS account?
Yes. Selfhost.dev offers BYOC on any plan size, so the ClickHouse instance runs inside your own AWS account via access keys or an IAM role while we operate it. On ClickHouse Cloud, running in your own cloud account (BYOC) is an Enterprise-tier option.
How do I migrate from ClickHouse Cloud to Selfhost.dev?
It is standard ClickHouse on both ends, so a Selfhost.dev engineer moves you free using the remote and s3 table functions, native INSERT SELECT or clickhouse-client export and import. We verify row counts and query results on the new instance before you repoint your app. Get migrated free.
Which ClickHouse versions does Selfhost.dev run?
ClickHouse 24.3, 24.8 and 25.1, defaulting to the 24.8 LTS. You pick the version, region and instance size in the creation wizard. See managed ClickHouse for the full feature set.

Always-on ClickHouse,
about 2.6x less in ap-south-1.

Dedicated instance, BYOC, pauses at $0
189 MCP tools, manage from your editor
Deploy managed ClickHouse Or let us migrate you, free ->