Zeabur Alternative: Where to Move Before December 31
Zeabur alternative picks before its December 31, 2026 shutdown: Railway, Coolify, Dokploy and Render, judged on Git deploys, databases and data moves.
•4 min read•Web Hosting & Cloud Platforms
Verdict:Railway is the managed platform Zeabur's own guide points to, Coolify and Dokploy are free self-hosted options you control, and Render is a managed option with a limited free tier. All four deploy from Git or Docker, so start your export now.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Railway | Free with $1 usage; Hobby $5 per month; Pro $20 per month per workspace | Web | Zeabur users who want a managed platform that Zeabur's own migration guide names as a target | Docs only |
| Coolify | Free self-hosted; Coolify Cloud from $5 per month for two servers | Self-hosted, Coolify Cloud | Developers who want a free, Apache-2.0 platform on their own servers, also named in Zeabur's guide | Docs only |
| Dokploy | Free to self-host; Dokploy Cloud has a 7-day free trial | Self-hosted, Dokploy Cloud | Docker Compose projects and databases on a VPS, with built-in database backups | Docs only |
| Render | Free tier with 750 instance hours; paid prices not stated on the pages read | Web | Small apps that fit a limited free tier before moving to paid managed services | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You run apps or databases on Zeabur and must leave before December 31, 2026
- You want to deploy from Git or a Dockerfile the way Zeabur does
- You would rather control your own servers than depend on another small vendor
Not ideal if
- You need a platform that runs your Zeabur project unchanged, since every move needs a Dockerfile or the new platform's build
- You have no time to restore and test a database backup
- You need a vendor-backed enterprise contract
Zeabur announced on October 17, 2026 that it is shutting down: dedicated servers stop on their expiry dates from December 1, and all dedicated servers and shared clusters stop on December 31, 2026. Railway is the managed platform its guide names, while Coolify and Dokploy are free to self-host and Render has a limited free tier.
Before you move
According to Zeabur's shutdown post, new server and domain purchases stopped immediately and balance refunds are available on request. From December 1, shared cluster services are paused but can be restarted manually to back up data. The post adds that December 31 does not mean every service runs until then, and that the data deletion date and final export deadline are still to be announced.
Zeabur's migration guide, dated October 20, 2026, lays out five steps: take inventory, choose a destination, do a dry run, cut over and change DNS, then hand over. It says Zeabur builds images from your Git source, so you need a Dockerfile or your new platform's build. Carry environment variables over with their real values.
Daily database backups stop, so export yours and test a restore. The *.zeabur.app domains stop working, so you need your own domain, and domains bought on Zeabur can be transferred out from its dashboard. The guide names Railway, Coolify, k3s and Docker Compose as targets.
What matters when you replace Zeabur
Because the vendor itself disappeared, the criteria shift from features to exit options. Look for a Git or Dockerfile deploy path, databases you can back up and restore yourself, a clear cost model, and ideally software you can run on servers you control. Zeabur's post describes unauthorized access to internal systems on October 14, 2026, and a Hacker News thread links the shutdown to it, with only one comment.
Zeabur alternatives for apps and databases
Railway
Railway is a managed platform with usage-based billing. According to its pricing page, the Free plan is $0 with $1 of usage and up to 1 vCPU and 0.5 GB per service. Hobby is $5 a month including $5 of usage, and Pro is $20 a month per workspace including $20.
Usage beyond the included amount is billed per second, at about $10 per GB of memory and $20 per vCPU per month, with volumes near $0.15 per GB-month and egress at $0.05 per GB. Zeabur's guide names Railway as a managed destination.
Who should not pick it: anyone who wants predictable flat pricing. Its Free plan is capped at 1 project, 3 services and no custom domains.
Coolify
Coolify is an open-source, self-hostable platform for deploying apps and databases. Its repository shows an Apache-2.0 licence, about 65,000 stars, more than 360 one-click services, and a requirement of only SSH access to a server. The pricing page says self-hosting is free forever.
Coolify Cloud costs $5 a month for two connected servers, plus $3 for each extra server, and you still bring your own servers. Zeabur's guide lists Coolify as its self-hosted target.
Who should not pick it: people who do not want to maintain a server.
Dokploy
Dokploy is a free, self-hostable platform for applications and databases. According to its repository, you install it with one curl command on a VPS, and it has about 38.1k stars. Its site lists deploys from Nixpacks, Heroku Buildpacks or a Dockerfile, Docker Compose support, and MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB and Redis with backups.
The repository links two licence files, one marked proprietary, and it does not name the licence, so read both before depending on it. Dokploy Cloud offers a 7-day free trial.
Who should not pick it: users who need a clearly stated open-source licence.
Render
Render is a managed platform with a limited free tier. Its documentation says free web services get 750 instance hours a month, spin down after 15 minutes without traffic, and have no persistent disk. Free Postgres is capped at 1 GB and expires 30 days after creation.
Render says free instances should not be used for production. Its backups page says paid databases get point-in-time recovery, 3 days on Hobby workspaces and 7 on Pro, and its databases page says Render keeps no backups of deleted databases. Paid prices were not readable on the pricing page.
Who should not pick it: anyone who needs a free, always-on database.
Comparison
| Railway | Coolify | Dokploy | Render | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Managed | Self-hosted or Cloud | Self-hosted or Cloud | Managed |
| Starting cost | Free, Hobby $5/mo | Free self-hosted, Cloud $5/mo | Free self-hosted | Free tier, paid not stated |
| Licence | Proprietary | Apache-2.0 | Not named on page | Proprietary |
| Docker Compose | Not checked | One-click services | Yes | Not checked |
| Named in Zeabur's guide | Yes | Yes | No | No |
How to choose
- You want the least setup. Railway, since Zeabur's guide names it and billing is usage based.
- You want to stay in control. Coolify, on a VPS you choose.
- You run Docker Compose with databases. Dokploy, with its database backup feature.
- You have a small app and a tight budget. Render's free tier, accepting spin-down.
For other hosting moves, see our Heroku alternatives, Vercel alternatives and Netlify alternatives, or the free web hosting list.
Limits of this review
No platform was tested, so build speed, uptime and support quality are not compared. Render's paid prices were not readable on its pricing page and are left out. Dokploy's licence is not named on its repository page. The Hacker News thread had no user replies, so community language comes mainly from Zeabur's own guide. Heroku, Vercel, Netlify and Fly.io were not checked on official pages, so they are not offered as picks here.
FAQ
When does Zeabur shut down?
Zeabur announced on October 17, 2026 that it is shutting down. Dedicated server renewals are disabled on December 1 and each server stops on its expiry date. All dedicated servers and shared clusters stop on December 31, though not every service will run until then.
What is the best Zeabur alternative?
Railway is the managed platform named in Zeabur's own migration guide, with a Free plan, Hobby at $5 a month and Pro at $20 a month per workspace. Coolify, the guide's self-hosted pick, is free to run yourself. Dokploy and Render are the other options here.
How do I migrate off Zeabur?
Zeabur's guide suggests five steps: inventory services, choose a destination, dry run, cutover with DNS changes, then handover. It says you need a Dockerfile or the new platform's build, must carry environment variables over, and should export databases yourself because daily backups stop.
Is there a free or open source Zeabur alternative?
Yes. Coolify is Apache-2.0 and free forever to self-host, according to its pricing page. Dokploy is described as a free, self-hostable platform, though its repository does not name the licence. Both need a server you pay for separately, and you handle updates and backups yourself.
Will my zeabur.app domain keep working?
No. Zeabur's migration guide says *.zeabur.app domains stop working, so you need your own domain before cutover. Domains bought through Zeabur can be transferred out from its dashboard. Zeabur's shutdown post also says new domain purchases have stopped, so plan any transfer early.
What happens to my databases on Zeabur?
The guide says Zeabur's daily backups stop with the shutdown, so export your databases and set up your own backups, then test a restore. The shutdown post says shared cluster services are paused from December 1 but can be restarted manually to back up data.
Related guides
More in Web Hosting & Cloud Platforms
All Web Hosting & Cloud Platforms alternatives →Sources
Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Zeabur's shutdown announcement and its migration guide were read on 2026-10-28, with pricing or documentation pages for Railway, Render and Coolify, and the repositories and site of Coolify and Dokploy. Two competing comparison pages and one Hacker News thread from October 2026 were read for context. Reddit was not used. No platform was used or tested.