Compare / Django hosting in your own AWS account
Peter van Doorn
Django hosting in your own AWS account
Most hosting platforms run your app on infrastructure they own and bill you a bundled price. Running in your own AWS account is different: you see the bill, you own the account and the data, and AWS credits can pay for it.
The short answer. Choose Self-hosted if you want to own the account and pay AWS directly, at cost. Choose Fully managed if you would rather not touch AWS at all: we run a dedicated account for you, $29 a month with a server and a database.
Why Django Cloud
- Run it in your own AWS account, or let us run it. On Self-hosted your app runs in your own AWS account: you pay AWS its list price directly and us $10 a month, with no markup on compute. On Fully managed we run a dedicated AWS account for you: $29 a month with a server and a database, and a bigger server or database adds the difference.
- Your own isolated environment, without cold starts. Your app is not squeezed onto servers shared with other customers' apps. It runs in an AWS environment of its own and stays on, so the first visitor after a quiet hour does not wait for a machine to wake up.
- Focused on Django, and nothing else. Static files, migrations before every release, encrypted secrets, rollbacks that warn about database changes and Postgres that connects itself. A generic platform asks you to work these out; we only do Django.
The options at a glance
| Self-hosted | Fully managed | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $10 a month plus your AWS bill | $29 a month with a server and a database, infrastructure included |
| Whose AWS account | Yours | A dedicated account that we set up and look after |
| Who pays AWS | You, directly, at list price | We do |
| AWS credits | Can cover your AWS bill | Not applicable: we pay AWS |
| Cold starts | None: always on | None: always on |
| Isolation | Your own account | A dedicated account per customer |
| Priority builds and support | Standard queue | High priority builds and priority support |
What the AWS part costs on Self-hosted
| AWS part | Self-hosted: you pay AWS | Fully managed |
|---|---|---|
| Small server | AWS Nano: $7 | Nano: $10, part of the $29 |
| 1 GB server | AWS Small: $15 | Small: $20, added as you use it |
| Postgres, 1 GB | AWS: $15 | $15, charged at cost, part of the standard setup |
On Self-hosted the figures above are what AWS charges; Django Cloud adds $10 a month. Fully managed is $29 a month: a $4 platform fee, a Nano server and a 1 GB database. A bigger server, more servers and bigger databases add the difference. Prices for all sizes are on the pricing page.
Start for free with AWS Activate credits
On the Self-hosted plan your app runs in your own AWS account, so AWS credits can pay for it. New AWS accounts can get up to $200 in credits, which is the amount most side projects can count on. Startups can also apply for up to $1,000 through AWS Activate, but AWS decides who qualifies and can change the terms.
Apply for AWS Activate creditsOpen an AWS account
When something else is the better choice
- Fully managed means nobody on your team ever opens the AWS console
- A single predictable bill instead of two
- Priority builds and support
Questions
Do I need my own AWS account?
For Self-hosted, yes. For Fully managed, no: we run a dedicated account for you.
Can I switch between Self-hosted and Fully managed?
Check the pricing page and documentation for the current options before you plan a move.
Can AWS credits pay for my Django hosting?
On the Self-hosted plan your app runs in your own AWS account, so AWS credits can cover the AWS bill. New AWS accounts can get up to $200 in credits, and startups can apply for up to $1,000 through AWS Activate. AWS decides who qualifies and can change the terms. You still pay Django Cloud $10 a month, unless we sponsor you: students, open source maintainers, non-profit and scientific projects and AWS Activate startups can apply.
Get your Django project live, the easy way
One command or a git push. We host it for you on AWS, or you keep it in your own AWS account, where AWS credits can cover the AWS bill.
Prices and features were checked in October 2026 against the vendors' own pages (AWS Lightsail pricing), and may have changed since. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.