---
title: "Cloud vs Self-Hosting"
description: "Understand the differences between cloud and self-hosting options for OpnForm"
---

When deciding between using OpnForm's cloud service or self-hosting, it's important to understand the key differences and benefits of each option. Below is a comparison to help you make an informed decision:

<Info>
    Self-hosting OpnForm does not require an Enterprise license for core
    functionality. Free self-hosted instances include OIDC within a 2-user
    instance limit. Adding more users and some advanced workspace features
    require a self-hosted Enterprise license. See [Self-hosted
    License](/deployment/self-hosted-license).
</Info>

|                            | Self-Hosted                                      | OpnForm Cloud                      |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------- |
| High availability servers  | \~$50+/month                                     | ✅                                 |
| Load balancer              | \~$15+/month                                     | ✅                                 |
| Managed database           | \~$45-70+/month                                  | ✅                                 |
| Instance-wide SMTP provider | \~$15+/month                                    | ✅                                 |
| Users                      | 2 users free; Enterprise license for more users  | Based on cloud plan                |
| OIDC SSO                   | Included within the 2-user free self-hosted limit | Based on cloud plan                |
| Support                    | Discord                                          | Live Chat                          |
| Setup time                 | Manual                                           | ✅ Up and running in minutes       |
| Upgrades                   | Manual                                           | ✅ Automatic                       |
| Multi-zone availability    | Manual                                           | ✅                                 |
| Backups                    | Manual                                           | ✅ Automatic                       |
| Monitoring                 | Manual                                           | ✅                                 |
| Custom code and forks      | ✅                                               | ❌                                 |
| SSL certificate            | Manual                                           | ✅                                 |
| Where your money goes      | 3rd-party services                               | Improving OpnForm                  |

### When Should You Self-Host?

There are specific scenarios where self-hosting OpnForm might be the better choice:

- **Regulatory Compliance**: If you need an air-gapped environment for regulatory reasons (e.g., HIPAA compliance).
- **Custom Builds**: If you want to run a custom build or fork of OpnForm with your own customizations.
- **Custom Integrations**: If you need to use community or custom integrations that are not supported in the cloud version.

For most users, the managed OpnForm Cloud service will be the better option due to its ease of use, automatic updates, and comprehensive support.

*This comparison is inspired by the [Metabase Cloud vs Self-Hosting page](https://www.metabase.com/docs/latest/cloud/cloud-vs-self-hosting).*
