5 Cheap Ways to Host MongoDB in 2025

Finding the right place to host your MongoDB database without breaking the bank can be challenging. Whether you need a fully managed solution, a free tier for a hobby project, or the absolute lowest cost via self-hosting, there are several affordable MongoDB hosting options available. This post explores five popular choices catering to different needs and budgets.

MongoDB is the most popular NoSQL database, and finding cheap hosting for it is a common goal for developers and small teams. You've come to the right place!

I will show you 5 cheap MongoDB hosting providers. Want the TL;DR? Skip to the comparison table at the end, or check out this quick visual summary:

Ready for the details? Let's dive into each option.

1. MongoDB Atlas (Managed Service)

It goes without saying that MongoDB Atlas is the king of managed MongoDB hosting. As the company behind MongoDB, they offer arguably the most robust, feature-rich, and scalable MongoDB hosting solution on the market.

Pros:

• Generous Free Tier: Includes a shared M0 cluster with 512MB of storage, perfect for getting started, prototypes, or very small applications.
• Feature-Rich: Advanced security, monitoring, backup options, serverless instances, and seamless scaling.
• Official Support: Backed directly by the creators of MongoDB.

Cons:

• Expensive Storage Scaling: While the free tier is great, storage costs can escalate quickly once you exceed ~5GB. A 20GB cluster can easily cost over $144/month on their dedicated tiers. Shared tiers offer better value for moderate storage (e.g., $25/month for 5GB) but have inherent limitations.

Verdict: Ideal if you need a robust managed solution and can stay within the free tier or afford their standard pricing. Less ideal if you anticipate needing significant storage (20GB+) on a tight budget.

Explore MongoDB Atlas Pricing

2. Hetzner (Self-Hosted)

Self-host all the things! For the cost-conscious developer comfortable with server management, self-hosting MongoDB on a Virtual Private Server (VPS) is often the cheapest route, especially for storage. Keeping a simple MongoDB instance running isn't overly complex.

Pros:

• Extremely Low Cost: Hetzner Cloud offers some of the best compute and storage pricing globally. You can get a capable VPS for just a few euros/dollars per month.
• Full Control: You manage the server, the database configuration, backups, and security exactly how you want.
• Generous Resources: Get significantly more RAM, CPU, and especially storage for your money compared to managed database services.

Cons:

• Requires Server Management: You are responsible for installation, configuration, updates, security patching, backups, and monitoring.
• Steeper Learning Curve: Not as simple as clicking a button in a managed service UI.

Verdict: The best option for maximum cost savings if you have the technical skills and time to manage the infrastructure.

I'm VERY much biased here (Sliplane runs basically completely on Hetzner), but they are loved by the developer community and have a solid reputation.

Get started with Hetzner Cloud (includes a €20 credit via this referral link).

3. Sliplane (PaaS with Managed Database Option)

What if you could combine Hetzner’s low prices with the simplicity of platforms like Heroku or Vercel? Sliplane is a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) built on Hetzner, designed to simplify hosting for developers. It makes hosting MongoDB databases alongside your Docker applications incredibly easy.

Pros:

• Ease of Use: Push-to-deploy from GitHub, automatic SSL, free subdomain, managed database deployment with a few clicks.
• Affordable: Leverages Hetzner's low costs. Host unlimited MongoDB databases and Docker apps on plans starting around €7/month (suitable for low-traffic apps). A €14/month plan adds backups and more performance.
• Integrated Hosting: Host your database and applications in the same place, simplifying your stack.

Cons:

• Newer Platform: As a newer entrant, it may not have all the features of more established PaaS providers yet.
• Limited Free Tier: Offers a 48-hour free trial rather than a perpetually free tier like Atlas or OVH.

Verdict: A great middle-ground offering the ease of a PaaS and managed database features at a price point closer to self-hosting, especially if you're also hosting applications.

Disclaimer: I'm the co-founder 🤫

Check out Sliplane.

4. DigitalOcean (Managed Service)

DigitalOcean is a well-established cloud provider offering managed MongoDB databases. They are known for developer-friendly products and relatively straightforward pricing.

Pros:

• Fair Pricing: Generally considered good value for a managed service. Pricing starts at $15/month for a 1vCPU, 1 GiB RAM, 15GB storage cluster.
• Ease of Use: Simple UI for provisioning, managing, and scaling databases.
• Good Reputation: A trusted name in the cloud infrastructure space.

Cons:

• No Free Tier: Unlike Atlas or OVH, there's no perpetually free option for MongoDB.
• US-Based Company: While they have global data centers, the company itself is US-based, which might be a consideration for some EU users regarding data residency (though less of a practical issue for most).

Verdict: A solid, reliable, and fairly priced managed MongoDB option if you don't need a free tier and prefer a straightforward managed experience over self-hosting.

Learn more about DigitalOcean Managed MongoDB

5. OVHcloud (Managed Service)

OVHcloud is a major European cloud provider offering a wide range of services, including managed MongoDB databases.

Pros:

• Free Tier: Offers a small "Discovery" free tier with 512MB of storage and, notably, 3 dedicated nodes (providing basic high availability).
• European Focus: Strong presence and data centers in Europe, potentially beneficial for GDPR compliance and latency for European users.

Cons:

• Steep Price Jump: Moving beyond the free tier is expensive. Paid plans start around €50-€60 (~$60)/month, which is significantly higher than DigitalOcean's entry point or self-hosting.
• Past Incidents: OVH has experienced significant datacenter incidents (like the Strasbourg fire in 2021), which might raise reliability concerns for some, although they have likely improved procedures since.

Verdict: A great option if the limitations of the free tier (512MB storage) are acceptable for your project. Otherwise, the paid tiers are less competitive for budget-conscious users compared to other options.

Explore OVHcloud Public Cloud Databases (Find MongoDB under Databases).

Conclusion: Choosing Your Cheap MongoDB Host

Selecting the best cheap MongoDB hosting depends heavily on your specific needs: budget, technical expertise, required storage, and tolerance for management overhead.

• Need Free? MongoDB Atlas and OVHcloud offer perpetual free tiers, great for learning, small projects, or prototypes. Atlas is generally more feature-rich, while OVH's free tier includes 3 nodes.
• Lowest Possible Cost? Self-hosting on Hetzner provides the most resources for your money but requires technical skills.
• Ease of Use + Affordability? Sliplane offers a PaaS experience leveraging low-cost infrastructure, balancing ease of use with budget-friendliness, especially if hosting apps too.
• Solid Managed Service without a Free Tier? DigitalOcean offers a reliable, fairly priced managed MongoDB service with a lower entry point for paid plans than Atlas's dedicated tiers or OVH's paid tiers.

Here's a quick comparison table to help you decide:

I hope this comparison helps you find the most suitable and affordable MongoDB hosting solution for your project. If you found this useful, please consider sharing it. Questions or experiences with these providers? Leave a comment below!

Cheers,

Jonas (Co-Founder of Sliplane)