There are three common ways to run an open-source app like n8n, WAHA, or Uptime Kuma: rent a VPS and set it up yourself, deploy to a usage-billed platform like Railway, or run it as a managed App like a Cadesia Pod. All three work. They split the work between you and the provider differently.
Short answer: a VPS is cheapest if you enjoy Linux admin. Railway is great for code you wrote yourself. A Pod fits when you just want the App running and never want to think about the server underneath.
A VPS
You rent a virtual machine and everything else is yours.
- You install: Docker, the app, a reverse proxy, TLS certificates, a firewall.
- You maintain: OS patches, app upgrades, disk space, backups, monitoring.
- You pay: a low flat price for raw resources.
It’s the best deal on paper, and a good one if you already run servers. The cost shows up later, as the Saturday afternoon spent on a broken upgrade or an expired certificate.
Railway and similar platforms
Railway deploys containers from a repo or image and bills for what they use.
- Hobby: $5 a month, including $5 of usage.
- Pro: $20 a month, including $20 of usage.
- Usage: $10 per GB of RAM and $20 per vCPU per month at full use, $0.15 per GB of volume storage, and $0.05 per GB of egress.
It removes most of the server work and is excellent for your own code. For a long-running app you pick the image, set environment variables, attach a volume, and keep an eye on usage. A 2 GB app that stays busy all month costs more than the included credit.
A Cadesia Pod
You pick the App; the Pod is set up for it.
- Resources are chosen for the App. n8n, WAHA, and Hermes Agent start on 1 vCPU and 2 GiB, Uptime Kuma on 0.5 vCPU and 1 GiB.
- Included: an isolated Pod, an HTTPS Address, persistent storage, logs, a terminal, and a managed runtime. See what a Pod gets.
- Flat monthly price per App, from $2.99 (Uptime Kuma) to $5.99 (Hermes Agent) on the Starter plan.
What you give up is freedom: you run Apps from the library, not arbitrary containers.
Side by side
| VPS | Railway | Cadesia Pod | |
|---|---|---|---|
| You bring | Everything | Image or repo, config | App choice and a name |
| TLS and domain | You | Included | Included |
| Persistent storage | Your disk | Volumes, per GB | Included |
| App updates and runtime | You | You (redeploy) | Managed |
| Billing | Flat, raw resources | Plan + usage | Flat per App |
| Runs anything | Yes | Yes | App library only |
Pick by what you want to own
Want to own the machine? Get a VPS. Want to deploy your own code without owning a machine? Railway is great. Want the App and nothing else? That’s the App Library. And if you want an outcome rather than an App, Solutions bundle the Apps for it at a lower price. There’s more on why we built it this way in pick an app, not a server.
Questions
Is a VPS cheaper than Cadesia Pod?
Per unit of compute, often yes. A VPS gives you raw resources and you do the setup, updates, TLS, and backups yourself. A Pod costs a flat monthly price per App and includes that work.
How does Railway pricing work?
Railway's Hobby plan is $5 a month including $5 of usage, and Pro is $20 including $20. Beyond that, resources are billed by use: $10 per GB of RAM and $20 per vCPU per month at full use, plus $0.15 per GB of volume storage.
Can I run several apps on one Cadesia Pod?
No. Each App runs in its own isolated Pod. That keeps one App's crash, update, or resource spike away from the others. Solutions bundle several Pods into one subscription at a lower price.