Is Hosting with Carpathian Free?
The short answer: yes. Every Carpathian account includes a free cloud server, web hosting, and database that you keep forever. No trial period, no credit card required to start, no surprise billing after 30 days.
But let's break down what "free" actually means, what you get, and when you might need to pay for more.
What You Get for Free
When you create a Carpathian account, you automatically receive:
- One cloud server instance (yours to keep, forever)
- Web server hosting for launching websites
- Database access for your applications
- Team seats for collaboration
This isn't a trial. These resources don't expire. You can run a small website, test applications, or learn cloud infrastructure without ever entering payment information.
For personal projects, portfolio sites, development environments, or small business websites with modest traffic, the free tier may be all you ever need.
How Carpathian Pricing Actually Works
Most cloud providers charge you for everything: compute time, storage, bandwidth, API calls, data transfer between services, and a dozen other line items that make your monthly bill unpredictable. Carpathian works differently.
No Usage Metering
Spin up a server and push it to 100% CPU all month. Run intensive database queries. Transfer files between services. Your bill stays the same.
Carpathian charges for the number of instances you run, not how hard you run them. A server idling costs the same as a server under heavy load. This makes budgeting straightforward and eliminates the anxiety of surprise invoices.
Component Based Pricing
Instead of forcing you into predefined tiers, Carpathian lets you build exactly what you need. You configure:
- Number of CPU cores
- Amount of RAM
- Storage capacity
- Processor type
You pay for the components you select. Nothing more.
Two Billing Options
Monthly billing works like any subscription. Pay each month for the resources you're using. Scale up or down as needed.
Permanent upgrades let you buy hardware outright. Carpathian bases permanent pricing with 30% savings built in. The hardware you purchased continues running at no additional cost. It becomes yours in a meaningful sense, even though Carpathian maintains and hosts it.
For example, you could add 8GB of RAM or 4 additional CPU cores as a permanent upgrade. The upfront cost is higher, but over time, you pay significantly less than monthly subscribers using equivalent resources.
You can mix both models. Run your base infrastructure on permanent hardware, then add monthly resources during busy periods.
Instance Types Explained
Carpathian offers two primary instance categories:
Spark Instances
Spark is the flexible computing option. You configure exactly the resources you need through a simple interface: CPU cores, RAM, storage, and processor type. Pricing updates in real time as you adjust the configuration.
Spark works well for web applications, databases, development environments, and general purpose workloads.
Quasar Instances
Quasar is the high performance computing tier. Built for workloads that demand serious processing power: machine learning training, video rendering, scientific computing, or applications requiring dedicated GPU resources.
Managed Hosting
If you want a hands off experience, Carpathian offers managed hosting with development support included.
Managed plans mean Carpathian handles server management, security updates, and monitoring. You focus on your business while the technical infrastructure runs in the background.
What Makes This Different from AWS or Azure
The major cloud providers operate on consumption based billing. You pay for every CPU cycle, every gigabyte transferred, every API request. This model works well for hyperscale enterprises with dedicated FinOps teams, but it creates unpredictable costs for smaller organizations.
Carpathian takes a different approach:
Predictable costs. Flat rate per instance, no usage metering.
Ownership options. Permanent upgrades let you own your infrastructure rather than renting it indefinitely.
No vendor lock in. You can download your virtual machine and run it locally on your own servers.
Transparent pricing. Configure your resources and see the exact cost before you commit.
When Free Isn't Enough
The free tier works great for getting started, but you'll want to add resources when:
- Your application needs more CPU or RAM than the free instance provides
- You're running multiple services that require separate instances
- Traffic grows beyond what a single small server can handle
- You need high availability or geographic redundancy
- Your workload requires GPU compute
Scaling up is straightforward. Add components as needed through the dashboard. There's no migration process or downtime involved.
Who Should Use Carpathian?
Carpathian works well for:
- Developers who want a straightforward cloud platform without enterprise complexity
- Small businesses that need reliable hosting with predictable monthly costs
- Agencies managing multiple client sites on a single platform
- Startups that want to minimize infrastructure overhead while building their product
- Anyone tired of deciphering AWS bills
If you're currently overpaying for cloud resources you don't fully use, or if unpredictable billing keeps catching you off guard, the Carpathian model offers a cleaner alternative.
Getting Started
Creating an account takes a few minutes. You'll have access to your free cloud instance immediately.
From there, you can deploy a website, spin up a development environment, or configure a production application. The platform supports WordPress, Flask, React, and most modern frameworks out of the box.
If you need help, support is available. And they're real people, not chatbots.
Ready to Try It?
Your free cloud server, web hosting, and database are waiting.
See the full pricing breakdown →
Configure your ideal setup and see exactly what it costs.
Questions about your specific use case? We're happy to help you figure out the right configuration.
Quick Answers
Is there really a free tier? Yes. One cloud server, web hosting, and database included with every account. No expiration.
Do I need a credit card to sign up? No. You can use the free resources without entering payment information.
What happens if I need more resources? Add components through the dashboard. Billing is transparent and you see costs before committing.
Can I leave if I want to? Yes. Export your data and infrastructure anytime.
Where are the servers located? Carpathian operates its own data center infrastructure in the United States.