Managed Hosting Comparison Skill
Detailed comparison of Urbit managed hosting providers with pricing, features, SLAs, and decision matrices (2025).
Provider Matrix
| Provider | Cost | SLA | Support | Custom Apps | Dojo Access | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tlon | Free tier + ~$20/mo paid | Best-effort | No | No | New users, social | |
| Red Horizon | FREE | 99.99% | Professional | Limited | Limited | Business, reliability |
| Self-Hosting | Hardware + $5/mo | User | Community | Yes | Yes | Technical, privacy |
| VPS | $12-24/mo | 99.9% | Provider | Yes | Yes | Developers, control |
Detailed Comparisons
Tlon Hosting
Pros: Official, mobile apps, free tier available, paid plans ($20/mo) for additional features and reliability
Cons: No dojo, limited apps, no SLA on free tier, export delays
Ideal: Casual users, social networking, exploration
Migration: Email support@tlon.io for pier import/export
Note: Tlon now offers paid hosting plans ($20/mo) in addition to the free tier.
Red Horizon
Pros: Professional SLA, crypto-native, security-focused, backup included, FREE hosting Cons: Less customization than VPS Ideal: Users who want to have a hosted urbit with less of a focus on Tlon Messenger use cases Pricing: Currently not taking on new users.
UrbitHost (Absorbed into Tlon Hosting)
Note: UrbitHost is no longer an independent provider. Its hosting capabilities were absorbed into Tlon Hosting. Users previously on UrbitHost should refer to the Tlon Hosting section above. Legacy Tech: K8s stateful sets, permanent volumes, auto-failover
Native Planet (Self-Hosting)
Pros: Full control, privacy, multi-ship (GroundSeg), one-time hardware cost Cons: Technical setup, electricity costs, home network management Ideal: Privacy-focused, tech enthusiasts, multi-ship fleets (5+) Cost: $300-800 hardware + $5-10/mo StarTram
VPS (Self-Managed)
Pros: Full control, custom apps, dojo access, affordable Cons: Technical management, no built-in support Ideal: Developers, learners, custom requirements Cost: $6-24/mo (Hetzner to DigitalOcean)
Decision Tree
Start Here: What's your priority?
- Cost = $0 → Tlon (free tier) or Red Horizon
- Uptime SLA critical → Red Horizon or Tlon (paid plan)
- Full control needed → VPS or Self-Hosting
- Non-technical user → Tlon or Red Horizon
- Privacy paramount → Self-Hosting
- Multi-ship fleet (5+) → Self-Hosting (GroundSeg)
- Learning/development → VPS
Feature Comparison
*Pier & Private Key Availability:
- Tlon: Manual export request
- Red Horizon: Automated, included
- Self-Hosting: User-managed
- VPS: User-managed
Networking:
- Tlon: Automatic (tlon.network URLs)
- Red Horizon: Custom domains supported
- Self-Hosting: StarTram or Anchor
- VPS: arvo.network or custom (user-configured)
Monitoring:
- Tlon: Provider-managed (no user access)
- Red Horizon: Provider dashboards
- Self-Hosting: User-configured (Prometheus/Grafana)
- VPS: User-configured
Pricing Summary (Annual)
- Tlon: $0/year
- Red Horizon: $0/year
- Self-Hosting: $300-800 (Year 1 hardware) + $60-120/year (StarTram, Optional)
- VPS (Hetzner): $78/year
- VPS (DigitalOcean): $288/year
Reference
- Tlon: https://tlon.io
- Red Horizon: https://redhorizon.com
- UrbitHost (historical): https://urbit.org/blog/urbithost-interview
- Native Planet: https://www.nativeplanet.io
Summary
Managed hosting options span free (Tlon free tier, Red Horizon) to paid (~$20/mo Tlon paid plan) to self-managed ($6-24/mo VPS, $300+ hardware self-hosting). UrbitHost was absorbed into Tlon Hosting. Decision factors: budget (Tlon free tier/Red Horizon free, VPS $6+, Tlon paid ~$20/mo), technical expertise (managed low, VPS medium, self-hosting high), control needs (self-hosting > VPS > managed), and uptime requirements (managed hosting SLA 99.9-99.99% > VPS 99.9% > self-hosting variable). Best path: Tlon (explore) → VPS (learn) → choose managed (convenience) or self-hosting (privacy/scale).