StitchDB vs Render Postgres: Six Questions That Decide It
Render Postgres vs StitchDB: Render Postgres is a managed database for apps that run on Render, priced per instance (from $6 a month) plus $0.30 per GB of storage, with a free database that expires after 30 days. StitchDB is a Postgres backend on flat plans (Free, then $15.99 for Pro) with storage, point-in-time recovery, pooling, Auth, APIs and file storage included, hosted only in the EU. If your app runs on Render in a US region, Render Postgres is usually the right call; if you want a free tier that lasts or a backend in Europe, StitchDB fits better.
We make StitchDB. Render facts are from render.com/pricing and Render's docs, as of November 2026. Here are the six questions that usually decide it.
#1. Do you need a free database that lasts?
Render: the Free Postgres instance (256 MB RAM, 1 GB storage) expires 30 days after creation. You then have 14 days to upgrade before it is deleted. One free database per workspace, no backups.
StitchDB: Free includes 2 projects with 500 MB of database each, 1 GB of files and 24 hours of point-in-time recovery. Free projects are not paused while you use your account. Only an account with no sign-ins and no project use for a year is paused, after two warning e-mails (inactive projects). On Free, the REST and Auth services sleep after 60 minutes without requests and wake in a few seconds; the database stays up.
If you are building a prototype, a portfolio project or a staging environment, this question alone may decide it.
#2. How do you want to pay for storage?
Render prices compute and storage separately:
| Instance | Price | RAM | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic-256mb | $6/mo | 256 MB | 100 |
| Basic-1gb | $19/mo | 1 GB | 100 |
| Pro-4gb | $55/mo | 4 GB | 100 |
| Pro-8gb | $100/mo | 8 GB | 200 |
Plus $0.30 per GB per month of storage. A Basic-1gb with 10 GB of storage is $19 + $3 = $22 a month.
StitchDB includes storage in the plan: 10 GB of database per project on Pro ($15.99), 20 GB on Scale ($49). Above that, with the spend cap off, it is $0.12 per GB-month on Pro (spend cap). You don't choose RAM; you get plan limits such as 100 direct connections, 10,000 pooled clients and a 30-second API statement timeout on Pro.
Render gives you explicit compute you can size up. StitchDB gives you a predictable bill. For heavy workloads, StitchDB's Scale and Enterprise plans can move a project to a dedicated server.
#3. How far back do you need to recover?
Render: point-in-time recovery covers the past 3 days on the Hobby workspace and 7 days on higher workspace plans (Pro $25 a month, Scale $499 a month, plus compute). Paid databases also get logical backups kept for 7 days. Free databases have no recovery.
StitchDB: point-in-time recovery on every plan: 24 hours (Free), 7 days (Pro), 14 (Scale), 30 (Enterprise). Paid plans add daily restore points, and every plan can restore a single table or keep deleted rows in a per-table recycle bin (Backups).
-- After "Restore one table" puts yesterday's copy next to the live table,
-- bring back just the rows a bad script deleted:
insert into public.customers
select * from _stitch_restore.customers_20261101_090000 c
where not exists (select 1 from public.customers x where x.id = c.id);On Render, a 7-day window means upgrading the whole workspace to Pro. On StitchDB it comes with the $15.99 plan.
#4. Where are your app servers and users?
Render regions: Oregon, Ohio, Virginia, Frankfurt and Singapore. Your Render web service and database can sit in the same region.
StitchDB runs in EU data centers only (Germany and Finland).
This matters more than any price. A Render web service in Ohio calling a database in Germany pays a transatlantic round trip on every query. If your Render services are in Frankfurt, or your users are in Europe, StitchDB is a short hop. If they are in the US or Asia, keep the database near them.
#5. Do you need more than a database?
Render offers web services, workers, cron jobs and key-value stores, and you build auth, file storage and APIs in your app.
StitchDB includes them in the project:
- Auth with passwords, magic links, OAuth, phone, passkeys, SAML SSO and MFA
- REST and GraphQL generated from your schema, with Row Level Security
- Storage with signed URLs, image resizing and an S3 endpoint
- Realtime: Postgres changes, broadcast and presence
- Edge Functions, cron, queues and HTTP from SQL
import { createClient } from 'stitchdb-js'
const stitchdb = createClient('https://<project-ref>.p.stitchdb.com', '<anon-key>')
// Live updates for one room, filtered by your RLS policies
stitchdb
.channel('messages')
.on('postgres_changes', { event: 'INSERT', schema: 'public', table: 'messages' }, (payload) => {
renderMessage(payload.new)
})
.subscribe()Many teams combine the two: Render for the web app, StitchDB for the database, auth and files.
#6. Do you need HA and replicas?
Render: read replicas and high availability are available on larger instances.
StitchDB: read replicas on Pro and up at $0.01 per replica-hour, automatic replicas under load on Scale and Enterprise. High availability with automatic failover is not listed as a plan feature, so for a hard HA requirement Render's larger instances are the safer option.
#Summary
| Question | Render Postgres | StitchDB |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 30 days, then upgrade or delete | Doesn't expire |
| Entry paid | $6/mo + $0.30/GB | $15.99/mo, 10 GB included |
| PITR | 3 d Hobby, 7 d higher workspaces | 24 h Free, 7 d Pro, up to 30 d |
| Regions | US, Frankfurt, Singapore | EU only |
| Beyond the DB | Your own services | Auth, APIs, Storage, Realtime, Functions |
| HA | Larger instances | Not a plan feature |
#Moving from Render to StitchDB
Copy the external connection string from your Render database and run StitchDB's Import from Postgres, or use pg_dump/pg_restore. Then set the new connection string as an environment variable on your Render services. If you are on a free Render database, do this before day 30. More options: Render Postgres alternatives.
#Connections and pooling
Render's Basic and Pro-4gb instances allow 100 connections, Pro-8gb 200, and larger Pro instances more. That is plenty for one web service with a sensible pool, and tight for many workers or serverless functions each holding connections.
StitchDB puts a pooler in front of every database. Pro accepts up to 10,000 pooled client connections and 100 direct database connections:
- Session mode, port 5432: one database connection per client while it stays connected. Use it for migrations,
LISTEN/NOTIFY, and long-running servers that rely on session state. - Transaction mode, port 6543: a database connection per transaction, shared between clients. Use it for serverless code and many short-lived workers. Prepared statements sent by drivers work; plain
SET,LISTENand temporary tables don't carry over.
With Prisma, that means two URLs:
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://p_<ref>_owner:<password>@<db-host>:6543/p_<ref>?sslmode=require"
DIRECT_URL="postgresql://p_<ref>_owner:<password>@<db-host>:5432/p_<ref>?sslmode=require"More in connection pooling modes.
#FAQ
#Is StitchDB cheaper than Render Postgres?
For a small database, Render's Basic-256mb ($6 plus storage) is cheaper than StitchDB Pro. Once you add 7 days of PITR (a Pro workspace at $25) or need Auth and file storage, StitchDB Pro at $15.99 is usually less, as of November 2026.
#Can my Render web service use a StitchDB database?
Yes, over TLS on port 5432 (session) or 6543 (transaction pooling). Run the web service in Frankfurt for low latency.
#Does Render's free database have backups?
No. Render's docs say free databases have no backups or recovery. Take your own pg_dump.
#Does StitchDB support pgvector?
Yes. create extension vector; works on every StitchDB plan.
#Can I try StitchDB without moving my Render database?
Yes. Restore a recent dump into a free StitchDB project and point a staging copy of your Render service at it. Compare query latency from your Render region before you decide; from Frankfurt the distance is short, from a US region it is not.
Want a free Postgres that won't expire? Sign up for StitchDB.