Leave Heroku behind.
Deploy on Hetzner
for a fraction of the cost.
LaunchPad gives you Heroku-level simplicity on Hetzner Cloud. One-click deploys, self-hosted databases, automated backups — around 64% less than Heroku for a typical small app, up to 70–90% on larger setups.
Managed Kamal hosting · Self-hosted PaaS
What is LaunchPad?
LaunchPad is a managed Kamal hosting control plane and self-hosted PaaS: a Hetzner deploy platform that provisions and hardens your server, ships zero-downtime deploys from GitHub, and manages self-hosted PostgreSQL — so you get Heroku-level ergonomics on infrastructure you own and pay for directly.
| Deploy engine | Kamal — the deploy tool Rails 8 ships with — shelling out to the real CLI, no proprietary lock-in |
| Where it runs | Hetzner Cloud servers you own (from ~€4/month), or an existing server you connect over SSH |
| App support | Any app with a Dockerfile; Rails-friendly defaults out of the box |
| Database | Self-hosted PostgreSQL managed on your server — no separate managed-database bill |
| Backups & recovery | Scheduled pg_dump encrypted client-side to Backblaze B2, drill-verified restores, and WAL point-in-time recovery in Beta — validate it with a recovery drill before relying on it; it shows as "Verified" in-product once a drill passes for that database, drops back to unverified if a later drill fails, and is flagged stale for a re-run once the proof ages |
| Cost | Free tier plus Solo/Team plans in ZAR (ex VAT); Hetzner and Backblaze bill you directly with no markup |
See how LaunchPad compares:
Stop paying Heroku prices
Same reliability. A fraction of the cost — priced in Rand.
Heroku
ExpensiveHetzner + LaunchPad
Save ~64%Illustrative comparison for a single small app. Rand figures convert listed USD/EUR prices at roughly R17.0/$ and R18.9/€ (rates and provider prices checked June 2026) and exclude 15% South African VAT. Your real bill depends on app size, traffic, region, and add-ons (extra servers, larger plans, more backup storage). LaunchPad's own subscription is shown separately; Hetzner and Backblaze bill you directly with no LaunchPad markup. This basket works out to about 64% less; larger Heroku setups (more dynos, bigger Postgres plans) commonly save up to 70–90%.
Everything you need to ship
Heroku-level developer experience. Infrastructure you control.
One-click deploys
Powered by Kamal — push your code and LaunchPad handles the rest. Zero-downtime rolling deployments, every time.
Self-hosted PostgreSQL, automated
Provision and manage PostgreSQL databases directly on your Hetzner servers. No separate database bill.
Automated backups
Scheduled pg_dump backups uploaded to Backblaze B2. S3-compatible, affordable, and automatic before every deploy.
Safe, verified restores
Restore your database to any backup. Our safe-restore strategy brings up a copy and verifies it before switching over, so a bad restore can't corrupt production. (A restore rolls back to the backup's point in time.)
Server health monitoring
Health checks on every server. Know instantly when something is wrong before your users do.
Beautiful dark mode
A dashboard you actually want to look at. Full dark mode support with system preference detection.
Up and running in minutes
Three steps from sign-up to your first deployment.
Connect your Hetzner account
Paste in your Hetzner Cloud API token. LaunchPad provisions the server and sets it up with security best practices — no Linux experience needed.
Deploy your app
Add your app, point it to your Git repo, and hit deploy. Kamal handles zero-downtime rolling deploys with automatic health checks.
Sleep easy with automated backups
Backblaze B2 keeps your database backups safe and affordable. Every deploy triggers a backup, and you can restore to any backup's point in time (larger databases take longer).
Common questions
Everything you wanted to ask before clicking "Get Started".
Do I need to know SSH or Linux?
No. LaunchPad does the SSH part for you. You give it a Hetzner API token; it provisions the server, installs Docker, configures the firewall, and exposes everything through the dashboard.
What if my server dies?
Your database backups live in Backblaze B2 — separate from your server. If the server is destroyed, you spin up a new one and restore from the latest backup (restore time scales with database size).
Can I use this with a non-Rails app?
LaunchPad ships with strong Rails defaults (Kamal, automatic /up health checks), but any Dockerized web app works — Django, Node, Go, etc.
Will my Hetzner bill surprise me?
You see the monthly cost of each server inside LaunchPad before you provision it. We don't add a markup; Hetzner bills you directly.
What happens if I forget my password?
Hit the password-reset link on the sign-in page and we email you a secure reset link that expires after a short window — no admin needed.
Is there a free tier?
Yes — LaunchPad has a free tier to get your first app live, with paid plans (Solo and Team) when you need more. Either way you pay Hetzner directly for servers (from ~€4/month) and Backblaze for backup storage (~$0.005/GB), with no LaunchPad markup. See the pricing page for the full breakdown in Rand.
Ready to cut your hosting bill?
Run your Rails apps on Hetzner at a fraction of what you'd pay Heroku — and keep full control of your own infrastructure.
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