Convox Cloud runs on our managed infrastructure with zero setup time and predictable per-machine pricing. Self-hosted Racks run in your AWS/GCP/Azure account, giving you full control but requiring infrastructure management. Both use the same CLI, Console, and convox.yml format, so your apps work identically on either platform

Billing is simple and transparent - you pay hourly for the machine size you choose (X-Small through Large), with no hidden infrastructure costs. The X-Small tier includes 250 free hours per month. Unlike self-hosted Racks where you pay variable cloud provider costs, Cloud pricing is fixed and predictable.

Yes! Custom domains and automatic SSL certificates work just like on Racks. For databases, you can use containerized resources (Postgres, MySQL, Redis) or connect to external managed databases. However, AWS RDS resources aren't directly available (yet) - you'll need to use external database services with connection strings.

Builds run in isolated, dedicated environments that don't consume your machine's resources. This means your application performance isn't affected during deployments. Build resources are included in your machine pricing - no separate build charges or configuration needed.

Choose Cloud for: quick setup (under 1 minute), predictable costs, zero maintenance, and teams without DevOps resources. Choose self-hosted Racks for: complete infrastructure control, compliance requirements (HIPAA/PCI), persistent storage needs, or complex networking requirements. Many customers use Cloud for development/staging and Racks for production.