Hosted in Germany (EU)
Your data stays in the EU with low latency and GDPR-first ops.
Is PostgreSQL hosting really free?
Yes. Hostim.dev has a free PostgreSQL tier for prototypes, side projects, and small apps, with no credit card required to start. You get a managed Postgres database — not a container you have to operate yourself.
The database is hosted in Germany (EU), GDPR-friendly by default, and connects to your apps over private networking with the connection string injected automatically.
Coming from serverless Postgres? See how this compares in the Neon alternative comparison.
EU-based, free to start
Secure, developer-friendly PostgreSQL with no credit card required.
Free Postgres tier
Perfect for prototypes, side projects, and small apps.
Private networking
Keep your DB internal to your apps by default.
Built-in metrics & logs
Observe performance without wiring external tools.
Persistent volumes
Attach storage to apps that need files alongside Postgres.
Simple app integration
We inject connection strings via env vars automatically.
What is the best free PostgreSQL hosting?
Every free Postgres tier people actually shortlist, and the catch in each one. Limits checked September 2026 — always confirm on the provider's own page before you build on them.
| Provider | Free storage | The catch | Card to start | EU region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostim.dev | 256 MB | Small tier; one free Postgres per project, no sleep and no expiry | No | 🇩🇪 Germany only |
| Supabase | 500 MB | Projects are paused after 1 week of inactivity; 2 active projects | No | 🇩🇪 🇮🇪 🇬🇧 🇫🇷 🇸🇪 🇨🇭 several |
| Neon | 0.5 GB | 100 CU-hours/month; compute scales to zero after 5 min idle | No | 🇩🇪 Frankfurt, 🇬🇧 London |
| Render | 1 GB | Free database expires 30 days after creation; no backups | No | 🇩🇪 Frankfurt |
| Aiven | 1 GB | Single node, no HA; instance powers off when left unused | No | Selected regions, EU included |
| Railway | Credits, not a tier | $5 trial credit for 30 days, then $1/month of usage on the free plan | No | 🇳🇱 EU West (Amsterdam) |
There is no single winner, because the free tiers fail in different ways. Render gives you the most storage and then deletes the database after a month. Supabase and Aiven pause an idle project, so a low-traffic side project goes down until you wake it. Neon keeps the data but suspends compute after five minutes, which shows up as a cold start on the first query. Hostim.dev gives the smallest disk of the group, 256 MB, and in return the database neither sleeps nor expires, and it sits next to your app in Germany on private networking.
Pick on the failure mode, not the number: if the project must answer at any hour, rule out the tiers that sleep. If you only need a scratch database for a month, the expiry does not matter and the bigger disk wins.
Free Postgres hosting FAQ
Is PostgreSQL hosting free on Hostim.dev?
Yes. There is a free Postgres tier for prototypes, side projects, and small apps, with no credit card required to start.
Where is the database hosted?
In Germany (EU). Your data stays in the EU with GDPR-first operations and low latency for European users.
How do I connect my app to the free Postgres database?
Hostim injects the connection string into your app as environment variables automatically, over private networking — no manual wiring.
Can I inspect the Postgres database directly?
Yes, over SSH through the Bastion service, so you can run psql or connect a GUI client.
What is the best free PostgreSQL hosting in 2026?
It depends on which limit hurts least. Render gives 1 GB but deletes the free database after 30 days. Supabase gives 500 MB but pauses a project after a week of inactivity. Neon gives 0.5 GB with 100 compute-hours and scales to zero after 5 minutes. Aiven gives 1 GB on a single node that powers off when unused. Hostim.dev gives 256 MB that never sleeps and never expires, in Germany, next to your app.
Is there free PostgreSQL hosting with no credit card?
Yes. Hostim.dev, Supabase, Neon, Render, Aiven and Railway all let you start without entering a card. Limits and pause behaviour differ, which matters more than the signup step — check the comparison table above.
Does the free database sleep or expire?
Not on Hostim.dev. The free 256 MB PostgreSQL instance stays online with no inactivity pause and no expiry date. That is the main difference from the larger free tiers, which either pause an idle project, suspend compute, or delete the database after 30 days.
How is this different from Supabase or Railway?
Hostim is EU-hosted by default with private networking and integrated app hosting in one platform, instead of US-first hosting with the database exposed publicly.
Start now
Put something live today.
Open the dashboard and deploy a Docker image, a Git repo or a template. The 5-day trial project needs no card.