Cloud vs Self-Hosted
Kitbase is available as a fully managed cloud service or as a self-hosted deployment you run on your own infrastructure. Both options use the same codebase and offer the same core analytics capabilities.
Comparison
| Feature | Cloud | Self-Hosted |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free tier + paid plans | Free forever |
| Usage limits | Based on plan, extendable with prepaid credits | Unlimited |
| Included AI tracking | Daily AI visibility checks of your plan's prompts and engines — 750 responses per 30 days on Starter, 4,500 on Pro — guaranteed by the plan and never paid from credits | Unlimited |
| AI credits | Pay for extras you choose: manual AI visibility runs outside the daily schedule, Prompt Explorer, keyword research, backlink data, workflow AI steps, and a site audit's AI page reads and duplicate detection. Plan credits refresh monthly; purchased packs are spent only if you allow it, up to a monthly limit you set. The project assistant, content recommendations, and a site audit's crawl and rule checks are free | Not applicable |
| Setup | Instant — no infrastructure needed | Docker Compose on your server |
| Hosting | Managed by Kitbase | Your own infrastructure |
| Maintenance & updates | Automatic | Manual (docker compose pull) |
| SSL certificates | Included | Auto-provisioned via Caddy |
| Data location | Kitbase-managed servers | Your servers, your jurisdiction |
| Web analytics | ✅ | ✅ |
| Custom events | ✅ | ✅ |
| Autocapture | ✅ | ✅ |
| Session tracking | ✅ | ✅ |
| User identification | ✅ | ✅ |
| Webhooks | ✅ | ✅ |
| API access | ✅ | ✅ |
| All SDKs | ✅ | ✅ |
| Team members | Based on plan | Unlimited |
| Projects | Based on plan | Unlimited |
| Social login (Google, GitHub) | ✅ | ❌ |
| Slack integration | ✅ | ❌ |
| Email delivery | Built-in | Bring your own (SMTP, SES, or Resend) |
| Uptime SLA | Available on paid plans | Depends on your infrastructure |
| Support | Email + priority on paid plans | Community / self-service |
| Backups | Managed automatically | Your responsibility |
| Scaling | Handled by Kitbase | You manage scaling |
| Database access | No direct access | Full access to MySQL + ClickHouse |
When to choose Cloud
- You want to get started quickly with zero infrastructure
- You prefer a managed service with automatic updates and backups
- You need social login (Google / GitHub) for your team
- You want built-in Slack notifications
- You don't want to manage databases, servers, or SSL
When to choose Self-Hosted
- You need unlimited events, users, and projects with no usage caps
- Data residency or compliance requirements mandate hosting in a specific region
- You want full control over your infrastructure and data
- You need direct access to the underlying databases
- You want to run Kitbase inside your private network