What to choose
Netrun, VPS or Heroku: what to choose for your project
Usually picking a place for your project turns into a job of its own. On a VPS you install Docker yourself, set up nginx and SSL, keep track of updates and pay for the server every month. Foreign platforms are more convenient, but you pay in foreign currency, a Russian card may be declined, and support answers only in English. Figuring out which of these actually suits you is sometimes harder than writing the code itself.
Netrun has no server to manage: you upload your code, the platform detects the language on its own, builds the project and gives you a public HTTPS link — no renting a VPS, no Docker or nginx by hand, with payment by a Russian card or SBP and support in Russian. Below is an honest comparison of the options and the criteria worth choosing by.
Decide whether you need full control over the server#
A VPS gives you root access and complete freedom to configure things — the right choice when a project needs low-level control or non-standard infrastructure. But Docker, nginx, SSL, updates, monitoring and paying for the server are all on you. For a first bot, a pet project or a website this is usually needless hassle.
Think about how you prefer to pay and talk to support#
Heroku, Railway and Render are convenient, but they need a foreign card, a Russian one may be declined, and support is English only. If that is a barrier for you, choose a service that accepts a Russian card and SBP. On Netrun prices are shown in dollars, but you pay with a Russian card or via SBP — your card is charged the ruble amount at the current rate, and support speaks Russian too.
Understand what type of project you have#
Vercel is great for frontend and serverless functions, but not for an arbitrary backend or a Telegram bot. If you have a bot, a background script or an ordinary server app, you need a service that runs any code. Netrun runs projects in Python, Node.js, Go, Rust, Ruby, PHP, Java, .NET, Deno, Bun, Elixir, as well as static sites and bash scripts — or it takes your own Dockerfile and docker-compose with several services at once.
Weigh how much manual work you are ready to take on#
On a VPS you get maximum control, but also maximum routine: building, exposing ports, certificates, restarting a crashed process — it is all yours. Netrun is a middle ground here: there is less low-level control than on a bare server, but the build, HTTPS and automatic restart on failure are handled for you, and the logs and deployment status are visible in your dashboard in real time.
Keep the Free plan specifics in mind#
On the Netrun Free plan you get one project. A website can live there for free as long as you want: after 15 minutes of inactivity it goes to sleep and wakes itself up in a couple of seconds when someone opens it, so the first response will be a bit slower. Bots and background scripts are different: there is nothing to wake them over HTTP. A bot has no public link — it reaches out to Telegram, not the other way around. That is why a bot or a background script on the Free plan runs for 24 hours and then shuts down: your code, settings and secrets stay where they are, and a warning arrives shortly before. If a website has to answer instantly, with no wake-up delay, or a bot has to run with no time limit, the Pro plan covers that. Room for projects beyond the first one is paid for separately.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer. A VPS is worth taking when you truly need full control over the system and are ready to maintain it yourself. Foreign platforms will do if you have a foreign card and are fine with support in English. Vercel is good for frontend and serverless functions. And if you just want to upload your code — a bot, a website or any backend — and get a working link without fussing over infrastructure, with payment by a Russian card or SBP and support in Russian, then Netrun covers exactly this case, in exchange for part of the low-level control. Try Netrun.