A self-hosted Vercel alternative
The instant-deploy, HTTPS-included polish of Vercel — but full-stack, on infrastructure you own, driven by AI agents over MCP, with no per-seat or usage bills. Long-running services, background jobs, persistent data, any language. One command to install. AGPL-3.0. Your infra, your data, your keys.
When the frontend cloud isn't enough
Vercel ships frontends and Vercel Functions with preview deployments, on Vercel's cloud. A function runs for 300 seconds by default, configurable up to 800 on Pro. Long-running workers go on Vercel Daemons, containers that stay up, which are in beta and have no persistent local storage during the beta, so state lives in Vercel Blob or a database. Pro is billed per deploying seat plus usage beyond a monthly credit; Hobby is free and limited to personal, non-commercial use. Your code and secrets live on Vercel's cloud.
AppCrane keeps the deploy-and-it's-live feel but runs full-stack, long-running apps in Docker containers on your Ubuntu server. Persistent /data volumes, scheduled cron, sandbox and production environments, auto-HTTPS via Caddy, zero-downtime promotes, whole-system backup, and Nixpacks builds for any language. Cost is flat because it's your hardware — no per-seat multiplier, no usage overage surprise.
# one command on your Ubuntu server curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gitayg/appCrane/main/install.sh | sudo bash
Agent-first deploys, your trust boundary
Vercel runs an official remote MCP server at mcp.vercel.com that can manage projects, analyze deployment logs and, since July 2026, deploy code, all against your Vercel account. AppCrane's MCP server runs on your own box and exposes 74 appcrane_* tools, so Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex can build an app and deploy it — to sandbox, then production — in plain language. Because it's self-hosted, the code the agent writes and the secrets it sets stay on your infrastructure. Env-var access follows app assignment, so even a platform admin cannot read the plaintext of an app they are not assigned to, and every reveal is audited. Full walkthrough: Deploy from Claude & Cursor.
AppCrane vs Vercel, feature by feature
| AppCrane | Vercel | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting model | Self-hosted, your box | Vercel's cloud |
| Pricing | Free, on your server | Pro: platform fee, deploying seats, usage past the monthly credit |
| Long-running services | Always-on containers | Functions up to 800 s on Pro; Daemons in beta |
| Persistent local storage | /data volumes | Not for Daemons during the beta; Blob or a database |
| Scheduled cron jobs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Agent / MCP control | MCP server on your box | Remote MCP server at mcp.vercel.com |
| Auto-HTTPS + custom domains | ✓ | ✓ |
| Single sign-on | SAML, OIDC, SCIM | SAML on Enterprise, paid add-on on Pro; Directory Sync on Enterprise |
| Audit log | Per-user, every plan | Audit Logs on Enterprise |
| Source | AGPL-3.0 | Vendor-operated |
| On-prem / air-gap | ✓ | Vercel-hosted |
What comes in the box
Full-stack containers
Long-running services, workers, and databases — not just static frontends or functions.
Flat cost
Your hardware, your bill. No per-seat multiplier, no usage overage surprises.
Auto-HTTPS
Caddy handles TLS for every app and custom domain, provisioned and renewed automatically.
Secret hard-wall
Env vars are encrypted, and access follows app assignment, so a platform admin cannot read an app they are not assigned to. Every reveal is audited.
Backup & restore
Whole-system backup plus scheduled off-site S3 backups for disaster recovery.
Enterprise auth
SAML/OIDC/SCIM SSO, four-role RBAC, and per-user token-bound audit, included.
Frequently asked
Is AppCrane a good self-hosted Vercel alternative?
Yes — full-stack apps on your own server with auto-HTTPS, dual environments, persistent volumes, cron, and Nixpacks builds, minus the per-seat and usage bills.
How is it different from Vercel?
Vercel is hosted, built around frontends and Vercel Functions, and Pro is billed per deploying seat plus usage. AppCrane self-hosts, runs full-stack long-running services on your own server with no metering, and its MCP server runs on that server.
Does it avoid per-seat and usage bills?
Yes — it's open source and runs on hardware you already pay for.
Can it run full-stack, not just frontends?
Yes — Docker containers with persistent volumes, background cron, and any Nixpacks-supported language.
AppCrane vs Vercel — which should I choose?
Choose Vercel for a pure frontend or serverless app you're happy to run on their cloud. Choose AppCrane when you need full-stack, long-running services on infrastructure you own — code and secrets never leaving your box, flat cost instead of per-seat and usage bills, agent-driven deploys over MCP, and enterprise SSO, RBAC, and audit.