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Server Compass vs Railway
Compare desktop-first VPS management with Server Compass against Railway's modern cloud PaaS. Choose between self-managed infrastructure or fully managed cloud platform.
Own Your Infrastructure
No Vendor Lock-in
VPS Pricing
$19
One-time license + $5 VPS
Desktop
Offline-capable app
Zero
Usage-based billing
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Server Compass | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Platform type | Desktop + Self-hosted VPS | Cloud PaaS |
| Infrastructure ownership | ||
| Vendor lock-in | ||
| Local data privacy | SQLite (local) | Cloud only |
| SSH terminal | Full terminal | Limited shell |
| File browser | ||
| Cron jobs | Visual management | Manual config |
| Docker support | Compose + Stacks | Dockerfile |
| PM2 deployments | ||
| Multi-Git accounts | Single account | |
| Database options | PostgreSQL, MySQL, Supabase | PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis |
| Database import/export | CSV support | Manual SQL |
| Bring your own server | Any SSH-accessible VPS | Railway infrastructure only |
| Pricing model | One-time + VPS | Usage-based ($5+ credits) |
| Free trial | $5 trial credit | $5 free credit |
| Resource limits | VPS-dependent | Credit-based |
| Egress bandwidth charges | Yes (after 100GB) |
Pricing Comparison
Server Compass
$19
one-time
- Desktop app (lifetime license)
- Unlimited servers & deployments
- All features unlocked
- SSH terminal included
- File browser & cron management
- Pay only VPS cost ($5-20/mo)
- 1 year of free updates
Total: $19 + VPS ($5-20/mo). No usage fees or bandwidth charges.
Railway
From $5/mo
usage-based credits
- $5 free trial credit
- Pay for actual usage (vCPU, RAM, storage)
- Starter: $5/month minimum
- Egress: $0.10/GB after 100GB
- Managed databases included
- Scales with usage automatically
Usage-based: Typical app costs $5-20/mo. Can scale higher under load.
When to Choose Each Platform
Choose Server Compass if...
- You want to own your infrastructure completely
- You prefer one-time costs over usage-based billing
- You need direct SSH and root access
- You want visual cron job management
- You need offline access to manage deployments
- You want to switch VPS providers anytime
- You deploy PM2-based Node.js apps
- You need local file browsing and management
Choose Railway if...
- You want zero server management
- You prefer usage-based billing
- You need managed Redis/PostgreSQL with backups
- You want Railway's GitHub integration
- You need instant scaling without VPS setup
- You prefer web-based management only
- You want Railway's starter templates
Ready to Own Your Infrastructure?
Download Server Compass and start deploying on your own VPS with the same polished experience you expect from premium platforms.