Choosing a Cloud Platform in 2025: More Options Than Ever
The hosting landscape has never been richer. You can launch a production AI SaaS without touching AWS or managing a single server — or you can have full infrastructure control from day one. The right choice depends on your team, stage, and technical requirements.
Vercel: Best for Next.js AI SaaS MVP
Pros: Zero config for Next.js, global edge network, instant preview deploys, excellent AI SDK support, starts free. Cons: Expensive at scale ($20/million requests beyond free), limited server-side capabilities, no GPU support.
Best for: Pre-PMF Next.js SaaS, teams without DevOps expertise, API-based AI (not local model serving).
Railway: Best Modern PaaS for SaaS Teams
Pros: Docker-native, simple pricing ($5/month base + usage), supports any language/framework, built-in PostgreSQL/Redis, great DX. Cons: Smaller community than AWS, limited geographic regions.
Best for: Post-MVP teams that need Docker support, companies leaving Heroku, teams with background jobs or workers.
AWS: Best for Scale & Compliance
Pros: Most comprehensive services (600+), best compliance coverage (HIPAA, SOC2, FedRAMP), global infrastructure, GPU instances for AI. Cons: Steep learning curve, requires DevOps expertise, complex billing, easy to overspend.
Best for: Enterprise SaaS with compliance requirements, companies with existing AWS infrastructure, teams with dedicated DevOps engineers.
The Growth Path
Start: Vercel → Ship MVP → Grow to $10K MRR → Add Railway for background jobs → Hit $100K MRR → Evaluate AWS migration for cost optimization or compliance requirements. Don't start on AWS — you'll spend your first month on IAM policies instead of user interviews.