Compare

SelfHost vs AWS RDS

RDS Hidden Costs Revealed

Managed PostgreSQL on Graviton instances. Same infrastructure, different markup. Uncover the RDS hidden costs that inflate your AWS bill and see how SelfHost compares on pricing, features, and what's actually included.

TL;DR

The short
version.

30-46%
Cheaper than RDS

SelfHost is 30-46% cheaper than RDS on equivalent Graviton instances. Same hardware, fraction of the markup.

$0
For pooling, monitoring, alerts

Connection pooling, monitoring, and alerts included free. RDS charges extra: RDS Proxy $21-44/mo, CloudWatch $3/instance/mo.

76
AI-powered MCP tools

Manage your database from Claude, Cursor, or VS Code with 111 MCP tools. RDS has no equivalent.

Pricing

Real numbers,
three configs.

This RDS pricing breakdown uses monthly rates from us-east-1 (N. Virginia). RDS prices include RDS Proxy and CloudWatch for an apples-to-apples comparison.

Small
2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 20 GB gp3
AWS RDS
db.t4g.medium compute $47.45 20 GB gp3 storage $2.30 RDS Proxy $21.00 CloudWatch $3.00
~$73.75/mo
SelfHost
t4g.medium compute $33.11 20 GB gp3 storage $2.16 Starter tier $19.00
~$54.27/mo
26% less
Medium
2 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 100 GB gp3
AWS RDS
db.r7g.large compute $156.22 100 GB gp3 storage $11.50 RDS Proxy $33.00 CloudWatch $3.00
~$203.72/mo
SelfHost
r7g.large compute $105.55 100 GB gp3 storage $10.80 Pro tier $79.00
~$195.35/mo
4% less + PITR, replicas, 111 MCP tools, BYOC included
Large
4 vCPU, 32 GB RAM, 500 GB gp3
AWS RDS
db.r7g.xlarge compute $312.44 500 GB gp3 storage $57.50 RDS Proxy $44.00 CloudWatch $3.00
~$416.94/mo
SelfHost
r7g.xlarge compute $211.09 500 GB gp3 storage $54.00 Pro tier $79.00
~$344.09/mo
17% less

Features

Side by side
comparison.

Feature SelfHost AWS RDS
Connection pooling Coming soon RDS Proxy $21-44/mo extra
Monitoring Built-in, up to 90-day history CloudWatch $3/mo + Datadog ~$70/mo
Alerts Included (email + Slack) CloudWatch Alarms $0.10/alarm + SNS
PITR Included on Pro ($79/mo) Included (but 2x compute for Multi-AZ)
AI management 111 MCP tools None
BYOC $79/mo (Pro) N/A (you're already on AWS)
Regions 38 AWS regions 30+ regions
Multi-AZ Replicas on Pro 2x compute cost
Autoscaling Included on Pro Manual or Aurora only
PG config access Full tuning Limited parameter groups
CPU credit charges None (Graviton at flat rate) $0.075/vCPU-hr on T4g bursts

Deep dive

Why SelfHost is
cheaper.

AWS RDS is expensive, it charges a 2-3x markup over raw EC2. The RDS true cost becomes clear when you compare it to SelfHost, which runs PostgreSQL on the same Graviton instances (t4g, r7g) with a 35% markup.

Example: t4g.medium hourly rate
Raw EC2 $0.0336/hr
AWS RDS 93% markup
$0.0650/hr
SelfHost 35% markup
$0.0454/hr

Hidden costs

RDS Hidden Costs:
What RDS Doesn't Show Upfront

These RDS billing surprises add up fast. Here's what AWS doesn't include in the headline price.

$21-44/mo
RDS Proxy

Required for connection pooling. Charged separately per vCPU of your database instance.

$3/instance/mo
Enhanced Monitoring

CloudWatch Enhanced Monitoring at 1-second granularity. Basic monitoring is 60-second intervals.

$0+/vCPU
Performance Insights

Free tier limited to 7 days retention. Detailed analysis beyond that is charged per-vCPU.

$0.075/vCPU-hr
T4g CPU credits

T4g instances in Unlimited mode incur $0.075/vCPU-hr for sustained CPU usage above the baseline.

2x compute
Multi-AZ

Multi-AZ deployments double your compute bill. A $156/mo instance becomes $312/mo with failover.

$0.095/GB/mo
Backup storage

Automated backups beyond 100% of provisioned DB storage size are charged per GB per month.

Limitations

What RDS
can't do.

Looking for an AWS RDS alternative? Here's what RDS can't match.

01
No MCP server

Can't manage your database from Claude, Cursor, or VS Code. No AI-native management interface whatsoever.

02
No built-in connection pooling

Need a separate RDS Proxy service at $21-44/mo. SelfHost includes PgBouncer on every database.

03
No single-pane monitoring with alerts

Need CloudWatch + Datadog + PagerDuty for what SelfHost provides in one dashboard with email and Slack alerts built in.

04
No BYOC

You're locked into RDS. Can't bring your own EC2 instances. SelfHost Pro lets you connect your AWS account and run databases on your own infrastructure.

05
Limited PG config access

Parameter groups don't expose everything. SelfHost gives you full access to tune shared_buffers, work_mem, max_connections, and every other PostgreSQL setting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most common RDS hidden costs?
The most common RDS hidden costs include RDS Proxy for connection pooling ($21-44/mo), Enhanced Monitoring via CloudWatch ($3/instance/mo), T4g CPU credit charges ($0.075/vCPU-hr), Multi-AZ failover doubling compute costs, backup storage beyond the free tier ($0.095/GB/mo), and Performance Insights retention fees.
How much does RDS Proxy cost compared to built-in connection pooling?
RDS Proxy costs $21-44 per month depending on your instance size, billed per vCPU. SelfHost includes PgBouncer connection pooling free on every database, even on the $19/mo Starter tier. Check SelfHost pricing for a full feature-by-tier breakdown.
Why is AWS RDS expensive compared to running PostgreSQL on EC2?
AWS RDS is expensive because it applies a 93% markup over raw EC2 pricing on instances like t4g.medium. You pay $0.065/hr on RDS versus $0.0336/hr on EC2. SelfHost uses the same Graviton instances with only a 35% markup, saving you 30-46%.
What is the RDS true cost for a small PostgreSQL database?
The RDS true cost for a small 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM PostgreSQL database is approximately $73.75/mo in us-east-1, including compute ($47.45), storage ($2.30), RDS Proxy ($21), and CloudWatch ($3). An equivalent SelfHost setup costs $54.27/mo, 26% less.
How can I avoid RDS billing surprises on my AWS bill?
Avoid RDS billing surprises by auditing add-on services separately billed by AWS, RDS Proxy, Enhanced Monitoring, Performance Insights, backup storage overages, and T4g CPU credit charges. Alternatively, switch to a provider like SelfHost that includes monitoring, alerts, and pooling in every tier at no extra cost.
Is there a cheaper AWS RDS alternative for PostgreSQL?
SelfHost is a managed PostgreSQL service that runs on the same AWS Graviton instances as RDS but with a 35% markup instead of 93%. It includes connection pooling, monitoring, and alerts free, features RDS charges extra for. Deploy a database in under 2 minutes.
What does an RDS pricing breakdown look like for a production database?
A production RDS pricing breakdown for a 4 vCPU, 32 GB RAM instance includes compute ($312.44), 500 GB gp3 storage ($57.50), RDS Proxy ($44), and CloudWatch ($3), totaling $416.94/mo. SelfHost offers the same specs for $344.09/mo, a 17% saving with more features included.
Does SelfHost support BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud) as an RDS alternative?
SelfHost Pro ($79/mo) supports BYOC, you connect your own AWS account and SelfHost manages database operations on your infrastructure. This gives you full control over your VPC, security groups, and data residency while eliminating RDS hidden costs like Proxy fees and CPU credit charges. See Pro tier details.
How do RDS Proxy costs compare to PgBouncer on SelfHost?
RDS Proxy costs $21-44/mo per database, billed per vCPU. SelfHost includes PgBouncer-based connection pooling at no additional cost on every plan, including the free tier. For teams running multiple databases, this eliminates one of the largest RDS hidden costs entirely.
Can I manage my PostgreSQL database with AI instead of the AWS console?
SelfHost offers 111 MCP tools that let you manage PostgreSQL databases directly from Claude, Cursor, or VS Code using natural language. Query performance, create backups, configure alerts, all without touching the AWS console. No RDS equivalent exists. See the MCP documentation for the full tool list.
What monitoring and alerts are included with SelfHost vs RDS?
SelfHost includes built-in monitoring with up to 90-day history plus email and Slack alerts on every plan at no extra cost. RDS requires CloudWatch ($3/instance/mo) for basic metrics, Enhanced Monitoring for 1-second granularity, and third-party tools like Datadog (~$70/mo) for comprehensive dashboards.
How much can I save by switching from RDS to SelfHost?
Teams save 17-26% on equivalent Graviton instances by switching from RDS to SelfHost, from $73.75 to $54.27/mo on small configs, and $416.94 to $344.09/mo on large configs. Factor in eliminated RDS hidden costs like Proxy and monitoring fees, and total savings reach 30-46%. Start free.

The best AWS RDS alternative.
Same Graviton instances. Fraction of the markup.

Free tier available
Pooling, monitoring, alerts included
Deploy for free