Croft vs Railway: where should you host a private team app?

Quick answer

Choose Railway when you need a developer PaaS for internet-facing services, APIs, or products. Choose Croft when you built an AI or vibe-coded app and need a private place your team can open with company login, a database, and backups, without becoming ops for a public host. That is the Croft vs Railway decision in one line: public PaaS posture versus private team host. Deeper feature rows live on Croft vs Railway.

Same question, different job

People search Croft vs Railway, Railway alternative private apps, and host AI app privately vs Railway for a reason. Both get an app live. They are not the same kind of host.

Railway is strong when you are shipping services to the open web: git push or Docker, databases and previews, usage-based scale. That is a classic developer PaaS.

Croft is for the other cliff. You (or a teammate) already built something in Claude, Cursor, or another assistant. It works for you. Now the team needs one URL, shared data, and sign-in for the people you invite. You do not want a public URL by default, and you do not want to stand up a full PaaS just to share a small internal tool.

Both developers and non-developers land here. Developers still choose Croft for small private team projects. Non-developers choose it when the assistant did the building and they just need somewhere private to host it.

Posture at a glance

	Railway	Croft
Posture	Public PaaS for services on the internet	Private team host for internal apps
Default URL	Public by default	Private by default
Login	You wire auth per service	Company login in front of apps
Best when	Shipping APIs, products, or scalable services	Hosting AI-built / vibe-coded apps the team opens

Short version: Railway wins for internet-facing services. Croft wins for private internal tool hosting vs Railway when the audience is your team. Full compare page: Croft vs Railway. Developer context: Croft for developers.

When Railway is the right call

Pick Railway when:

The app is meant for customers or the public internet
You want PR previews, usage-based scale, and classic PaaS controls
You are happy wiring auth, networking, and ops yourself as the service grows

Railway is excellent at that job. This post is not “Railway is bad.” It is “Railway is a different posture than a private team host.”

When Croft is the right call

Pick Croft when:

You built (or vibe-coded) an internal app and need the team to open it
You want private hosting by default, not a public URL you lock down later
You want a database, company login, backups, and rollback without assembling a stack
You would rather ask Claude or Cursor to deploy than babysit nginx, Docker compose, or a multi-service PaaS for a small tool

Typical path:

Get a croft (private server for your workspace).
Connect Cursor or Claude over MCP, or use Croft Build in the browser.
Ask the assistant to deploy the app to your croft (not a public host).
Invite colleagues. They open a normal URL, sign in with company login, and work against shared data.

Landings for that path: host a Cursor app, artifacts to apps, templates, connectors. Pricing: pricing.

FAQ

Is Croft a Railway alternative?

For private team apps, yes: Croft is a Railway alternative when you want a private place for AI-built internal tools instead of a public PaaS. For internet-facing services and classic PaaS workflows, Railway remains the better fit. See Croft vs Railway.

Can I host an AI app privately instead of on Railway?

Yes. Deploy from Claude or Cursor to Croft, keep the app private by default, and invite teammates behind company login. That is the usual answer to host AI app privately vs Railway.

Do developers use Croft, or is it only for non-coders?

Both. Almost everyone builds with AI now. Developers use Croft for small private team projects when they do not want to stand up Railway, Render, or Vercel-style infra. Non-developers use it when the assistant built the app and they need a private host the team can open.

Does Croft include a database and backups?

Yes. Shared app data, backups, and rollback are part of the host. You are not stitching a separate database product just to get a lasting team tool.

How much does Croft cost?

Solo from $24/month on annual billing, Team $99/month on annual. 7-day free trial, no card to start. See pricing.

Get your croft → · Croft vs Railway → · For developers → · Host a Cursor app →