The Showdown
Photon EnginevsSpacetimeDB
Why pay monthly fees for Photon Engine when you can self-host SpacetimeDB for free? Let's look at the facts.
VS
Photon Engine
The Expensive Option
- Closed Source (Black box)
- Expensive monthly fees per user
- Data stored on their servers
WINNER
SpacetimeDB
The Freedom Choice
- 100% Open Source Code
- Free forever (Self-hosted)
- You own your data completely
Interactive Calculator
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10 people
150100200+
$
*Estimated standard pricing for Photon Engine. Adjust if needed.
Estimated Annual Waste
$1,440
Monthly Burn Rate$120
5-Year Projection$7,200
Cost with Self-Hosted$0
Calculations based on 10 users at $12/mo.
Detailed Breakdown
0
External server logic
In-database Wasm logic
1
Network-bound DB access
Zero-trip DB access
2
Memory-based or External DB
Relational & Persistent