thin.host vs Render
Render runs web services, background workers, databases and static sites from Git, with previews for pull requests. Its static sites are free to deploy within the Hobby workspace limits. thin.host only hosts static sites, deployed by upload rather than from a repository.
Facts about Render are taken from Render's own pricing and documentation pages as of October 2026 (checked 2026-10-14) and listed under Sources. Plans change; check the vendor's page before you decide.
Side by side
| thin.host | Render | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Free account: hosted sites at thin.host/s/<slug>/ and free <name>.thin.host subdomains. The domain API's free platform tier covers 3 domains. | Static sites are free to deploy; the Hobby workspace includes 5 GB bandwidth a month (then $0.15/GB), 500 build minutes and 2 custom domains. |
| Cheapest paid plan | Domain API tiers: Indie $29/month, Platform $199/month. End users pay $8/month per domain provisioned through the claim flow. | Pro, $25/month plus compute: 25 GB bandwidth and 15 custom domains. |
| Custom domains | Yes, several per site, added from the dashboard with a CNAME to cname.thin.host. | Yes: 2 on Hobby, then $0.25 per domain per month. |
| HTTPS | Automatic for custom domains and thin.host subdomains. | Automatic managed certificates at no extra cost. |
| AI agent / MCP support | Official hosted MCP server (thin.host/mcp, OAuth 2.1) plus a local server (uvx thinhost-mcp), a Claude Code plugin and a REST API. | Official Render MCP server (it can create static sites and trigger deploys) and plugins for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor. |
| Transactional email | Yes: transactional email over MCP, REST or SMTP from a verified sending domain (access is approved per account). | No. |
| How you deploy | MCP tool call, one REST upload of a zip, or drag-and-drop in the dashboard. No Git integration: you build locally or in CI. | Auto-deploy on git push with pull-request previews, deploy hooks, render.yaml Blueprints, a CLI, a REST API and MCP. |
| Deploy without an account | No, an account is needed to deploy. | No; an account and a Git repository are required. |
| Server-side features | Static files only, plus built-in form capture and password or email gating. No serverless functions. | Web services, background workers, cron jobs and Postgres next to the static site. |
When Render is the better choice
- The static front end sits next to APIs, workers and Postgres you also run on Render.
- Git-driven deploys with a preview for every pull request.
When thin.host is the better choice
- Publishing without a Git repository: an agent or a script uploads the build.
- Custom domains that are not metered per domain.
- Transactional email from the same account.
Moving from Render to thin.host
- Run the static site's Build Command locally and take its Publish Directory.
- Publish the folder: ask your agent to publish it to thin.host (MCP), or zip it and run
curl -F file=@site.zip -H "Authorization: Bearer $THINHOST_API_KEY" https://thin.host/v1/websites/archive. Check the site at its/s/<slug>/preview URL. - Plan for redirects: thin.host does not read Render's redirect rules, and redirects are not yet self-serve. Keep URL paths the same where you can; for a page that moved, deploy a small HTML page with a
meta refreshand a canonical link to the new address. Rewrites and custom headers have no equivalent. - Move the domain: add it to the site under Custom Domains in the thin.host dashboard, change its DNS record to the CNAME the dashboard shows (cname.thin.host), and remove it from Render once thin.host's certificate is live.
What does not carry over
- Redirect and rewrite rules and custom headers
- Pull-request previews and deploy hooks
- Auto-deploy on git push (use a CI step that calls the archive API)
Deploy commands for your framework are in the deploy guides; agent setup is in Quickstart (MCP).
FAQ
Can thin.host also run my Render web service?
No. thin.host hosts static files only. Keep the service on Render and serve the static front end from either host.
Can I deploy to thin.host without an account?
No. Sign up (free), then deploy with an API key, the MCP server or the dashboard's upload page.
Do I have to move my DNS provider?
No. Keep DNS where it is and create the record the dashboard shows, a CNAME to cname.thin.host. TLS is issued automatically once it resolves.
Sources
Render facts checked on 2026-10-14 against: