How to Self-Host Your Marketing Platform on a $5 VPS (Step by Step)
Self-hosting a marketing platform on a VPS sounds technical — it isn't. A plain-English walkthrough of taking funnels, CRM, and email live on a server you own, no developer required.
Key takeaways
To self-host a marketing platform: (1) order a $5–10/month VPS from Hetzner, DigitalOcean, or Vultr; (2) point your domain's DNS to its IP; (3) run a single install command; (4) finish setup in a browser wizard that handles the admin account, domains, and free SSL automatically. Total time is about five minutes, and no coding is required after the install.
"Self-hosting" sounds technical, but for a modern marketing platform it's closer to ordering a website than writing code. Here's the whole process.
Why self-host at all?
- Fixed cost. A $5–10/month VPS replaces $97–$497/month SaaS — and the price doesn't climb with your contact count.
- You own the data. Your funnels, contacts, and revenue live on infrastructure you control. No vendor lock-in.
- No per-contact or usage fees. Bring your own SMTP and payment keys.
If you're new to the concept, start with what a self-hosted marketing platform is.
What you need
- A domain name (you probably already have one).
- A VPS — Hetzner (best value), DigitalOcean, or Vultr all work. A $5–10/month instance is plenty to start.
- About five minutes.
Step by step
- Order a VPS. Pick the smallest paid tier; you can resize later. Note the server's IP address.
- Point your DNS. In your domain registrar, add an
Arecord for your domain (andwww) pointing to the VPS IP. - Run the install command. SSH in once and run the platform's one-line installer. For Launchtic it's a single bash script that sets up Docker, the database, and the app automatically. See the installation docs.
- Finish in the browser. Open your domain — a setup wizard creates your admin account, connects your domains, and provisions free SSL via Let's Encrypt. Done.
After that, everything runs in a visual dashboard. No code, no command line.
What it costs vs SaaS
| Shared SaaS | Self-hosted on a VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $97–$497 | $5–10 (your VPS) |
| Per-contact fees | Common | None |
| Data location | Their servers | Your server |
| Price as you grow | Rises | Fixed |
Maintenance
Updates are one command (or one click), backups can run automatically to your own storage, and SSL renews itself. For most operators, ongoing maintenance is a few minutes a month.
Ready to own your stack? See pricing or try the live demo first.
Frequently asked questions
Own your marketing platform
Buy your license once, self-host it, and drop the monthly SaaS bills for good.