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APIs · head to head

PocketBase vs Zeplo

PocketBase logo

PocketBase

APIs

Open-source backend with REST API, real-time subscriptions and Admin UI

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zeplo logo

Zeplo

APIs

Message queue as a URL prefix, adding retries and delays to any HTTP request

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: PocketBase requires technical expertise to deploy and maintain; Zeplo zeplo sits directly in the execution path of your background work, so an outage at a very small vendor means your jobs do not run at all, and there is no published SLA below Enterprise.
  • They diverge on capability: PocketBase covers REST API, Zeplo covers URL prefix interface.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PocketBase and Zeplo actually diverge.

Attributes where PocketBase and Zeplo differ
AttributePocketBaseZeplo
Pricing modelUnknownPer month by request count
PlatformsLinux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSDWeb, Cloud
Founded2021Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (APIs).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in PocketBase

  • REST API
  • Real-time subscriptions
  • Admin UI
  • SQLite
  • Webhooks
  • File storage
  • Go support
  • Docker support

Only in Zeplo

  • URL prefix interface
  • Retries with backoff
  • Delayed delivery
  • Cron scheduling
  • Concurrency limits
  • Deduplication keys
  • Request logs
  • Team workspaces

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

PocketBase

  • Embedded realtime database with REST APInot Zeplo
  • Backend-as-a-service for single-file deploymentsnot Zeplo
  • Rapid application development with email/OAuth2 authenticationnot Zeplo
  • File storage and media attachment managementnot Zeplo
  • Lightweight alternative to Firebase or traditional backend infrastructurenot Zeplo
  • Go and JavaScript customisable application frameworknot Zeplo

Zeplo

  • A Vercel or Cloudflare Workers application that needs retried background jobs without deploying a separate always-on workernot PocketBase
  • A team that wants a webhook receiver protected by a concurrency limit so a burst does not overwhelm a downstream APInot PocketBase
  • A small product needing cron jobs against HTTP endpoints without adding a scheduler to its infrastructurenot PocketBase
  • A developer adding idempotent retries to an unreliable third-party API call with a one-line URL changenot PocketBase

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

PocketBase

  • Requires technical expertise to deploy and maintain
  • No built-in hosting provided
  • Community support only

Zeplo

  • Zeplo sits directly in the execution path of your background work, so an outage at a very small vendor means your jobs do not run at all, and there is no published SLA below Enterprise.
  • The free Developer tier includes only 500 requests a month and one team member, so it is a demonstration allowance rather than a usable free plan for anything real.
  • Overage on the Developer tier is 20 US dollars per 100,000 requests, two hundred times the marginal rate on the Company tier, so exceeding the free allowance without upgrading is expensive.
  • Team members cost 15 US dollars each beyond the plan allowance, which is an odd charge on an infrastructure product billed by request volume.
  • Log retention is 30 days on both published tiers, so anything requiring longer audit trails on job execution has to be logged separately.

Pricing, plan by plan

PocketBase

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the PocketBase review.

Zeplo

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • 500 requests a month included
    • $20 per additional 100,000 requests
    • 1 team member
  • Company$39/month
    • 1,000,000 requests a month included
    • $10 per additional million requests
    • Up to 3 team members
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Volume discounts
    • Custom team size
    • Support with SLA

Which should you pick?

Choose PocketBase if

  • You need rest api.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD.
  • You also want real-time subscriptions.
PocketBase review

Choose Zeplo if

  • You need url prefix interface.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want retries with backoff.
Zeplo review

Questions people ask

Is PocketBase or Zeplo better?
Neither clearly leads. PocketBase starts at Free and Zeplo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PocketBase or Zeplo?
PocketBase starts at Free and Zeplo at Free.
Does PocketBase or Zeplo run on more platforms?
PocketBase runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD. Zeplo runs on Web, Cloud.
Can I use PocketBase for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is PocketBase best used for?
PocketBase is most often used for embedded realtime database with rest api, backend-as-a-service for single-file deployments, rapid application development with email/oauth2 authentication, file storage and media attachment management. Of those, embedded realtime database with rest api and backend-as-a-service for single-file deployments are not what Zeplo is typically brought in for.
What can PocketBase do that Zeplo cannot?
PocketBase covers REST API, Real-time subscriptions, Admin UI, SQLite. Zeplo covers URL prefix interface, Retries with backoff, Delayed delivery, Cron scheduling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

PocketBase: How much does PocketBase cost?

PocketBase is completely free and open-source. It is a self-hosted backend solution with database, authentication, and file storage capabilities at no cost.

Source
Zeplo: How does Zeplo work?

You prefix your endpoint URL with zeplo.to and add query parameters for retries, delay, cron or concurrency. No SDK or broker is needed.

PocketBase: Is PocketBase open-source?

Yes, PocketBase is open-source software. You can download, modify, and deploy it yourself at no cost with no licensing restrictions.

Source
Zeplo: What does it cost?

Free for 500 requests a month; 39 US dollars a month for a million requests, then 10 dollars per additional million.

Zeplo: Is it suitable for critical jobs?

It is a small vendor in your execution path with no published SLA below Enterprise, so weigh that against the convenience.

Zeplo: Does it work with serverless platforms?

Yes, that is its main use, covering Vercel, Cloudflare Workers, Netlify and similar environments that lack long-running workers.

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