---
title: "Best Docker hosting in 2026: 4 options compared"
url: https://while.sh/en/comparisons/docker-container-hosting/
author: "Grégoire Mougeolle, co-founder of Nextmap"
updated: 2026-11-02
---

# The best Docker container hosting, with no server to manage

Your app fits in a Dockerfile, and you want to see it live without renting or maintaining a server. Here are the hosts that take it as it is, and what each one allows when your AI agent is the one deploying.

## The right choice depends on your app

- **Are your users all over the world?** Choose Fly.io: your container runs in many regions, close to them (source 1).
- **Do you want to keep your own server?** Choose Coolify: it builds your Dockerfile on your server (source 2).
- **Should your AI agent deploy your container, in France?** Choose while: your Dockerfile is built for every version, and your container never runs as an administrator.

## The comparison

| Host | Your container | Your AI agent | In France | To get started |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fly.io | Your Dockerfile, or a generated Dockerfile (source 3) | An MCP server in beta, which doesn't deploy | Yes for apps, not for the database (source 1) | Pay-as-you-go, with no lasting free plan |
| Coolify | A Dockerfile, Docker Compose or a published image (source 2) | A built-in MCP server, with limited-permission tokens (source 4) | If your server is there | Free, or $5 per month on Cloud, plus your servers (source 5) |
| Scaleway | An image that is already built, pushed to a registry (source 6) | An MCP server in the CLI, with every command open by default (source 7) | Yes, in its French region (source 6) | Pay-as-you-go containers, with a free allowance every month (source 9), and a database from about €11 per month (source 8) |
| while | Your Dockerfile, built for every version, or an image that is already built | An MCP server with OAuth: sensitive actions wait for your approval | Yes, with Nextmap, a French company | €0 to get started, then €13.75 per month for an app and its database |

## Fly.io, close to your users

Fly.io runs your apps in many regions around the world, as close as possible to your users (source 1).

## Coolify, on your own server

Coolify is open source and free, and turns any server into a PaaS (source 10).

## Scaleway, containers on demand

Scaleway scales your containers from zero to 200 instances with demand, in a European cloud (source 6).

## while, your Dockerfile deployed by your agent

Your AI agent sends your code over MCP: your Dockerfile builds the image for every version, its test stage runs if it has one, and the previous version stays ready. Your container never runs as root, even if it leaves out the USER line, and its packages are checked against known vulnerabilities at every deployment, then every day. Everything runs in France.

## Next steps

- [Deploy a Docker container](/en/guides/deploy-docker-container/)
- [Compare Dokploy and while](/en/comparisons/while-vs-dokploy/)

## Sources

1. [Fly.io, regions](https://docs.fly.io/reference/regions.md), 2026-11-02
2. [Coolify, deployment methods](https://coolify.io/docs/applications/choose-deployment-method), 2026-11-02
3. [Fly.io, home page](https://fly.io/), 2026-11-02
4. [Coolify, the MCP server](https://coolify.io/docs/mcp/overview), 2026-11-02
5. [Coolify, pricing and FAQ](https://coolify.io/pricing), 2026-11-02
6. [Scaleway, Serverless Containers](https://www.scaleway.com/en/serverless-containers/), 2026-11-02
7. [Scaleway, the CLI's MCP server](https://www.scaleway.com/en/developers/cli/mcp), 2026-11-02
8. [Scaleway, managed database pricing](https://www.scaleway.com/en/pricing/managed-databases/), 2026-11-02
9. [Scaleway, Serverless pricing](https://www.scaleway.com/en/pricing/serverless/), 2026-11-02
10. [Coolify, home page](https://coolify.io/), 2026-11-02

## Questions

### Do I have to build the image myself?

Not on while: your Dockerfile is built for every version. An image that is already built, public or pushed to while's registry, also runs as it is.

### What about Docker Compose?

On while, your agent translates your services into while.yaml: the app, its database, its cache.

### Can my container run as root?

Not on while: it always runs without administrator privileges, even if the Dockerfile leaves that out.