--- title: "alwaysdata vs while: the alternative built for your AI agent" url: https://while.sh/en/comparisons/while-vs-alwaysdata/ author: "Grégoire Mougeolle, co-founder of Nextmap" updated: 2026-11-02 --- # alwaysdata vs while: which one to choose when your AI agent deploys? alwaysdata has hosted your websites, your mailboxes and your databases in France since 2006, maintained for you. while is built for your AI agent: it deploys your apps over MCP, and sensitive actions, like deleting a production database, wait for your approval. ## What changes between alwaysdata and while | What matters | alwaysdata | while | |---|---|---| | Who it's for | Websites, mailboxes and databases in a single account, maintained for you (source 1) | People who build their apps with an AI agent, solo or as a team | | Your AI agent | No MCP server: the REST API (source 2) | Connected over MCP, with OAuth: it deploys, creates the database, reads the logs and fixes things | | What protects production | A token has all of its profile's permissions, deletions included (source 2) | Sensitive actions, like deleting a production database, wait for a person | | The database | Managed PostgreSQL, one backup per day, kept 3 to 30 days depending on the plan (source 3) | PostgreSQL in while, backed up every day, with point-in-time recovery | | Who opens your app | A password through .htaccess, for a site served by Apache (source 4) | Everyone, a password, or the company account with the Pro plan | | In France | Yes (source 5) | Yes, with Nextmap, a French company | | To get started | Free for personal use, then €6 per month, excl. VAT (source 6) | A trial without an account. Then €0 to get started, and €13.75 per month for an app and its database | ## alwaysdata, the all-inclusive French host alwaysdata has been hosting since 2006, in France, on its own hardware and its own network: unlimited websites, mailboxes and databases in a single account, backups included, and 100% human support (sources 1, 5 and 7). Its free plan lasts for life, with no credit card (source 1). ## With while, your AI agent does the rest - **No server to maintain.** There's no system to update, no disk to watch and no certificate to renew: your agent deploys, and the rest is taken care of. - **Your databases are backed up for you.** Every day, with point-in-time recovery, and a production backup is tested every day. - **Nothing serious happens without you.** Deleting a production database waits for your approval, before it runs, and every action is recorded in a signed activity log. - **Your keys stay secret.** Your app uses them, your agent never sees them. - **Your colleagues sign in with the company account.** Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, on the Pro plan, with no sign-in page to code. ## Moving from alwaysdata to while ### Take over your app > You, to your agent: Move our alwaysdata app to while. Your agent writes while.yaml from your code or your Dockerfile, and deploys the app. ### Copy your PostgreSQL database > You, to your agent: Copy our PostgreSQL database to while. Your agent exports the database with `pg_dump`, then loads it into while. ### Carry over your variables > You, to your agent: Carry over our environment variables. Your agent carries your settings over to while. You enter your secret keys yourself: it never sees them. ## Which one to choose - **Choose alwaysdata** if you want your websites, your mailboxes and your databases in one place, at a fixed price. - **Choose while** if your AI agent is the one deploying your apps, and you want to be sure it can't break anything in production without you. ## Next steps - [Deploy a Node.js API and its PostgreSQL database](/en/guides/deploy-node-api-postgresql/) - [Choose a French PaaS](/en/comparisons/french-paas/) ## Sources 1. [alwaysdata, home page](https://www.alwaysdata.com/fr/), 2026-11-02 2. [alwaysdata, API tokens](https://help.alwaysdata.com/en/docs/admin-billing/profile/tokens/), 2026-11-02 3. [alwaysdata, backups](https://help.alwaysdata.com/en/docs/web-hosting/backups/), 2026-11-02 4. [alwaysdata, the .htaccess file](https://help.alwaysdata.com/en/docs/web-hosting/sites/http-servers/htaccess-file/), 2026-11-02 5. [alwaysdata, architecture](https://help.alwaysdata.com/en/docs/technical-specifications/architecture/), 2026-11-02 6. [alwaysdata, Public Cloud pricing](https://help.alwaysdata.com/en/docs/admin-billing/billing/public-cloud-prices/), 2026-11-02 7. [alwaysdata, hosting for startups](https://www.alwaysdata.com/fr/hebergement-startups/), 2026-11-02 ## Questions ### Is alwaysdata French? Yes, like while: a French company, with servers in France (source 5). ### Can my agent deploy on alwaysdata? Through alwaysdata's REST API, with a token that has all of your profile's permissions (source 2). On while, it goes through MCP, and sensitive actions, like deleting a production database, wait for your approval. ### What about my mailboxes? There's no email on while: keep your mailboxes at alwaysdata or elsewhere, and put your apps on while. ### Can my agent move from alwaysdata to while? Yes for Node.js, Python, Go and PostgreSQL. A PHP site moves with a Dockerfile, which your agent writes.