SaaS vs Self-Hosted Trade-offs
Self-Hosted
All data stays in your infrastructure
Easier to meet strict regulations
You manage updates, backups, scaling
Infrastructure + engineering time
SaaS (RemoteEnv)
We handle updates and uptime
<5 minutes to production
Encrypted, but not on-premise
Simple monthly pricing
Where Self-Host Breaks Down
🛠️ Operational Overhead
Deploying Unleash or Flagsmith means managing databases, Redis, container orchestration, SSL certificates, and monitoring.
Real cost: 20-40 hours/year of engineering time
🔒 Security Responsibility
You own patching vulnerabilities, securing API keys, and preventing unauthorized access.
One missed CVE = potential breach
📈 Scaling Complexity
As traffic grows, you need load balancing, database replication, and caching strategies.
SaaS handles this automatically
⏰ Opportunity Cost
Time spent maintaining infrastructure is time not spent building product.
Is DevOps your competitive advantage?
The "Good Enough" Control Argument
Most teams choosing self-hosting are solving for perceived control, not actual compliance needs.
Ask Yourself:
- • Does your company self-host email? Probably not (you use Gmail/Outlook).
- • Does your company self-host analytics? Probably not (you use Mixpanel/Amplitude).
- • Do you self-host CI/CD? Probably not (you use GitHub Actions/CircleCI).
If SaaS is acceptable for these critical services, why is feature flags different?
Clear Stance: When Self-Hosting Makes Sense
✅ Self-Host If:
- • You're in healthcare/finance with strict data residency laws
- • You already have mature DevOps practices and spare capacity
- • Your company mandates zero external dependencies
- • You're operating in air-gapped environments
⚠️ Reconsider If:
- • Your team has <10 engineers (maintenance burden too high)
- • You're already using SaaS for critical services
- • "Data control" is vague fear, not specific compliance requirement
- • You want to move fast without infrastructure overhead
Self-Hosted Options
Unleash
Open-source, feature-rich. Requires PostgreSQL + Node.js runtime. Active community.
Flagsmith
Open-source with cloud option. Python backend. Good for teams familiar with Django.
Keep Control, Drop Overhead
RemoteEnv gives you feature flag safety without DevOps burden
Try RemoteEnv Free