ChirpStack Hosting 2026: Managed vs. Self-Hosted vs. TTN – The LoRaWAN Server Comparison

WZ-IT operates chirphost. Current hosting starts from €129.90 net/month; setup and service level follow the proposal. Former package prices, location lists and cost comparisons in this dated article describe the previous offer, not current WZ-IT terms. View current service scope.

ChirpStack is the leading open-source LoRaWAN Network Server – but how do you run it? Self-hosting gives maximum control but requires DevOps expertise and ongoing maintenance. The Things Stack Cloud offers managed convenience but with per-device pricing and US cloud infrastructure. chirphost combines both: Managed ChirpStack Hosting with flat-rate pricing, unlimited devices, and GDPR-compliant hosting in Germany – from €99.90/month.

Also worth reading: ChirpStack vs. The Things Stack: The Definitive Comparison

Quick Comparison: Three Paths to Your LoRaWAN Server

Table of Contents

• Option 1: ChirpStack Self-Hosted
  • What You Need
  • What Self-Hosting Costs
  • When Self-Hosting Makes Sense
  • When Self-Hosting Becomes a Problem
• Option 2: The Things Stack Cloud
  • What TTI Offers
  • What TTS Cloud Costs
  • Sandbox Fair Use Limits
  • Where TTS Cloud Hits Its Limits
• Option 3: chirphost – Managed ChirpStack Hosting
  • What chirphost Offers
  • How It Works
  • What chirphost Costs
• Cost Comparison: 3 Years, 1,000 Devices
• GDPR and Data Sovereignty
• Decision Guide
  • Self-Hosted ChirpStack is right if you:
  • The Things Stack Cloud is right if you:
  • chirphost is right if you:
• Conclusion
• Sources

Option 1: ChirpStack Self-Hosted

What You Need

ChirpStack v4 is a single binary written in Rust. Infrastructure requirements:

• PostgreSQL v13+ (or SQLite for edge/embedded)
• Redis 6.2+ for sessions, metrics, and cache
• MQTT v5 broker (Mosquitto, EMQX, or equivalent)
• Server: At least 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM for smaller deployments

A working setup runs with Docker Compose within an hour. The official chirpstack-docker repository bundles all components preconfigured for all LoRaWAN regions.

What Self-Hosting Costs

When Self-Hosting Makes Sense

• You have a DevOps team that can professionally operate PostgreSQL, Redis, and MQTT
• You need full control over every configuration and network parameter
• You run ChirpStack on edge hardware (Raspberry Pi, Gateway OS)
• You have specific compliance requirements mandating self-hosting on your own hardware

When Self-Hosting Becomes a Problem

• Updates: ChirpStack releases come every few weeks. Not updating means missing security patches and features. Updating risks incompatibilities with existing devices.
• Database maintenance: PostgreSQL needs regular vacuum, index tuning, and backup management. With growing deployments of thousands of devices, this becomes a permanent task.
• MQTT scaling: Mosquitto works up to ~15,000 devices. Beyond that, you need a clustered broker like EMQX – its own infrastructure project.
• 3 AM outages: No SLA, no 24/7 monitoring, no incident response team. When your LoRaWAN network goes down, you're on your own.

That operational load is exactly why many teams hand the network server over: managed ChirpStack hosting from chirphost covers updates, database maintenance and monitoring, while LoRaWAN configuration and data stay with you.

Option 2: The Things Stack Cloud

What TTI Offers

The Things Industries (TTI) operates The Things Stack as managed cloud SaaS. The platform provides:

• Fully managed infrastructure on AWS
• 36+ pre-built integrations (Datacake, TagoIO, Ubidots, AWS IoT Core, Azure IoT Hub)
• Packet Broker for network roaming (25+ million messages/day)
• Device Repository with hundreds of preconfigured device profiles
• 99.9% SLA (Standard and Plus)

What TTS Cloud Costs

Above 1,000 devices: pay-as-you-go surcharge per device. Enterprise pricing on request.

Sandbox Fair Use Limits

The free TTN Sandbox is meant for testing and non-commercial use:

• 30 seconds uplink airtime per device per day
• 10 downlink messages per device per day
• No SLA, no support, no commercial use allowed

If you hit these limits in production, the way out is laid out in our TTN migration guide for ChirpStack.

Where TTS Cloud Hits Its Limits

• Proprietary software: The Things Stack is not fully open source. Cloud and Enterprise editions are proprietary. You're locked into TTI as a vendor. How quickly operator landscapes can shift is illustrated by the LoRaWAN consolidation around the Netmore-Actility acquisition.
• US cloud infrastructure: TTS Cloud runs on AWS. For GDPR-sensitive deployments in the EU, data processing by a US company is a compliance risk.
• Per-device pricing: From 1,000 devices, costs scale proportionally. For large deployments, this gets expensive – exactly when your project scales.
• No dedicated instance: Standard and Plus plans run on shared infrastructure. Dedicated instances are only available in the Enterprise tier.
• Not ChirpStack: TTS is a different product with different architecture. If you need ChirpStack-specific features (native InfluxDB, Gateway Mesh, end-to-end encryption), TTS is not an option.

Option 3: chirphost – Managed ChirpStack Hosting

What chirphost Offers

chirphost hosts ChirpStack as a dedicated managed service – the same open-source software as self-hosting, but without the operations overhead:

• Dedicated instance: No shared infrastructure. Your own ChirpStack instance with own PostgreSQL, Redis, and MQTT broker.
• Unlimited devices and gateways: No device limits, no fair-use caps, no pay-as-you-go surcharges.
• 8 regions worldwide: Germany, Netherlands, USA, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Sydney, India.
• GDPR-compliant: Germany: ISO 27001 certified data centers. All other locations: ISO 27001 & SOC 2 Type II (certifications held by the respective data center operators).
• 24/7 monitoring, automatic updates, backups: PostgreSQL tuning, Redis configuration, MQTT broker management, ChirpStack updates, security patches – all included.
• 100% open source: ChirpStack under MIT license. No vendor lock-in. Exportable at any time.

How It Works

Agree scope and provisioning with WZ-IT. Provisioning and contract terms are agreed with WZ-IT in the proposal. There is no self-service portal or automatic trial subscription. 2. Deploy instance – choose plan, select region 3. Open ChirpStack dashboard – your dedicated instance is ready 4. Connect gateways and register devices

Agree scope and provisioning with WZ-IT. Provisioning and contract terms are agreed with WZ-IT in the proposal. There is no self-service portal or automatic trial subscription.

What chirphost Costs

All plans: No per-device fees, unlimited gateways, MQTT & REST API, multi-tenant support, 24/7 monitoring, automatic backups and updates included. Current terms and plan details are listed in the pricing overview for managed ChirpStack hosting.

Cost Comparison: 3 Years, 1,000 Devices

Self-hosting: admin time conservatively estimated at 4–10 hours/month × €50/hour. TTS price: $230/month Standard Plan.

At 5,000+ devices, the picture shifts even more: TTS Cloud charges pay-as-you-go above 1,000 devices, while chirphost stays at the same flat rate.

GDPR and Data Sovereignty

For regulated industries – utilities, energy providers, healthcare, public sector – the question of data sovereignty isn't a nice-to-have, it's a dealbreaker. On top of that comes the EU Data Act for LoRaWAN sensor data, which gives operators a right to easy, machine-readable access to their data – an open ChirpStack stack with its own export interfaces makes meeting that duty easier.

Decision Guide

Self-Hosted ChirpStack is right if you:

• Have a DevOps team that professionally operates PostgreSQL, Redis, and MQTT
• Need full control over every network parameter
• Run ChirpStack on edge hardware (Raspberry Pi, Gateway OS)
• Have specific compliance requirements mandating hardware in your own data center

The Things Stack Cloud is right if you:

• Need the TTS ecosystem with 36+ integrations and Packet Broker
• Require network roaming between different LoRaWAN networks
• Have fewer than 1,000 devices and accept per-device pricing
• Find proprietary software and US cloud infrastructure acceptable

chirphost is right if you:

• Want ChirpStack as your LoRaWAN server – without the operations overhead
• Operate more than a few hundred devices and need flat-rate pricing
• Prefer GDPR-compliant hosting in Germany (or another region)
• Don't want DevOps overhead for databases, brokers, and updates
• Need a dedicated instance instead of shared infrastructure
• Value open source and vendor independence
• Want to start fast – own instance in minutes via the self-service portal

Conclusion

ChirpStack self-hosting gives maximum control – but costs DevOps expertise and admin time that most businesses could better invest elsewhere. The Things Stack Cloud offers managed convenience but locks you into a proprietary platform with per-device pricing and US cloud infrastructure.

chirphost combines the best of both worlds: the same open-source software as self-hosting, but without the operations overhead. Dedicated instances, flat-rate pricing without device limits, GDPR-compliant hosting in Germany – from €99.90/month.

Agree scope and provisioning with WZ-IT. Provisioning and contract terms are agreed with WZ-IT in the proposal. There is no self-service portal or automatic trial subscription.

Recommended reading: ChirpStack vs. The Things Stack: The Definitive Comparison

The operational tasks are listed in detail on the rent a LoRaWAN network server page, and the answers on data locations, certifications and processing agreements on the security and data locations page.

Sources

• ChirpStack – Official Website
• ChirpStack Documentation – Requirements
• ChirpStack GitHub Repository (MIT)
• ChirpStack Docker Compose Setup
• The Things Stack – Pricing Plans
• The Things Stack Cloud via MCCI Store
• The Things Network – Community
• ChirpStack Community Forum – Hosted/Managed Service
• IOT Factory – Best LoRaWAN Network Servers
• chirphost.io – Managed ChirpStack Hosting