# Every way to host Jitsi Meet, compared

> There are six ways to run Jitsi: the free public meet.jit.si, 8x8's paid JaaS, managed hosting on a provider's servers, doing it yourself on a VPS, cloud marketplace images, and one-click deployment into your own cloud account. They trade off cost, control, branding and effort differently; one-click deployment into your own account gives self-hosted control and pricing with hosted-level effort.

Source: https://jitsi.help/compare/jitsi-hosting-options/
Updated: September 26, 2026
Publisher: Jitsi Help (https://jitsi.help/)

## The six options

| Option | Monthly cost | Your data location | Branding | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. meet.jit.si | Free | 8x8's public service | None | None |
| 2. 8x8 JaaS | Per active user | 8x8's infrastructure | Yes | Low |
| 3. Managed hosting | Provider plan | Provider's servers | Usually | Low |
| 4. DIY on a VPS | Server only | Your VPS | Full | High |
| 5. Cloud marketplace image | Cloud + image fee | Your cloud account | Varies | Medium |
| 6. One-click into your cloud | Your cloud bill + one-time features | Your cloud account | Full | Low |

## 1. meet.jit.si

The free public instance. Great for quick calls. No control over data, branding, uptime or limits, and not suitable to build a business on.

## 2. 8x8 JaaS

Hosted Jitsi from the company that develops it, billed per monthly active user with per-minute recording and transcription fees. See [JaaS vs self-hosted](/compare/jaas-vs-self-hosted-jitsi/).

## 3. Managed Jitsi hosting

Hosting companies run Jitsi for you on their servers, usually for a monthly fee by server size, with support included. Simple, but the server and recordings live on their infrastructure, and moving away means migrating.

## 4. Do it yourself on a VPS

The cheapest monthly bill and complete control. You handle the install, SSL, firewall, authentication, recording, upgrades and incidents. Our [Docker guide](/guides/install-jitsi-docker/) and [troubleshooting pages](/troubleshooting/) are written for this path.

## 5. Cloud marketplace images

Pre-built images or templates on cloud marketplaces launch a Jitsi server in your account. They save the install, but you usually still wire up DNS, certificates, recording storage and upgrades yourself, and some add an hourly software fee.

## 6. One-click deployment into your own cloud

What our platform does. You connect your AWS account, choose a size and domain, and it provisions everything with Terraform and Ansible in 10 to 20 minutes: instance, security groups, Elastic IP, SSL, and optional recording to your S3 bucket, transcription, branding and JWT. You own the server; AWS bills you directly; features are one-time licenses.

## How to decide

- **Casual, occasional calls:** meet.jit.si.
- **Small or unpredictable usage, no ops at all:** JaaS.
- **You want someone else's server and a monthly plan:** managed hosting.
- **Lowest bill and you enjoy operations:** DIY.
- **You want ownership, your brand and your data, without the setup:** [one-click in your own cloud](/jitsi-hosting/).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the best Jitsi hosting?

It depends on what you value. For zero cost and casual use, meet.jit.si. For zero operations and small usage, 8x8 JaaS. For full control with no setup work, a one-click deployment into your own cloud account. For the lowest monthly bill and you have the skills, a VPS you run yourself.

### What is managed Jitsi hosting?

A provider runs a Jitsi server for you and handles updates, monitoring and support. With most managed hosts the server lives on the provider's infrastructure. With one-click platforms like ours it lives in your own cloud account, so you keep ownership of the server and data.


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Jitsi Help is an independent service. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by 8x8, Inc. or the Jitsi project. Jitsi and Jitsi Meet are trademarks of 8x8, Inc., used here only to describe the software we host and support.