Ample vs Replit: where should an app built with Claude Code or Cursor run? | Ample

The short version

Replit is the better choice when you want to build and host inside one browser workspace with Replit Agent. Ample is the better choice when the code lives in your own repository and Claude Code, Codex or Cursor should deploy it: Ample deploys local code directly, while Replit's MCP works through prompts to its own agent.

Who This Is For

Before you choose

Replit is an editor, an agent and a host in one. Ample is only the host, built for coding agents you already use. If you work outside Replit, the difference is how your code gets to production.

Ample and Replit side by side

Ample Replit
Free plan $0 with no card. 2 apps running at once, 2 vCPU, 2 GB memory, 3 GB volumes, 1 GB bucket storage, 2 buckets. Starter: one published app that goes down after 30 days (it can be republished), with a "Made with Replit" badge.
Paid plans Custom plans priced on volume (number of apps, limits, spending caps). No public list price; see pricing. Core and Pro plans with monthly credits (prices shown on replit.com/pricing); hosting is billed from credits, then by usage.
Spending limit Free has a hard budget ($5 a month, $2 a day). At the cap, apps stop serving until the account is back under budget; nothing is deleted and nothing is billed. Core can set a usage limit and a service shutdown limit that suspends services.
How apps run Each app runs as a normal long-running process in its own microVM with its own kernel. Published apps run on Google Cloud in a single-tenant project per customer: Autoscale, Reserved VM, Static or Scheduled deployments.
Long-running servers and workers Yes. Web services and background workers (--kind worker) run as ordinary processes. Reserved VMs ($15 to $130 a month) never sleep and can run background workers; Autoscale serves requests.
Languages Node, Python, Go, Ruby, PHP, Java, .NET, Elixir, Rust and static sites, detected from the repository. Any language through Nix.
Docker images No. Ample builds from source; Dockerfile build steps are not run. No Docker deploys documented.
Databases Managed Postgres, MySQL, Redis and MongoDB, each in its own microVM, created automatically when the code needs one. Built-in Postgres (production databases billed through Neon). No MySQL, Redis or MongoDB found.
Object storage S3-compatible buckets, optionally published through Ample's CDN. App Storage, backed by Google Cloud Storage.
Persistent disk Persistent volumes attached to the app. None for published apps; Replit says not to rely on the published filesystem.
Custom domains and TLS Custom domains with automatic TLS. Custom domains with TLS through DNS validation.
Regions No region choice. Replit's pages disagree: one says all published apps are hosted in the US, another lists five selectable regions on paid plans.
Scheduled jobs Scheduled jobs: a command or HTTP request on a cron schedule (any time zone) or interval, with retries and run history (ample job create). Scheduled deployments.
Agent access CLI, remote MCP server (OAuth), A2A endpoint and agent skills. Deploys are synchronous and return JSON with an exit code: 0 live, 1 failed, 2 needs input. Remote MCP server whose tools create, change and publish apps through prompts to Replit Agent; no tool uploads local files.
Agent signup without a person Yes. ample auth signup creates an account with no browser, card or CAPTCHA; a person claims it by email within 48 hours. No documented agent signup.

Which one fits

Choose Ample when

Choose Replit when

Move a Replit app to Ample

  1. Push the code to Git
    Use Replit's Git pane to push the app to GitHub, then clone it where your coding agent works.

  2. Replace Replit-specific config
    .replit and replit.nix are not used elsewhere; Ample detects the runtime itself. Note any system packages from replit.nix.

  3. Plan and deploy
    The app already listens on PORT, so it usually runs unchanged. Leave DATABASE_URL out to get a new managed Postgres. 

    ample plan --write && ample up

  4. Move data
    Dump the production database with pg_dump from its connection string and restore it; copy App Storage objects into an Ample bucket.

  5. Point your domain
    Add the domain to the app, update DNS to the target Ample prints, and keep the old app running until the new one answers on the domain. 

    ample domain add <app-name> www.example.com

Frequently asked questions

Can Claude Code deploy to Replit?

Through Replit's MCP server it can ask Replit Agent to build, change and publish an app, but no tool uploads your local files. To deploy the code Claude Code wrote locally, Ample's MCP server or CLI deploys the repository directly.

Does Ample include an editor or an AI agent?

No. Ample is the cloud your agent deploys to. Keep using Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or any agent with a shell.

Is Ample free like Replit's Starter plan?

Ample's Free plan runs 2 apps at once with no expiry date on published apps and no badge, and stops at a hard budget.

Where these facts come from