If you’re building a web app in Nepal, whether it’s a startup MVP, an eCommerce site, or a SaaS product, you’ve probably asked: “How much will hosting actually cost me?” Not just the server, but everything: domains, SSL, backups, emails, dev tools, and maybe even unexpected charges.
In this 2025 guide, we break it all down for Nepali developers, startups, and IT firms, in real terms, with Nepali pricing and providers in mind.
The Basic Stack: What Do You Actually Need?
Before we dive into the numbers, let’s define a standard web app setup. Here’s what almost every project requires:
- Domain name (.com or .com.np)
- Hosting (Shared, VPS, or Cloud)
- SSL Certificate (Let’s Encrypt or paid)
- Backup Solution
- Database (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, etc.)
- Emails (transactional + business email)
- DevOps tools (monitoring, deployment)
- Extra: CDN, firewall, caching, etc.
Depending on your scale and uptime needs, prices can range widely. Let’s look at all options from a bootstrapped beginner to a scaling business.
1. Domain Name Costs
Option A: .com.np (Free)
Nepal offers .com.np domains for free if you’re a Nepali citizen or organization. All you need is:
- Valid citizenship
- Cover letter (for individuals) or company registration (for orgs)
Cost: NPR 0/year
Provider: register.com.np
Option B: .com Domain
If you want a global brand feel or plan to go international:
- Cost: NPR 1,200 to 1,600/year (avg $10-12)
- Renewal: Usually slightly higher in the 2nd year
- Where to buy: Namecheap, Nest Nepal, GoDaddy
Pro Tip: Local registrars like Nest Nepal include DNS + domain privacy for free.
2. Hosting Options (2025 Prices in Nepal)
🥉 Shared Hosting
Best for: Beginners, portfolio sites, low-traffic apps
- Monthly Cost: NPR 200 – NPR 800/month
- Yearly Cost: NPR 2,000 – NPR 8,000/year
- Limitations: Limited CPU/RAM, may struggle with Node.js or heavy DB queries
✅ Great for Laravel, WordPress, or small Django/Flask apps.
Popular Providers in Nepal:
- Nest Nepal (NVMe-based)
- Prabhu Host
- Websurfer Nepal
🥈 VPS Hosting (Most Popular for Web Apps)
Best for: Medium-scale apps, eCommerce, custom backend (Node.js, Python, etc.)
- Base Cost: NPR 2,000 – NPR 6,000/month
- What You Get: Dedicated resources (2-8 GB RAM, 1-4 vCPU, SSD storage)
- Optional: Managed support + backup for extra
✅ Perfect balance for performance, flexibility, and cost.
Example (2025 local VPS pricing):
Provider | Plan | RAM | CPU | Price/month |
Nest Nepal | VPS Pro | 4GB | 2vC | NPR 3,500 |
Prabhu Host | Cloud VPS 2 | 2GB | 1vC | NPR 2,300 |
DigitalOcean* | Basic Droplet | 2GB | 1vC | NPR 2,200+ |
Note: International providers often bill in USD and require a card with international payment enabled.
🥇 Cloud Hosting (Scalable & Global)
Best for: Apps expecting growth, multi-region access, complex deployments
- Providers: AWS, GCP, Azure, DigitalOcean, Nest Nepal (Cloud SSD/NVMe)
- Starter Cost: NPR 3,000 – NPR 10,000/month
- Perks: Autoscaling, load balancing, isolated environments
✅ Best for modern SaaS, logistics, FinTech, and AI tools.
Nest Nepal Example: Cloud Pro plan @ NPR 5,000/month with NVMe SSD and 2 dedicated vCPUs.
3. SSL Certificates
- Let’s Encrypt (Free): 90-day auto-renewal. Good for most sites.
- Premium SSL (Wildcard, EV): NPR 3,000 – NPR 12,000/year depending on type
✅ Let’s Encrypt works well with cPanel or Nginx auto-config.
4. Backup Solutions
Option A: Hosting-Integrated Backup
- Included in Premium Hosting Plans
- Nest Nepal: Daily/Weekly backups in most VPS/Cloud plans
Option B: External Backup
- Dropbox/Google Drive via scripts
- JetBackup (for cPanel): Often bundled
DIY VPS Backup Tip: Rsync + cron + DigitalOcean Spaces = NPR 300/month total
5. Email (Transactional + Business)
A. Transactional Email (for OTP, invoices, etc.)
- Mailgun, SendGrid, Amazon SES: Free for first 100–300 emails/day
- Paid Plans: NPR 1,200 – NPR 3,000/month for 50k–100k emails
B. Business Email (yourname@yourdomain.com)
- Zoho Mail Free Tier: 5GB per user, up to 5 users
- Google Workspace: NPR 600/user/month
- cPanel Email: Free with most hosting, but less reliable
✅ Use cloud email for inbox deliverability and branding.
6. Monitoring & Deployment Tools
- Uptime Monitoring: UptimeRobot (Free), Better Stack (Premium)
- Server Alerts: Netdata, Prometheus + Grafana
- CI/CD Tools: GitHub Actions, GitLab, CapRover, RunCloud, Ploi
Optional Budget:
- GitHub Pro: NPR 1,200/month
- Ploi.io Server Manager: NPR 1,500/month
7. Optional Add-Ons & Security
Feature | Use Case | Cost |
CDN (Cloudflare) | Global speed + DDoS | Free to NPR 2,000/month |
WAF | App security firewall | NPR 2,000-4,000/month |
Redis | Session + cache | Often free with VPS |
Node.js/Nginx Tuning | Speed boost | Dev-time only |
Realistic Hosting Scenarios (With Monthly + Yearly Cost)
🔹 Scenario 1: Budget Startup (Solo Dev)
Resource | Cost (NPR) |
.com.np domain | 0/year |
Shared Hosting | 3,000/year |
Let’s Encrypt SSL | 0 |
Business Email (Zoho) | 0 |
Total Yearly Cost | NPR 3,000 |
✅ Perfect for static websites, small CMS apps, and low-traffic MVPs.
🔹 Scenario 2: Growing Web App (Laravel + Vue + MySQL)
Resource | Cost (NPR) |
.com domain | 1,200/year |
VPS Hosting | 3,500/month |
SSL (Free) | 0 |
Backup + Email | 1,000/month |
Deployment Tools | 1,500/month |
Total Yearly Cost | ~NPR 72,000 – 80,000/year |
✅ Scalable, fast, and production-ready.
🔹 Scenario 3: Enterprise-Level SaaS App
Resource | Cost (NPR) |
.com domain | 1,600/year |
Cloud Hosting (Nest or AWS) | 8,000/month |
Premium SSL | 6,000/year |
Transactional Emails | 3,000/month |
Cloud Backups + CDN | 2,000/month |
Load Balancer | 3,000/month |
Total Yearly Cost | ~NPR 150,000 – 200,000/year |
✅ Ideal for businesses requiring 99.9% uptime and a global user base.
Final Thoughts: What Works Best in Nepal?
Many Nepali startups make one of two mistakes:
- Underpaying for hosting → Website crashes during traffic spikes.
- Overpaying on AWS without optimization → Huge burn on cloud budget.
Smart Strategy for Nepal-Based Projects:
- Start with a local VPS provider like Nest Nepal or Prabhu Host.
- Use a free domain (.com.np) if you’re local-focused.
- Automate backups and emails with affordable tools.
- Don’t cheap out on monitoring + deployment: debugging costs more later.
- Scale to Cloud (DO, AWS, etc.) only after real user growth.
TL;DR Cost Summary Table
Stack Level | Monthly (NPR) | Yearly (NPR) |
Basic (Shared) | ~300 | ~3,000 |
Mid (VPS + Tools) | ~6,000 | ~72,000 |
Pro (Cloud + Add-ons) | ~15,000 | ~180,000 |
Pro Tips to Save Money
- Use .com.np and the Zoho free plan
- Set up your own monitoring and backups
- Pay annually for discounts
- Reuse GitHub/GitLab tools (CI/CD, pages, actions)
Conclusion
The real cost of hosting a web app in Nepal depends heavily on your scale, tech stack, and goals. You can go live for just NPR 3,000/year or scale to a full-blown SaaS architecture with NPR 200,000/year. What matters most is choosing wisely, optimizing early, and scaling smart.
If you’re launching a project in Nepal and need help comparing hosting plans or setting up your tech stack, we’re here to help.