Paperclip is a self-hosted control plane for autonomous AI companies. If you want goals, agents, budgets, heartbeats, approvals, and multi-company control on your own infrastructure, this site helps you choose the right VPS and get the deployment path right.
This site's sizing rule is simple: Starter for evaluation, Pro for most Paperclip deployments, and Ultra when you expect more active agents, more companies, or more operational headroom.
Evaluate
Starter
$12/mo · 2GB RAM
Good for quickstart and solo evaluation.
Best default
Pro
$24/mo · 4GB RAM
The safest smart choice for most live deployments.
Scale
Ultra
$48/mo · 8GB+ RAM
Better when you expect busier or larger Paperclip companies.
Why Pro is the default
Signal 1
You are moving beyond a local demo
Paperclip can run locally, but a VPS starts to make more sense once you want an always-on instance with cleaner uptime and separation.
Signal 2
You want heartbeats, budgets, and several active agents
That is usually where 4GB becomes the safer baseline instead of trying to squeeze a real deployment into the smallest plan.
Signal 3
You expect authenticated private or public access
As soon as the instance is more than a private test on your own machine, Pro gives you a smoother starting point for deployment.
Transparent recommendation
These plan recommendations are this site's hosting guidance for Paperclip deployments. They are based on deployment mode, agent activity, and headroom.
Start here
Most visitors need three answers fast: what Paperclip does, why a VPS helps, and how to choose the right deployment path without overspending.
1. Product fit
It organizes agents around companies, issues, budgets, approvals, and heartbeats. That means hosting decisions should be made around always-on operations, not just prompt speed.
See Paperclip features2. Hosting fit
If you want scheduled heartbeats, authenticated access, or a cleaner production-style setup, a VPS is the straightforward upgrade from local testing.
Choose a plan3. Deployment fit
Paperclip supports local_trusted, authenticated plus private, and authenticated plus public. The setup guide helps you choose the one that matches how the instance will be used.
Open deployment guideWhat Makes Paperclip Different
These are the capabilities that push Paperclip out of “toy demo” territory and make a properly sized VPS the better long-term choice.
Bring your own agents
Paperclip acts as a control plane above your agents. It can organize Claude Code, Codex, shell processes, HTTP adapters, and other runtimes into one operating model.
Goal alignment across the company
Tasks trace back to company goals, so each agent can see why a job exists instead of working from isolated prompts with no larger context.
Heartbeats and scheduled work
Agents can wake on a schedule, check assignments, and keep work moving without you reopening the same workflow every time.
Budgets and cost control
Paperclip gives agents monthly budgets and cost visibility so autonomy does not turn into runaway spend.
Why a VPS helps
If the goal is a serious Paperclip setup, the VPS is not just about speed. It is about uptime, cleaner networking, deployment modes, and enough room for agents to keep working when you are not at your keyboard.
How this site chooses a plan
The biggest variables are deployment mode, number of active agents, and whether the instance is a light evaluation or a real always-on operating environment.
Best first move
If you want the shortest low-risk answer, start with Pro, then use the Paperclip setup guide and keep the deployment docs open while you configure the instance.
Local demos are not the same as always-on Paperclip
Paperclip can run locally for evaluation, but heartbeats, dashboards, and background work are easier to manage once the control plane lives on an always-on VPS.
Multi-agent orchestration needs stable infrastructure
As soon as you are coordinating several agents, budgets, and approvals, predictable RAM, storage, and uptime matter more than the cheapest possible server.
Private and public deployment modes need planning
Paperclip supports local, private, and public deployment modes. A VPS gives you the control you need when you want team access, public URLs, or stronger security boundaries.
Most Paperclip questions are practical, not theoretical
Most people need three answers fast: what Paperclip does, how to deploy it, and which VPS size makes sense for the way they plan to run it.
Deployment Modes
A lot of hosting confusion disappears once you decide whether Paperclip is staying local, going private over VPN or Tailscale, or going fully public behind authenticated access.
Local
Best for solo evaluation, product exploration, and learning the Paperclip model before you commit to a VPS-backed production path.
Private
Use this when the VPS is reachable only through a private network, VPN, or Tailscale. It is often the clean middle ground between local testing and a public deployment.
Public
Use this when Paperclip needs an internet-facing URL. This is also the path that most often benefits from Pro instead of trying to save a few dollars on RAM.
VPS Plans
This is the detailed view for anyone who wants the reasoning before checkout. The short version stays the same: Pro is the best default for most live Paperclip deployments.
Starter
Best cheap VPS to evaluate Paperclip
Best for quickstart, solo evaluation, and smaller Paperclip experiments where you want to learn the product before running a busier company.
Choose Starter when you want the lowest-cost path to test Paperclip on a VPS. It is good for learning, but many public or multi-agent deployments will outgrow it quickly.
Choose StarterPro
Best VPS for most Paperclip deployments
The best balance for authenticated Paperclip deployments, daily dashboard use, scheduled heartbeats, and small-to-medium agent companies.
This site recommends Pro for most visitors because it gives Paperclip enough room once you move beyond a local demo and want a stable VPS baseline.
Choose ProUltra
More room for bigger Paperclip companies
Best for heavier Paperclip workloads, more concurrent agents, multi-company setups, and operators who want extra headroom before scaling again.
Choose Ultra when you already know your deployment will be busier, more public, or more complex than a starter production setup.
Choose UltraAfter You Order
Provision Ubuntu 22.04, connect over SSH, run the onboarding flow, and choose the deployment mode that matches how the instance will be used.
What happens after you order
Once the VPS is ready, use the official Paperclip onboarding flow, choose the right deployment mode, and keep the docs nearby so the setup stays predictable.
Step 1
Order the VPS
Choose the plan that matches your Paperclip workload and launch a clean Ubuntu 22.04 server.
Step 2
Prepare Node.js and pnpm
Install Node.js 20+, install pnpm, and confirm the runtime is ready before you start onboarding.
Step 3
Onboard and choose the mode
Use interactive onboarding on a real VPS so you can pick local, private, or public access before the first launch.
FAQ
These are the questions most visitors ask before buying a Paperclip VPS and moving into setup.
Still deciding?
If your deployment is more than a quick local experiment, choose Pro first. It is the cleanest balance for cost, headroom, and a smoother first Paperclip rollout.
Ready to launch?
If you want the safest starting point for a real deployment, order Pro now. If you still want more detail first, the pricing page and deployment docs are both linked below.