ClearEstate saves over $16,000 monthly on infrastructure with Sevalla
Biggest wins with Sevalla
- 88% reduction in monthly infrastructure costs from $18,000+ to under $2,000
- Full migration from Google Cloud Platform (GCP) in under one week
- Zero downtime during transition
- Seamless Docker-based deployments with a simple, unified interface
- Predictable pricing and stress-free scaling
ClearEstate is a one-stop shop for all estate planning and settlement needs, offering transparent, end-to-end solutions that help families plan ahead and find peace of mind.
We are here to support families by simplifying both estate planning and settlement, ensuring a clear, stress-free process that helps individuals plan ahead and eases the burden on loved ones.
The challenge
Danny Yassine, Engineering Team Lead at ClearEstate, explained that the company originally built its infrastructure on GCP to take advantage of startup credits. However, as the business expanded, the team discovered that managing the platform's complexity was becoming increasingly burdensome.
We started on Google Cloud Platform, taking advantage of their initial credits. While the platform is powerful, it was more complex than our team needed for a hands-on developer experience.
Then came a financial wake-up call. Once their GCP credits were set to expire, ClearEstate projected monthly costs exceeding $18,000, which was simply unsustainable.
The turning point was a financial one: we projected that our monthly costs would exceed $18,000 once our credits ran out. With only a few months left, we knew we had to find a more sustainable and developer-friendly solution immediately.
The solution
ClearEstate’s search focused on three non-negotiables:
- Canadian region support for compliance
- Great developer experience with first-class Docker support for their containerized workflow
- Transparent, predictable pricing
After evaluating several alternatives, the team discovered Sevalla through a Fireship.io video, and it checked every box.
Sevalla stood out immediately after we discovered it through a Fireship.io video. It hit all our requirements: Canadian region support out of the box, transparent pricing that made sense, and first-class Docker integration.
The platform's native support for Docker meant we could deploy our applications, background jobs, and cron jobs directly from our existing images with minimal configuration, creating a fantastic developer experience.
Features that made the difference
ClearEstate’s engineering team credits Sevalla’s simplicity for transforming their infrastructure management.
- Native Docker support lets them reuse existing images with minimal configuration.
- An all-in-one platform for app deployments, databases, and DNS simplified operations.
- Transparent pricing eliminated financial guesswork.
The most valuable aspect for us has been the sheer ease of deploying our entire full-stack application. The ability to use our existing Docker images, provision our required databases, and easily set up the DNS all within a single, intuitive platform was a game-changer. It streamlined the entire process, removing the typical friction and complexity involved in connecting different services.
The Results: 88% cost savings and a faster, simpler workflow
ClearEstate’s workflow is entirely Docker-based, so native support for deploying Docker images was non-negotiable. Sevalla fit seamlessly into their setup.
The team used the same Docker images they had already built, with no reconfiguration or rebuilding, which made the migration incredibly fast and efficient.
Massive cost savings
After moving to Sevalla, ClearEstate reduced its projected cloud costs from over $18,000 to under $2,000 per month, a savings of more than 88%.
The ROI has been phenomenal, primarily in cost and operational efficiency. We've experienced a dramatic cost reduction, going from a projected $18,000+ per month on GCP to under $2,000 per month with Sevalla—a cost saving of over 88%.
Total peace of mind
Beyond the financial benefits, the operational advantages were equally significant. The team no longer worries about scaling, uptime, or maintenance.
Sevalla has completely simplified how we approach infrastructure. We used to dedicate significant mental energy to managing the complexities and potential costs of a large-scale cloud provider. Now, hosting is something we rarely have to think about. The stress of managing applications, complex deployment pipelines, and unpredictable bills is gone, which lets us focus 100% on product development.
A migration worth celebrating
With the deadline looming, ClearEstate's team successfully completed a platform migration in under a week, avoiding a massive GCP bill while keeping the business running smoothly.
I'm incredibly proud of our migration itself. Facing a hard deadline with expiring credits, our team successfully migrated our entire infrastructure from GCP in just under a week. This rapid transition would not have been possible without Sevalla's straightforward, developer-first approach to the Docker-centric platform. It allowed us to avoid a massive bill and potential service interruptions, showcasing our team's agility and the power of having the right tools.
Conclusion
Today, ClearEstate runs confidently on Sevalla, knowing that its infrastructure is reliable, efficient, and cost-effective. The platform's simplicity has freed the engineering team to focus on building great products for their users.
I would recommend Sevalla, without hesitation. If you want the power of a modern, container-based platform without the headache, cost of managing it yourself and having amazing customer support.
Sevalla slashed our infrastructure costs by over 88% while dramatically simplifying deployments, empowering our engineers to focus entirely on building our business.