Choosing hosting
Tidal PTC is the same application whichever way you run it. You can host it yourself for free, or have Archboard host it for you on shared Cloud servers or on dedicated servers reserved for your district. This page compares the three options and links to where each one starts.
Who this is for
Section titled “Who this is for”District IT staff and administrators deciding how to deploy Tidal PTC.
Compare the options
Section titled “Compare the options”| Self-hosted | Cloud | Private dedicated | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (per year, USD) | Free | $400 + $150 per school, up to $4,000. A single school pays $450. | $880 + $150 per school, up to $4,480. A single school pays $930. |
| Who runs the servers | Your IT team | Archboard | Archboard |
| Updates and backups | You | Archboard | Archboard |
| Servers | Your own | Shared, with each district’s data kept separate | Your own isolated servers and database |
| Region | Wherever you host it | US East | Your choice: options in US, Europe and Asia |
| Setup | Install with Docker or on a VM, then run the /install wizard |
Buy, then follow your setup link | Buy, then follow your setup link |
| PowerSchool SSO and sync | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
Self-hosted
Section titled “Self-hosted”Choose this if you have staff who can run a PHP application with PostgreSQL and Redis, and you want no subscription cost. You get the complete application. You are responsible for installing, updating, backing up and securing it.
Start with Requirements, then install with Docker, on a VM or on DigitalOcean.
Choose this if you want to start scheduling without running servers. Archboard creates your district when you buy, and you receive a setup link to connect PowerSchool and create the first admin. Your license covers a set number of schools.
Cloud servers are shared, so the cost of running them for each district goes down as more districts join. As that happens, Archboard will lower Cloud prices.
- Setup links explains the first-time setup.
- School limits explains how the licensed school count works.
- Buying and renewing covers purchase and renewal.
Private dedicated
Section titled “Private dedicated”Choose this if your district needs its own isolated servers or a specific hosting region, but you still want Archboard to run it.
It costs the Cloud price plus $480 a year for your own server, which Archboard passes through at cost.