The short answer: Four managed hosts run Google's server-side GTM container for free: Addingwell gives the most requests (up to 100,000 a month), Taglinc gives 15,000 a month per container with up to 5 free containers on a free account, and Stape and TAGGRS each give up to 10,000. Google Cloud Run also has a free tier, but a production setup with the instances Google recommends goes past it. All free plans are for testing and small sites: a store with a few hundred visitors a day will outgrow them. Plans checked on 11 November 2026.
Taglinc is one of the hosts below, so we are not neutral. Every figure comes from each company's own pricing page or help center, linked at the end. We also say what happens on each free plan when you run out, because that is where free plans differ most.
Free plans side by side
| Host | Free requests a month | Free containers | Card needed | When you reach the limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Addingwell | Up to 100,000 | Not stated | No | Not stated on the pricing page; paid plans from €90 a month |
| Taglinc | 15,000 per container | Up to 5 (more on paid accounts) | No | That container stops until its next 30 days begin, or you upgrade it |
| Stape | Up to 10,000 | Up to 5 | No | Container disabled; upgrading is the only way back |
| TAGGRS | Up to 10,000 | 1 website per account | No | Data stops until you upgrade |
| Google Cloud Run | Free tier, then pay as you use | Your own project | Yes (billing account) | You pay for what you use beyond the free tier |
How far 10,000 to 100,000 requests go
One request is roughly one event your site sends to the server container: a page view, an add to cart, a purchase. A typical store sends 10 to 20 events per visit. So:
- 10,000 requests ≈ 500 to 1,000 visits a month. Enough to build and test a setup.
- 15,000 requests ≈ 750 to 1,500 visits a month. A test setup, a landing page or a very small site.
- 100,000 requests ≈ 5,000 to 10,000 visits a month. A small live store.
Check your own number in GA4 (Reports → Engagement → Events, last 30 days); it is close to the requests your server container will receive.
Each free plan, honestly
Addingwell: the biggest free allowance
Up to 100,000 requests a month, offered instead of a trial. If your site fits under that, it is the most room you can get for free. The catch is the step after it: the first paid plan is €90 a month for 1 million requests, with no smaller plan in between.
Taglinc: many small free containers
Each free container gets 15,000 requests per 30 days, and a free account can run up to 5 of them, one per site or test (a paid account gets more: 7 on Pro, 15 on Business, 50 on Enterprise). Two things to know: a free container must be renewed by hand every 30 days (one click in the app; we email you a week before), and it stops when it uses its 15,000 requests until its next 30 days begin. Custom Loader, your own domain, Bot Detection and GEO Headers work on Free; Cookie Keeper and Event Logs need a paid plan, which starts at $15 a month for 500,000 requests. See Renewing a free Server GTM container.
Stape: the widest set of free features
Up to 10,000 requests a month, with Custom Loader, Requests Analytics, Global CDN and Anonymizer, and up to 5 free containers per account. Stape's help center says a Free container that goes over its limit is disabled and stays disabled until you upgrade. Paid plans start at $20 a month for 500,000. See Stape pricing explained.
TAGGRS: free with European hosting
Up to 10,000 requests a month on European infrastructure. Data stops being sent when you pass the limit unless you upgrade; the first paid plan is $26 a month for 750,000 requests.
Google Cloud Run: free tier, not a free plan
You can deploy Google's server container to your own Google Cloud project, and Cloud Run has a monthly free tier. But Google recommends running several always-on instances in production, and that goes past the free tier: by Google's own estimate, about $45 a month per server. It also needs a billing account and your own work on domain, SSL, scaling and logs. See How much server-side tracking costs.
Which free plan to pick
- You want to learn server-side GTM or test a setup: any of them. Pick the one whose paid plan you would move to.
- A small live site under ~100,000 requests: Addingwell's free plan has the room.
- Several small sites or client tests: Taglinc's free containers, one per site.
- You need EU-only hosting: TAGGRS or Addingwell.
- You expect to grow past free soon: compare the first paid step, not the free plan: $15 (Taglinc, 500K), $20 (Stape, 500K), $26 (TAGGRS, 750K), €90 (Addingwell, 1M).
Moving off a free plan later
All of these run the same Google server container, so moving is simple: connect the same GTM server container (or paste its config string) on the new host, point your tracking subdomain at it with one DNS change, and check that requests arrive. Your tags and triggers do not change.
FAQ
Is free server-side GTM good enough for a real store?
Only for a very small one. Most stores with daily orders need a paid plan, usually the 500,000-request tier ($15 to $20 a month).
What happens to tracking when a free container stops?
Requests to it fail, so nothing reaches GA4, Meta or Google Ads through the server until it runs again. Watch the usage meter, or upgrade before you hit the limit.
Can I use my own domain on a free plan?
On Taglinc, yes: one custom domain per free container. Check each other host's current terms before you rely on it.
Related reading
- Server-side GTM cost calculator: the monthly price at your volume on each host
- Stape alternatives compared
- Taglinc vs TAGGRS
- Taglinc Server GTM plans compared
Sources
- Addingwell pricing (read 11 November 2026)
- Stape pricing and Stape: request limits and pause logic
- TAGGRS pricing
- Google Cloud Run pricing
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