Railway vs Fly.io (2026): which backend host for your app?

⚡ Quick verdict

Pick Railway for the easiest way to run an app, API and database together from a repo, with usage billing (Hobby: $5 minimum including $5 of credits). Pick Fly.io when you want VMs in regions close to users and per-second control (shared-cpu-1x 256MB is about $2.19/mo, storage and egress extra).

📊 Comparison

Tool	Starting price	Free tier	Best for	Strengths	Weaknesses
Railway	$5 minimum usage/mo (Hobby) checked 2026-10-26 · source	Yes	Backends & databases	Runs apps, servers and databases together Usage-based; Hobby has a $5 monthly minimum	Free plan is a 30-day trial with $5 credits, then $1/mo
Fly.io	Usage-based (shared-cpu-1x 256MB ≈ $2.19/mo) checked 2026-10-26 · source	No	Global, pay-per-use VMs	Pay only for the VMs you run, per hour Smallest shared VM is about $2.19/mo	No flat free plan; everything is usage-based More ops work than a one-click PaaS

Prices are starting paid prices from each tool's official pricing page on the date shown. Pricing changes often; check the source before you buy.

🧭 Which should you pick?

First backend, side project or MVP with Postgres: Railway.
Need apps running in many regions near users: Fly.io.
Comfortable with a CLI and Dockerfiles, want the lowest raw VM price: Fly.io.
Prefer fixed instance prices instead? See Railway vs Render.

❓ FAQ

Is Railway or Fly.io cheaper?

Fly.io bills per VM: shared-cpu-1x 256MB is $0.0030/hour (about $2.19/mo) plus storage and egress. Railway Hobby has a $5 monthly minimum that includes $5 of usage. Small apps can cost a few dollars on either (railway.com/pricing and fly.io/pricing, checked 2026-10-26).

Does Fly.io have a free plan?

Fly.io pricing is usage-based with no free plan listed on its pricing page. Railway starts with a 30-day free trial with $5 credits, then $1 per month.

Which is easier for beginners?

Railway, in our view: deploy from GitHub and add a database from the dashboard. Fly.io is CLI-first (flyctl) and gives more low-level control.

🧱 Starter stacks

Ship an app this weekend · The indie dev stack · Launch an AI agent product

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Railway vs Fly.io