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Render vs Fly.io: which free plan?
Fly.io's free plan has ended, so Render is the one you can still sign up for free.
Both checked against their official pricing pages on 1 Nov 2026.
| Type | Cloud platform | Global app VMs |
|---|---|---|
| Free-tier score | 88 / 100 | 70 / 100 |
| Card to sign up | Not required | Required |
| Free plan ends | Never (free Postgres expires after 30 days) | Trial: 2 machine-hours or 7 days |
| Sleeps when idle | Spins down after 15 min without traffic; about 1 min to wake | No |
| Commercial use | Not stated | Allowed |
| Own domain on free | Yes | Yes |
| Free subdomain | *.onrender.com | *.fly.dev |
| Free limits |
|
|
| The catch | The free service sleeps after 15 minutes, so the first visitor waits about a minute. | The trial ends after 2 machine-hours, so you need a card for anything lasting. |
| Paid from | $7/mo (Starter instance) | $2.19/mo (Pay as you go (shared-cpu-1x 256 MB)) |
| Source | Official pricing for Render (opens in a new tab) | Official pricing for Fly.io (opens in a new tab) |
Which one should you pick?
Pick Render if…
- you do not want to add a card
- you want a free plan with no end date
- your project is: hobby full-stack apps and APIs
Pick Fly.io if…
Free allowances (3 small VMs, 3 GB volumes, 100 GB transfer) ended for new organisations on 7 October 2024; new accounts get only a trial of 2 machine-hours or 7 days.
Questions
Which is better for free, Render or Fly.io?
Fly.io's free plan has ended, so Render is the one you can still sign up for free.
Does Render or Fly.io need a credit card?
Render: no. Fly.io: yes.
What is the catch with Render and Fly.io?
Render: The free service sleeps after 15 minutes, so the first visitor waits about a minute. Fly.io: The trial ends after 2 machine-hours, so you need a card for anything lasting.