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Render vs Railway: which free plan?
Render has fewer strings attached on its free plan (score 88 vs 78). Railway can still be the better choice for the cases below.
Both checked against their official pricing pages on 1 Nov 2026.
| Type | Cloud platform | Usage-based PaaS |
|---|---|---|
| Free-tier score | 88 / 100 | 78 / 100 |
| Card to sign up | Not required | Not required |
| Free plan ends | Never (free Postgres expires after 30 days) | Credits: $5 for 30 days, then $1 / month |
| Sleeps when idle | Spins down after 15 min without traffic; about 1 min to wake | No |
| Commercial use | Not stated | Not stated |
| Own domain on free | Yes | Yes |
| Free subdomain | *.onrender.com | *.up.railway.app |
| Free limits |
|
|
| The catch | The free service sleeps after 15 minutes, so the first visitor waits about a minute. | $1 of monthly credit runs out quickly, so most always-on apps need the $5 Hobby plan. |
| Paid from | $7/mo (Starter instance) | $5/mo (Hobby (includes $5 usage)) |
| Source | Official pricing for Render (opens in a new tab) | Official pricing for Railway (opens in a new tab) |
Which one should you pick?
Pick Render if…
- you want a free plan with no end date
- your project is: hobby full-stack apps and APIs
Pick Railway if…
- your app must not sleep when idle
- your project is: trying apps with a database
Questions
Which is better for free, Render or Railway?
Render has fewer strings attached on its free plan (score 88 vs 78). Railway can still be the better choice for the cases below.
Does Render or Railway need a credit card?
Render: no. Railway: no.
What is the catch with Render and Railway?
Render: The free service sleeps after 15 minutes, so the first visitor waits about a minute. Railway: $1 of monthly credit runs out quickly, so most always-on apps need the $5 Hobby plan.