Compare / App hosting
App hosting pricing, normalized
For a tiny always-on web service nearest to 0.5 vCPU / 512 MB, Fly.io is the cheapest published managed option ($3.69/month for shared-cpu-1x 512 MB in iad/ewr, plus $0.02/GB NA/EU egress). DigitalOcean's smallest paid container is $5/month (1 vCPU / 512 MiB, 50 GiB transfer). A Coolify box on Hetzner CX23 is $6.49/month for 2 vCPU / 4 GB if you will run the VPS. Railway's metered 0.5 vCPU / 512 MB is $15/month of usage — steep at this size, better when the rest of the stack is already on Railway.
Prices from each provider's official pricing page, checked 17 Oct 2026. USD, excluding tax. Railway monthly unit rates are used as published. Fly.io Machine monthly prices assume 30 days (720 h) in iad/ewr. Northflank published monthly prices assume 720 h. "Not published" means the pricing page does not list that number. Estimates, not guarantees.
Price for the same small always-on service
| Provider | Always-on 0.5 vCPU / 512 MB per month | Per GB RAM-month | Egress per GB | Free tier / minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Railway | $15.00 (0.5 vCPU + 512 MB at published unit rates) | $10/GB (CPU extra at $20/vCPU-month) | $0.05 | Hobby $5 includes $5 usage; Free $1 credit; Pro $20 includes $20 |
| Render | $7.00 (0.5c-512mb) | SKU-based; 0.5 GB instance is $7 (~$14/GB at that SKU) | $0.15 after included bandwidth | Hobby $0 + compute; 5 GB bandwidth included |
| Fly.io Machines | $3.69 (shared-cpu-1x 512 MB, 30-day month, iad/ewr) | $6.00 extra RAM /GB/month beyond the CPU preset | $0.02 NA/EU; $0.04 APAC/Oceania/South America; $0.12 Africa/India | No platform fee; trial is 2 hours of Machine runtime or 7 days |
| Heroku | $7.00 (Basic, 512 MB, always-on). Eco $5 sleeps after 30 min. | SKU-based; Basic 0.5 GB is $7; Standard-2X 1 GB is $50 | Not published | Eco $5 (sleeps); Basic $7 always-on; no free dyno |
| DigitalOcean App Platform | $5.00 (shared 1 vCPU / 512 MiB — no 0.5 vCPU SKU) | SKU-based; 512 MiB is $5 (~$10/GB at that SKU) | $0.02/GiB after included transfer | Free static sites; paid containers from $5 |
| Koyeb | $5.36 (micro, 0.5 vCPU / 512 MB) | SKU-based; eco-small 0.5 vCPU / 1 GB is $5.36 | Unverified for Starter. Pro pricing page: 1 TB then $0.02/GB EU/US | One Free instance (0.1 vCPU / 512 MB, scale-to-zero after 1 h); Pro $29 + $10 included compute |
| Northflank | $9.00 (0.5 vCPU + 512 MB at unit rates × 720 h); nf-compute-20 (0.2/512) is $5.40 | $6.00/GB ($0.00833/GB/hour × 720) | $0.06 | Pay as you go, no platform fee; Sandbox includes 2 free services |
| Coolify on Hetzner | $6.49 (Hetzner CX23, 2 vCPU / 4 GB — over-provisions 0.5/512; Coolify is free software) | ~$1.62/GB derived (CX23 $6.49 ÷ 4 GB) | 20 TB included on CX23 (EU). Overage USD not on the price-adjustment page | VPS monthly cap; Coolify OSS is $0 |
What you actually get
| Provider | Sleeps / always-on | Included transfer | Volumes / disk | Platform / plan fee | Regions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Railway | Always-on unless you stop the service | No included egress allowance | Volumes $0.15/GB-month | Hobby $5 / Pro $20 (included usage equals the plan fee) | Several regions (see Railway docs) |
| Render | Paid compute is always-on; Free web services spin down | 5 GB Hobby / 25 GB Pro / 1 TB Scale, then $0.15/GB | Persistent disks $0.25/GB-month | Hobby $0; Pro $25/month + compute | Global regions |
| Fly.io Machines | Billed while started; stopped Machines pay rootfs $0.15/GB-month | No included egress allowance | Volumes $0.15/GB-month | None after the trial | Many regions; Machine prices vary (iad/ewr are the cheapest published) |
| Heroku | Eco sleeps after 30 minutes idle; Basic and up stay up | Not published | Not published on dyno pricing (Postgres disk is a separate product) | No free dyno; Eco is the cheapest published web dyno | Common Runtime; Private Spaces are extra |
| DigitalOcean App Platform | Paid containers are always-on | 50 GiB on the $5 size; 100 GiB on $10; 200 GiB on $25 | App-container disk not published; development database $7 (512 MiB) | 3 static-site apps free (1 GiB transfer each) | DigitalOcean regions |
| Koyeb | Paid instances stay up unless you enable scale-to-zero; Free sleeps after 1 h idle | 1 TB included on Pro (pricing page) | micro includes 5 GB SSD | One Free instance per organization | Washington, D.C., Frankfurt, Singapore (eco types in those three) |
| Northflank | Always-on | No included egress allowance | Disk $0.15/GB-month | Sandbox: 2 free services, 1 free database, 2 free cron jobs | 6+ cloud regions; BYOC listed separately |
| Coolify on Hetzner | Always-on VPS you manage | 20 TB traffic on CX23 | 40 GB NVMe included on CX23 | None (Hetzner). Coolify software is free | Hetzner: Germany, Finland, US (Ashburn, Hillsboro), Singapore |
Best for
- Railway
The rest of the stack already on Railway — one bill for apps, Postgres, and cron, billed per second.
- Render
A git-push web service with a named SKU and optional Postgres on the same dashboard.
- Fly.io Machines
The cheapest published always-on 512 MB managed Machine, with auto-stop when idle.
- Heroku
An existing Heroku app you do not want to migrate, not a new cheapest host.
- DigitalOcean App Platform
A small always-on container with a fat transfer allowance at $5.
- Koyeb
An exact 0.5 vCPU / 512 MB always-on microVM at a published $5.36/month.
- Northflank
Combined CI, release, and runtime billed on vCPU/RAM units, including GPU later.
- Coolify on Hetzner
The cheapest always-on capacity if you will run Coolify, TLS, and backups yourself.
SKU PaaS vs metered CPU/RAM vs a VPS you run yourself
SKU PaaS (Render, Heroku, DigitalOcean, Koyeb, Fly presets) sells a named instance. You pick 0.5c-512mb or shared-cpu-1x and pay that row. Extra RAM is either another SKU or a published add-on (Fly extra RAM is $6/GB-month).
Metered CPU/RAM (Railway, Northflank) bills vCPU and memory as units. That is cheap when a service is idle for part of the month and expensive when a tiny always-on box still burns a fraction of a vCPU 24/7. Railway's published rates are $20/vCPU-month and $10/GB-month, so 0.5 vCPU / 512 MB is $15 of usage before egress.
A VPS plus Coolify is the cheapest always-on capacity if you will patch, back up, and expose the box yourself. Hetzner CX23 is 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 40 GB NVMe / 20 TB traffic for $6.49/month (EU locations, USD, excl. VAT, after the 15 Jun 2026 adjustment). Coolify itself is free open-source software. IPv4 is extra; a USD IPv4 price is not on that adjustment page.
What would a real project cost?
Estimates, not guarantees. Built from the published rates above (checked 17 Oct 2026); check each provider's current pricing before you commit. Tax is not included. Numbers marked unverified or not published were left out rather than guessed.
- Small: hobby / side project. 1 always-on web service nearest to 0.5 vCPU / 512 MB, 10 GB egress/month, no extra volume.
- Medium: small production app. 1 always-on service nearest to 1 vCPU / 2 GB RAM, 100 GB egress, 10 GB persistent volume where the vendor publishes a volume price.
- Large: two production services. 2 always-on services, each nearest to 2 vCPU / 4 GB (4 vCPU / 8 GB total), 500 GB egress, 40 GB persistent volume where published.
| Provider | Small: hobby / side project | Medium: small production app | Large: two production services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Railway | $15.50 | $46.50 | $191.00 |
| Render | $7.75 (Hobby) | $41.75 (Hobby) | $254.25 (Hobby) |
| Fly.io Machines | $3.89 (iad/ewr) | $16.89 (iad/ewr) | $66.78 (shared + extra RAM) |
| Heroku | $7.00 (Basic; egress not published) | $50.00 (Standard-2X, 1 GB not 2 GB; egress not published) | $500.00 (2× Performance-M, 2.5 GB each; egress not published) |
| DigitalOcean App Platform | $5.00 | $25.00 (volume not published) | $100.00 (volume not published) |
| Koyeb | $5.36 (egress unverified) | $10.71 (eco-medium; egress unverified) | $42.86 (2× eco-large; egress unverified) |
| Northflank | $9.60 | $31.50 | $132.00 |
| Coolify on Hetzner | $6.49 (CX23) | $6.49 (CX23) | $9.99 (CX33) |
Small: hobby / side project
Try first: Fly.io at about $3.89 — cheapest published always-on 512 MB managed Machine, no platform fee, $0.02/GB NA/EU egress.
Runner-up: DigitalOcean at $5.00 (50 GiB transfer included) or Koyeb micro at $5.36 if you want an exact 0.5 vCPU / 512 MB SKU.
Avoid: Railway at $15.50 for this size unless the rest of the project is already there — metered CPU+RAM is steep on a tiny always-on box.
Medium: small production app
Try first: Fly.io at about $16.89 — shared-cpu-2x 2 GB plus a 10 GB volume and 100 GB NA/EU egress, still no platform fee.
Runner-up: Coolify on Hetzner CX23 at $6.49 if you will operate a VPS (it already has 4 GB and 40 GB disk). Otherwise Koyeb eco-medium at $10.71 (1 vCPU / 2 GB; egress unverified).
Avoid: Heroku Performance-M at $250 when you only need ~2 GB, or Railway at $46.50 unless the rest of the stack is already on Railway.
Large: two production services
Try first: Coolify on a Hetzner CX33 at $9.99 — 4 vCPU / 8 GB, 80 GB NVMe, 20 TB traffic, enough for both services if you will run the VPS.
Runner-up: Koyeb two eco-large at $42.86 (egress unverified) or Fly two shared-cpu-2x with +2 GB RAM each at about $66.78.
Avoid: Render Hobby at about $254 or a pair of Heroku Performance-M dynos at $500. Railway at $191 is usable if the whole stack is already there, not as the cheap option.
Show the math
- Project — Small: hobby / side project
- 1 always-on web service nearest to 0.5 vCPU / 512 MB, 10 GB egress/month, no extra volume. Railway $15 + 10×$0.05 = $15.50. Render 0.5c-512mb $7 + 5 GB extra × $0.15 = $7.75. Fly shared-cpu-1x 512 MB $3.69 + 10×$0.02 = $3.89. Heroku Basic $7 (egress not published). DigitalOcean $5 (10 GiB inside 50 GiB). Koyeb micro $5.36 (egress unverified, omitted). Northflank $9.00 + 10×$0.06 = $9.60. Coolify on Hetzner CX23 $6.49 (20 TB included).
- Project — Medium: small production app
- 1 always-on service nearest to 1 vCPU / 2 GB RAM, 100 GB egress, 10 GB persistent volume where the vendor publishes a volume price. Railway 1 vCPU $20 + 2 GB $20 + 10 GB vol $1.50 + 100 GB egress $5 = $46.50. Render 1c-2g $25 + 10 GB disk × $0.25 = $2.50 + 95 GB × $0.15 = $14.25 → $41.75 (Hobby). Fly shared-cpu-2x 2 GB $13.39 + 10 GB vol $1.50 + 100×$0.02 = $16.89. Heroku Standard-2X $50 is only 1 GB RAM; Performance-M $250 is 2.5 GB; egress not published. DigitalOcean shared 1 vCPU / 2 GiB $25 (200 GiB transfer covers 100 GB; app volume not published). Koyeb eco-medium $10.71 (16 GB SSD included; egress unverified). Northflank nf-compute-100-2 $24 + disk $1.50 + egress $6 = $31.50. Coolify CX23 $6.49.
- Project — Large: two production services
- 2 always-on services, each nearest to 2 vCPU / 4 GB (4 vCPU / 8 GB total), 500 GB egress, 40 GB persistent volume where published. Railway 2 × (2 vCPU × $20 + 4 GB × $10) = $160 + 40 GB vol $6 + 500 GB egress $25 = $191. Render 2 × 2c-4g $85 = $170 + 40 GB disk $10 + 495 GB × $0.15 = $74.25 → $254.25. Fly shared-cpu-2x 2 GB $13.39 + 2 GB extra RAM × $6 = $25.39 each; ×2 = $50.78 + 40 GB vol $6 + 500×$0.02 = $10 → $66.78. Heroku 2 × Performance-M $250 = $500 (2.5 GB each, not 4 GB; egress not published). DigitalOcean 2 × shared 2 vCPU / 4 GiB $50 = $100 (250 GiB × 2 = 500 GiB included; app volume not published). Koyeb 2 × eco-large $21.43 = $42.86 (20 GB SSD each; egress unverified). Northflank 2 × nf-compute-200 $48 = $96 + disk $6 + 500×$0.06 = $30 → $132. Coolify CX33 $9.99.
- Railway
- Published resource rates: RAM $10/GB-month, CPU $20/vCPU-month, egress $0.05/GB, volumes $0.15/GB-month. 0.5 vCPU × $20 + 0.5 GB × $10 = $15. Hobby $5 includes $5 of usage, so $15 of usage bills $15. Builds are free. Source: https://railway.com/pricing?referralCode=4xHDyE (checked 17 Oct 2026)
- Render
- Services 0.5c-512mb $7/month; 1c-2g $25; 2c-4g $85. Bandwidth 5 GB included on Hobby then $0.15/GB. Persistent disks $0.25/GB-month. Compute is prorated to the second. Source: https://render.com/pricing (checked 17 Oct 2026)
- Fly.io Machines
- Fly monthly Machine prices assume 30 days: shared-cpu-1x 256 MB $2.19, 512 MB $3.69, 1 GB $6.70; shared-cpu-2x 2 GB $13.39; performance-1x 2 GB $33; performance-2x 4 GB $66. Extra RAM $6/GB-month. Egress $0.02/GB in North America and Europe. Source: https://fly.io/docs/about/pricing/ (checked 17 Oct 2026)
- Heroku
- Cedar: Eco $5 (0.5 GB, sleeps), Basic $7 (0.5 GB, always-on), Standard-1X $25 (0.5 GB), Standard-2X $50 (1 GB), Performance-M $250 (2.5 GB). Egress is not listed on the pricing page. Source: https://www.heroku.com/pricing (checked 17 Oct 2026)
- DigitalOcean App Platform
- Shared (fixed) 1 vCPU / 512 MiB $5 / 50 GiB transfer; 1 vCPU / 1 GiB $10 / 100 GiB. Shared 1 vCPU / 1 GiB $12 / 150 GiB; 1 vCPU / 2 GiB $25 / 200 GiB; 2 vCPU / 4 GiB $50 / 250 GiB. Extra outbound $0.02/GiB. Dedicated CPU SKUs were not in the fetched table — omitted. Source: https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/app-platform (checked 17 Oct 2026)
- Koyeb
- Instance docs (updated 27 May 2026): nano $2.68, micro $5.36 (0.5 vCPU / 512 MB / 5 GB SSD), small $10.71, medium $21.43; eco-nano $1.61 through eco-large 2 vCPU / 4 GB $21.43. CPU prices come from the instance reference, not the GPU-heavy marketing page. Egress: the pricing page lists Pro 1 TB then $0.02/GB EU/US; a FAQ also says outbound is not charged yet — left unverified in the worked examples. Source: https://www.koyeb.com/docs/reference/instances (checked 17 Oct 2026)
- Northflank
- CPU $0.01667/vCPU/hour, RAM $0.00833/GB/hour. Monthly figures on the pricing page assume 720 hours: 0.5 vCPU × $0.01667 × 720 = $6.00; 0.5 GB × $0.00833 × 720 = $3.00; total $9.00. nf-compute-20 (0.2 shared / 512 MB) is the published $5.40 row. Egress $0.06/GB. Disk $0.15/GB-month. Source: https://northflank.com/pricing (checked 17 Oct 2026)
- Coolify on Hetzner
- Hetzner price table after the 15 Jun 2026 adjustment, EU locations, USD excl. VAT: CX23 $6.49/month (2 vCPU / 4 GB / 40 GB NVMe / 20 TB traffic), CX33 $9.99, CX43 $18.49. Coolify is open source (https://coolify.io) with no published hosting fee. IPv4 is extra; a USD IPv4 price is not on the adjustment page, so it is omitted. Source: https://docs.hetzner.com/general/infrastructure-and-availability/price-adjustment/ (checked 17 Oct 2026)
FAQ
- What is the cheapest always-on 0.5 vCPU / 512 MB app host?
- Fly.io shared-cpu-1x 512 MB at $3.69/month in iad/ewr, plus egress. DigitalOcean's smallest paid container is $5/month but it is 1 vCPU / 512 MiB. A Hetzner CX23 running Coolify is $6.49/month and includes 2 vCPU / 4 GB if you will operate it.
- When is Railway cheaper than a SKU PaaS?
- When the service is not always-on, when several workloads share one Hobby/Pro usage pool, or when you already pay Railway for Postgres and cron. An always-on 0.5 vCPU / 512 MB box is $15 of usage, which loses to Fly ($3.69), DigitalOcean ($5), Koyeb ($5.36), and Render ($7) at that size.
- Does Heroku still have a free dyno?
- No. Eco is $5/month and sleeps after 30 minutes idle. Basic is $7/month for 512 MB always-on. Egress is not listed on the pricing page.
- How should I read per-GB RAM-month on SKU hosts?
- Only Railway and Northflank publish a RAM unit rate ($10/GB-month and ~$6/GB-month). Fly publishes extra RAM at $6/GB-month on top of a CPU preset. Render, Heroku, DigitalOcean, and Koyeb sell SKUs — the RAM-month column is derived or marked SKU-based, not a rate you can buy by the gigabyte.
- What about Koyeb egress?
- The instance reference is the source for CPU prices. The marketing pricing page lists Pro included bandwidth of 1 TB then $0.02/GB EU/US. A FAQ also says outbound traffic is not charged yet. Those conflict, so worked examples omit Koyeb egress rather than guess.
- What would a real app cost?
- Estimates from published rates: a hobby always-on 512 MB service with 10 GB egress is about $4 on Fly, $5 on DigitalOcean, $6.49 self-hosted, $7.75 on Render, and $15.50 on Railway. Two 2 vCPU / 4 GB services with 500 GB egress land around $10 on a Hetzner CX33, $67 on Fly, $191 on Railway, and $254 on Render Hobby.
Related pages
Stack of the Week
Get one stack a week that replaces a SaaS bill.