A scale-to-zero service with hobby traffic typically rounds to $0 — the always-free tier absorbs it.
- Why it fits
- Container apps with spiky or low traffic that want scale-to-zero economics and can manage billing discipline.
- How deploys work
- Run `gcloud run deploy --source .` — buildpacks containerize the app, or push any Docker image; GitHub continuous deployment is built in.
- The tradeoff
- The best free tier and autoscaling here, attached to a billing system with no hard cap and real horror stories.
The $5 subscription includes $5 of monthly usage credit; a small app and database that scale to zero can stay inside it.
- Free option
- New Starter subscriptions get their first month free; after that, Starter costs $5/month and includes $5 in monthly usage credit.
- Why it fits
- Laravel teams that want the framework, database, queues, scheduler, cache, and deploy workflow managed as one platform.
- How deploys work
- Connect a Git repository or run cloud ship; Laravel Cloud builds the supported runtime and deploys every push with zero downtime.
- The tradeoff
- The excellent Laravel experience comes from an opinionated runtime, so arbitrary containers and server-level access are out.
The $5 minimum becomes usage credit; a small, mostly idle service usually fits inside it.
- Free option
- Free: $1 of monthly usage credits, capped at 1 vCPU / 0.5 GB per service, one replica, and 3-day log history.
- Why it fits
- Full-stack apps and APIs where you want the app and its database running in minutes.
- How deploys work
- Connect a repo or image; Railway detects the build, deploys it, and adds databases with one click.
- The tradeoff
- Pure usage billing means the bill moves with your traffic — predictable only while the app is small.
