Top match App platform
Render
≈$7/mo Starter
Move to Standard ($25, 1 CPU / 2 GB) if 512 MB gets tight; a managed database adds more.
- Why it fits
- Apps and APIs that want git-push deploys with a fixed, understandable instance price.
- How deploys work
- Connect the Git repo; Render builds and deploys on push, with Docker support and instant rollbacks.
- The tradeoff
- The workspace-plus-services model means several line items, and bandwidth overage is pricey.
Option 2 App platform
Railway
≈$10/mo Hobby + usage
Roughly a quarter vCPU and 512 MB always on; a small database adds a few dollars.
- 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.
About $5.92/month in Amsterdam, plus egress at $0.02/GB.
- Why it fits
- Dockerized apps that want low cost, fine control, or multi-region placement.
- How deploys work
- fly launch builds the image and deploys it; configuration lives in fly.toml and the flyctl CLI.
- The tradeoff
- You operate more of the stack yourself — especially the database.
