Fly.io vs Hetzner for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

Fly.io Overview

Fly.io runs Docker containers as Firecracker micro VMs distributed across edge servers worldwide. Deploy your app and it runs in multiple regions simultaneously. The CLI-driven workflow handles deployments, scaling, secrets, and networking. You get managed Postgres, persistent volumes, private networking, and LiteFS for distributed SQLite.

The platform is designed for developers who want global performance without managing servers. Push your Docker container, configure regions in fly.toml, and you're live everywhere. The free tier gives you 3 shared VMs, which works for hobby projects and testing.

Fly.io trades raw performance for convenience. You're running on shared infrastructure optimized for distribution, not raw compute power.

Hetzner Overview

Hetzner is a German hosting company that offers some of the best price-to-performance ratios in the industry. Their cloud VPS starts at $3.79/month for 2GB RAM and 20GB SSD. Dedicated servers go even further, with 64GB RAM machines available for under $50/month. It's not uncommon for developers to run production workloads on Hetzner that would cost 5-10x more on AWS.

The catch is that Hetzner gives you raw infrastructure. You get a Linux server, an IP address, and that's it. No managed deployments, no CI/CD, no one-click databases. You install everything yourself. For some developers, that's a feature. For others, it's a dealbreaker.

Hetzner has data centers in Germany (Falkenstein, Nuremberg), Finland (Helsinki), and the US (Ashburn, Hillsboro). The European locations are well-connected, and the US locations have expanded their reach for North American users. However, if you need Asia-Pacific or South American presence, Hetzner doesn't have you covered.

Key Differences

Managed vs. unmanaged. Fly.io deploys and manages your containers. Hetzner gives you a blank server. If you want to deploy an app on Hetzner, you need to set up Docker, configure a reverse proxy (Nginx, Caddy, or Traefik), handle SSL certificates, configure firewalls, and automate deployments. Fly.io handles all of this for you.

Price performance. Hetzner destroys Fly.io on raw value. A $5.39/month Hetzner VPS gives you 4GB RAM and 40GB SSD. The equivalent compute on Fly.io costs significantly more. If you're running a resource-intensive application (large database, ML models, media processing), Hetzner's hardware makes your money go much further.

Global deployment. Fly.io wins here decisively. Multi-region deployment is Fly.io's core feature. Hetzner has a handful of regions, and running in multiple locations means managing multiple servers yourself. For global apps, Fly.io is purpose-built. For single-region apps, Hetzner's power advantage matters more.

Server administration. With Fly.io, you never SSH into a machine. With Hetzner, you SSH into your machine regularly. Updates, security patches, monitoring, backups, log management. It's all on you. If you enjoy server administration, Hetzner is rewarding. If you'd rather never think about it, Fly.io removes the burden.

Scaling. Fly.io scales by adding VMs across regions with a config change. Hetzner scales by upgrading your server plan or adding more servers manually. Vertical scaling on Hetzner is seamless (upgrade the plan, reboot), but horizontal scaling requires load balancers and orchestration that you set up yourself.

Reliability and uptime. Both have solid track records. Hetzner has been operating since 1997 and their infrastructure is known for reliability. Fly.io has had some growing pains with outages and community complaints. For production workloads where uptime is critical, Hetzner with proper configuration is extremely stable.

When to Choose Fly.io

• You need multi-region global deployment
• You don't want to manage servers, firewalls, or SSL
• Quick container deployment matters more than raw compute
• You want built-in networking between services
• You value development speed over cost optimization

When to Choose Hetzner

• Maximum performance per dollar is your priority
• You're comfortable managing Linux servers
• Your app runs in one region (Europe or US)
• You need dedicated resources, not shared infrastructure
• You want to run tools like Coolify, Dokku, or K3s on your own server

The Verdict

This comparison comes down to what you value more: convenience or value.

Fly.io is the better choice if you want to deploy without thinking about servers. The global distribution, managed infrastructure, and CLI workflow let you focus entirely on your application. The cost premium is the price of not managing infrastructure.

Hetzner is the better choice if you're comfortable with server administration and want to get the most out of every dollar. A single Hetzner VPS can run multiple projects, databases, and services for the price of one Fly.io VM. Pair Hetzner with a tool like Coolify or Kamal, and you get a deployment experience that approaches Fly.io's convenience at a fraction of the cost.

My recommendation for solo developers: if you've never managed a server, start with Fly.io and focus on building. If you know your way around Linux and want to stretch your budget, Hetzner with a self-hosted deployment tool is the most cost-effective setup you can build.