Render vs Fly.io for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

Render Overview

Render positions itself as the modern Heroku alternative, and it delivers on that promise. The platform handles web services, static sites, cron jobs, databases, and background workers through a clean web dashboard. Connect a Git repo, pick your runtime, and Render builds and deploys your application.

What makes Render appealing for solo developers is the free tier. You can run static sites for free and get a free web service instance (though it spins down after inactivity). The free PostgreSQL database gives you 90 days of usage. It's enough to prototype and validate an idea before spending anything.

I tested Render with a Node.js API and PostgreSQL database. The setup was straightforward through the dashboard. Select "New Web Service," connect the repo, and Render detects the runtime. The build logs are clear and the deployment process is transparent. No hidden magic, no confusing abstractions.

Fly.io Overview

Fly.io runs your applications on micro VMs distributed across edge locations worldwide. Instead of deploying to a single data center, your app can run simultaneously in London, Sydney, and San Francisco. Each instance is a lightweight Firecracker VM running your Docker container.

The platform is CLI-driven. You install flyctl, run fly launch in your project directory, and Fly.io generates a configuration file. Deployments, scaling, and management all happen through terminal commands. There's a web dashboard for monitoring, but the real workflow lives in the CLI.

Fly.io's free tier includes 3 shared VMs with 256MB RAM each, 3GB persistent storage, and 160GB bandwidth. That's enough to run a small app globally without spending a dollar. The free tier is genuinely usable, not just a demo.

Key Differences

Free tier quality. Both platforms offer free tiers, but they work differently. Render's free web services spin down after 15 minutes of inactivity, causing cold starts of 30-60 seconds when a request comes in. Fly.io's free VMs stay running (though shared CPUs throttle under load). For always-on hobby projects, Fly.io's free tier is more practical.

Global deployment. Fly.io deploys to multiple regions by default and makes it easy to scale globally. Render deploys to a single region per service (Oregon or Frankfurt). If your users are worldwide, Fly.io's architecture delivers lower latency. If your users are concentrated in one region, the difference is negligible.

Interface and workflow. Render is a web-first platform. Everything happens through the browser dashboard: creating services, managing environment variables, viewing logs, and configuring auto-deploy. Fly.io is CLI-first. You configure, deploy, and manage through the terminal. Solo developers who prefer visual interfaces will gravitate toward Render.

Docker requirements. Render supports Docker but also auto-detects many runtimes (Node, Python, Go, Ruby, Rust) and builds from source. Fly.io strongly prefers Docker containers. If you don't already use Docker, Render has a gentler onboarding. If Docker is already in your workflow, Fly.io fits naturally.

Database experience. Render offers managed PostgreSQL directly in the dashboard. The free tier gives 90 days, then it's $7/month for the smallest instance. Fly.io offers Postgres through fly postgres create, and you can also run SQLite with LiteFS for distributed reads. Both work fine, but Render's dashboard-driven database management is simpler.

Pricing predictability. Render's pricing is straightforward. Web services start at $7/month, databases at $7/month. You know what you're paying. Fly.io's pricing combines compute, bandwidth, volumes, and IP addresses, which can be confusing. I've seen Fly.io bills that surprised me because I didn't account for persistent volumes or dedicated IPv4 addresses.

When to Choose Render

• You want a clean web dashboard for managing services
• Simple, predictable pricing matters more than global deployment
• You're migrating from Heroku and want a similar experience
• Docker isn't part of your current workflow
• You want managed PostgreSQL with a visual interface

When to Choose Fly.io

• Your application needs to serve users across multiple continents
• You're comfortable with Docker and CLI-driven workflows
• The free tier needs to run 24/7 without cold starts
• You want to experiment with distributed SQLite (LiteFS)
• Low global latency is a core requirement

The Verdict

Render is the safer, simpler choice for solo developers building standard web applications. The dashboard is intuitive, pricing is predictable, and the Heroku-like experience means you spend less time on infrastructure and more time on your product.

Fly.io wins when global distribution matters. The edge deployment model, always-on free tier, and micro VM architecture make it ideal for apps that serve a worldwide audience. But the CLI-driven workflow and occasionally confusing pricing mean it's not for everyone.

My recommendation: pick Render if you want the simplest possible deployment experience. Pick Fly.io if you need global edge deployment or an always-on free tier. Both are solid platforms, but they optimize for different priorities.