Fly.io review
Fly.io fits developers who want native Docker deployment, regional placement and SSH access for apps or persistent agents. Watch the total usage bill, because the entry compute price leaves out storage, billable snapshots and outbound traffic.
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Score breakdown
Scores come from one formula for every app platform host, explained on our methodology page.
Plans and the true 3-year price
| Plan | vCPU / RAM / Disk | Monthly | Renews at | 3-year cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go: shared-cpu-1x 256MB | 1 vCPU / 0.25 GB | $2.19 | $2.19 | $151 |
Providers change prices often, and we regularly verify prices against their own pricing pages, though small differences from current prices are possible. Prices checked 10 Oct 2026. Excluding tax.
Who it's for
Pick it if
- Your app ships in Docker and needs SSH access for debugging
- You want to choose deployment locations near your users
- You prefer CLI and API control over your deployment workflow
- You can budget for usage across compute, storage and traffic
Skip it if
- You need an ongoing free tier
- You want a predictable bill with storage and traffic bundled
- You need an uptime SLA without an enterprise agreement
Reliability, SLA and policies
Our take
Fly.io makes sense when you want an app platform with direct operational access. Native Docker support, a CLI, an API and root or SSH access give you useful tools for deploying services and investigating failures. For an indie app or persistent agent, that combination is appealing if you already understand containers and want to control where the workload runs. We would choose it for those requirements, while treating monitoring, recovery and deployment discipline as part of the work your team still owns.
The entry price is a starting point for budgeting. Pay as you go: shared-cpu-1x 256MB is listed at $2.19, with renewal at $2.19. There is no introductory discount to unwind in that comparison, but usage can still change your bill. Provisioned volumes, billable snapshots, outbound traffic and dedicated address charges sit outside the compute headline. Regional pricing also varies. Estimate the bill for your actual deployment locations and traffic pattern before treating the smallest preset as your application budget.
Regional placement is useful when it serves a concrete latency or deployment requirement. It also asks you to think about where persistent state lives and how you would recover it. Daily volume snapshots are enabled by default, and managed databases are available, but recovery still deserves a tested procedure. The public status page helps you follow incidents; the uptime SLA applies only to enterprise customers. If your small team needs contractual coverage or direct support, evaluate those arrangements before committing production workloads.
Against Railway, Render or Heroku, our decision would turn on how much you value Fly.io's Docker workflow, regional placement and direct access. If Vercel, Netlify or Cloudflare Workers + Pages is also on your shortlist, start with the application's runtime and persistence requirements, then compare the deployment experience. Docker gives you a portable packaging format, but it does not make a migration automatic. Your Fly.io deployment configuration, storage arrangements and database dependencies still need an exit plan. Choose it when that operational control earns its upkeep.
FAQ
Does Fly.io have a free tier?
New organizations do not get an ongoing free tier. A limited trial is available, so budget for paid usage if you intend to keep your app running.
What costs extra on Fly.io?
Beyond compute, budget for provisioned volumes, billable snapshots, outbound traffic and any dedicated address charges. Regional pricing varies, so estimate costs using the locations where you intend to run your app.
Can I run Docker apps and persistent agents on Fly.io?
Fly.io supports native Docker deployment and provides CLI, API and SSH access, making it a reasonable fit for containerized apps and persistent agents. Plan for the agent's runtime usage, durable state and recovery needs before leaving it unattended.
Does Fly.io back up my app data automatically?
Fly.io takes daily volume snapshots by default. Check that the snapshot coverage and retention suit your application, and test restores before relying on them for recovery.
Does Fly.io include an uptime guarantee?
The 99.9% uptime SLA applies only to enterprise customers. A public status page is available, but it does not extend that contractual coverage to other customers.
What support can I get from Fly.io?
Fly.io offers a community forum, email support through Standard, Premium and Enterprise support, and ticket support through its Support Portal. Check the support arrangement you intend to use before making it part of your incident response plan.