Updated May 2, 2026Hosting Comparison

Fly.io vs Railway Comparison

A detailed comparison of Fly.io and Railway.

Fly.io

Run your app globally on our edge network.

Primary Task

Edge Hosting

Pricing

Freemium

Key Features

Global Edge
Anycast Network
Persistent Storage

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Railway

Instant deployments, effortless scale.

Primary Task

App Hosting

Pricing

Freemium

Key Features

GitHub Integration
Zero Config
Database Provisioning

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At a Glance

Feature	Fly.io	Railway
Primary Task	Edge Hosting	App Hosting
Pricing Model	Freemium	Freemium
Founded	2017	2020
Framework Optimization	Agnostic	Agnostic
Edge Network	N/A	N/A
Serverless Functions	N/A	N/A
Built-in Features	N/A	N/A
Free Tier	N/A	N/A

Pros & Cons

Fly.io

Strengths

Global edge deployment
Generous free allowances
Full control (Docker)

Limitations

Dockerfile required
More complex than alternatives
Billing can spike

Railway

Strengths

Simple pricing
Great DX
Databases included

Limitations

Limited free tier
US-only regions initially
Less enterprise features

Final Decision

The Verdict

Both tools are excellent. Here's how to choose the right one for your project.

Choose Fly.io

Best for

Strong Global Edge capabilities
Freemium pricing model
Edge Hosting workflows

Choose Railway

Best for

GitHub Integration focused projects
Freemium approach
App Hosting use cases

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between Fly.io and Railway?

Fly.io is primarily a Edge Hosting, while Railway is focused on App Hosting. Run your app globally on our edge network. Instant deployments, effortless scale.

Is Fly.io open source?

No, Fly.io is a commercial product with a freemium model.

Is Railway open source?

No, Railway is a commercial product with a freemium model.

Which is better for Hosting?

It depends on your specific needs. Fly.io is often chosen for its global edge capabilities, while Railway is popular for its github integration features.