Fly.io — A cloud platform that runs Docker containers as Firecracker microVMs in regions close to your users, billed per second with no flat monthly plan.
By Noahlast updated pricing verified
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Fly.io in 20 seconds
Best for: developers deploying Dockerized apps and APIs who want multi-region placement and per-second usage billing instead of a fixed monthly plan
Pricing: No flat plan; usage-based billing from about $2/month for a minimal always-on machine, plus $0.15/GB storage and $2/month per dedicated IPv4, with no free tier.
- Fly.io runs Docker containers as Firecracker microVMs called Fly Machines, billed per second with no flat monthly plan.
- A shared-cpu-1x/256MB Fly Machine run continuously costs about $2.02/month; a performance-1x/2GB machine costs about $32.19/month.
- Storage volumes cost $0.15/GB per month and dedicated IPv4 addresses cost $2/month.
- Fly.io holds a 5.0/5 rating from 27 reviews on Product Hunt.
- Fly.io launched Sprites in 2026, persistent Linux computers for AI agent workloads managed via the same flyctl CLI.
Limitations: No free tier; billing starts immediately and requires a credit card at signup.; Usage-based pricing across several separately metered resources makes total monthly cost harder to predict than flat-rate hosts.; Paid support starts at $29/month; community channels are the only free support option.
Top alternatives: Render, Railway, Heroku, DigitalOcean App Platform — full list
What is Fly.io?
Fly.io is a cloud platform that packages an application as a Docker image and runs it as a Fly Machine, a Firecracker microVM that boots in about a second, in whichever regions the developer picks. It is aimed at developers who want servers running close to their users worldwide without provisioning a full multi-region cluster by hand. Billing is entirely usage-based: there is no fixed monthly plan, and every resource, compute seconds, storage volumes, dedicated IPv4 addresses, data transfer, appears itemized on one invoice. Fly.io also runs managed Postgres, a managed Kubernetes offering (Fly Kubernetes, $75/month per cluster plus compute), and extensions for Redis and object storage through partners like Upstash and Tigris. In 2026 Fly.io launched Sprites, persistent Linux computers designed for AI coding agents to operate in, sold and managed through the same platform and CLI as its container hosting.
Fly.io is a cloud application hosting platform built by Superfly, aimed at developers deploying Docker-based apps, APIs, and managed Postgres databases across a global network of regions instead of a single data center. There is no flat starting price: compute runs on Fly Machines billed per second (a shared-cpu-1x instance with 256MB RAM costs roughly $2/month if left running continuously), storage volumes cost $0.15/GB per month, and dedicated IPv4 addresses cost $2/month, with all usage itemized on one invoice. Fly.io also sells paid support plans starting at $29/month and a $99/month HIPAA compliance add-on, and in 2026 it added Fly.io Sprites, persistent Linux computers for AI agent workloads managed through the same flyctl CLI.
Standout feature: Fly Machines boot as Firecracker microVMs in about a second in any of Fly.io's global regions, and every resource bills per second with no predefined plan tiers.
Biggest weakness: No free tier: usage-based billing starts immediately on signup with no permanently free allowance, and predicting a monthly bill in advance is harder than on flat-rate hosts because compute, storage, IPs, and transfer all meter separately.
Pros
- Fly Machines boot in about a second and can run in dozens of regions worldwide for low-latency placement near users.
- Usage-based pricing means idle or low-traffic apps cost only a couple dollars a month rather than a flat plan fee.
- Managed Postgres, Fly Kubernetes, and Redis/object-storage extensions cover most of a typical app's infrastructure needs from one account.
- flyctl CLI and configuration-as-code (fly.toml) fit well into existing CI/CD pipelines.
Cons
- No free tier: a credit card is required at signup and billing starts from the first resource created.
- Usage-based pricing across compute, storage, IPs, and transfer makes total monthly cost harder to predict than a flat-rate host.
- Managed Postgres and Kubernetes pricing sit on separate, less prominently documented pages than the core compute pricing.
- Support beyond community channels requires a paid plan starting at $29/month.
Fly.io pricing
From $29/mo · verified from the vendor's pricing page
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go | Custom | Usage-based billing with no flat fee: Fly Machines bill per second (a shared-cpu-1x/256MB machine costs about $2.02/month run continuously; performance-1x/2GB about $32.19/month), volumes $0.15/GB/month, dedicated IPv4 $2/month, data transfer from $0.02/GB in North America and Europe. |
| Support plans | $29/mo | Optional add-on for direct engineering support; Premium tier is $199/month and Enterprise support starts at $2,500/month. A $99/month add-on covers HIPAA compliance (BAAs, SOC2 documentation). |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom pricing for large accounts; reservation blocks (e.g. $1,440/year for a $200/month performance-compute credit) give roughly 40% off list compute rates. |
What reviewers say
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