Which is cheaper, Fly.io shared-cpu-2x · 512 MB or Render Free web service?

Render Free web service, at free against $3.89/mo, both excluding tax and read on 17 Sept 2026. Over a year that is $0 against $46.68, before anything either platform meters on top.

Which gives you more memory?

Both state 512 MB, so the question is what a gigabyte costs: $7.78/GB-mo at Fly.io and no size to divide by at Render.

Does either one stop when the app is idle?

Fly.io shared-cpu-2x · 512 MB: always on. Render Free web service: sleeps when idle.

What does the monthly price leave out?

Fly.io shared-cpu-2x · 512 MB: transfer none · metered per GB included and $0.02 per GB beyond it, builds not stated, disk none · volumes extra, members not charged. Render Free web service: transfer 5 GB included and $0.15 per GB beyond it, builds 500 min, disk none · volumes extra, members not charged.

Fly.io shared-cpu-2x · 512 MB vs Render Free web service.

plan vs plan · prices as of 17 Sept 2026

The same 512 MB of memory at two platforms, so the size is identical and everything around it is not. Render Free web service takes 2 of 4 rounds against Fly.io shared-cpu-2x · 512 MB. It is also the cheaper of the two, at free against $3.89/mo.

Fly.io

shared-cpu-2x · 512 MB

$3.89/mo

$46.68 a year · $7.78/GB-mo

512 MB RAM · always on

Fly.io ↗

Renderwins 2 rounds

Free web service

free

$0 a year · no size to divide by

512 MB RAM · sleeps when idle

Render ↗

Monthly price (lower wins)

$3.89/mo

free

Price per GB of RAM (lower wins)

$7.78/GB-mo

no size to divide by

Memory

512 MB

vCPU

2 shared

not stated

Transfer included (more included is better)

none · metered per GB

5 GB

Build minutes included (more included is better)

not stated

500 min

Stops when idle (staying on wins)

always on

sleeps when idle

Members covered (more members covered is better)

members not charged

What the invoice adds

A gigabyte of transfer$0.02 per GB vs $0.15 per GB
Transfer includednone vs 5 GB
Build minutes includednot stated vs 500 min
A year at this price$46.68 vs $0

Fly.io then Render, at the published rates; a rate nobody publishes is not a rate of zero

Go further

open in the compare tool →everything Fly.io charges everything Render charges

Add a third or fourth plan, or switch the weighting, in the tool.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Fly.io shared-cpu-2x · 512 MB or Render Free web service?: Render Free web service, at free against $3.89/mo, both excluding tax and read on 17 Sept 2026. Over a year that is $0 against $46.68, before anything either platform meters on top.
Which gives you more memory?: Both state 512 MB, so the question is what a gigabyte costs: $7.78/GB-mo at Fly.io and no size to divide by at Render.
Does either one stop when the app is idle?: Fly.io shared-cpu-2x · 512 MB: always on. Render Free web service: sleeps when idle.
What does the monthly price leave out?: Fly.io shared-cpu-2x · 512 MB: transfer none · metered per GB included and $0.02 per GB beyond it, builds not stated, disk none · volumes extra, members not charged. Render Free web service: transfer 5 GB included and $0.15 per GB beyond it, builds 500 min, disk none · volumes extra, members not charged.

Every price is one month in the provider's own currency converted to dollars, read 17 Sept 2026 from each provider's own page, excluding tax. Transfer, build minutes, disks and members are metered on top wherever a platform says so, and none of those rates is folded into the figures above. Bars are scaled to the larger value in each row.