Compare / Django hosting with no cold starts
Peter van Doorn
Django hosting with no cold starts
Scale-to-zero is a good trade for a hobby project and a bad one for a customer-facing app. The first visitor after a quiet spell waits while a machine wakes up, and with Django that wait includes starting Python and loading your project.
The short answer. If your app has real users, keep it on. Django Cloud apps are always running, in an AWS environment of their own. If an app is rarely used and cost matters more than speed, a platform that sleeps may suit you better.
Why Django Cloud
- Run it in your own AWS account, or let us run it. On Self-hosted your app runs in your own AWS account: you pay AWS its list price directly and us $10 a month, with no markup on compute. On Fully managed we run a dedicated AWS account for you: $29 a month with a server and a database, and a bigger server or database adds the difference.
- Your own isolated environment, without cold starts. Your app is not squeezed onto servers shared with other customers' apps. It runs in an AWS environment of its own and stays on, so the first visitor after a quiet hour does not wait for a machine to wake up.
- Focused on Django, and nothing else. Static files, migrations before every release, encrypted secrets, rollbacks that warn about database changes and Postgres that connects itself. A generic platform asks you to work these out; we only do Django.
The options at a glance
| Platform | What the vendor says about idle apps | Django Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Heroku Eco dynos ($5) | Sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity; Basic ($7) and above are always on | Always on |
| FastAPI Cloud Hobby (free) | Automatic scale-to-zero; Pro can be scale-to-zero or always-on | Always on |
| Fly.io Machines | Machines can be stopped when idle, and are billed only for storage while stopped | Always on |
| Railway | You pay for the resources you use, by the second | Always on, fixed price |
| Your own server (EC2, Hetzner) | Always on, but you run and patch it | Always on, managed for you |
What staying awake costs
| Heroku | Django Cloud Self-hosted | |
|---|---|---|
| Smallest always-on option | Heroku Basic: $7 a month, 0.5 GB | AWS Nano: $7 a month plus $10, 0.5 GB |
| 1 GB, always on | Heroku Standard-2X: $50 a month | AWS Small: $15 plus $10 a month |
Platforms that sleep are cheaper while idle, and some are free. Always-on prices are lower on Heroku at the smallest size and lower on Django Cloud as memory grows.
Start for free with AWS Activate credits
On the Self-hosted plan your app runs in your own AWS account, so AWS credits can pay for it. New AWS accounts can get up to $200 in credits, which is the amount most side projects can count on. Startups can also apply for up to $1,000 through AWS Activate, but AWS decides who qualifies and can change the terms.
Apply for AWS Activate creditsOpen an AWS account
When something else is the better choice
- Lowest cost for apps that are mostly idle
- Free plans for side projects and demos
- Fast scale-up for spiky traffic you cannot predict
Questions
What is a cold start?
The delay when a platform has to start your app before answering. For Django it includes starting Python and loading your settings and apps.
Does Django Cloud ever put my app to sleep?
No. Your app stays on, and traffic spikes are handled by autoscaling.
Can AWS credits pay for my Django hosting?
On the Self-hosted plan your app runs in your own AWS account, so AWS credits can cover the AWS bill. New AWS accounts can get up to $200 in credits, and startups can apply for up to $1,000 through AWS Activate. AWS decides who qualifies and can change the terms. You still pay Django Cloud $10 a month, unless we sponsor you: students, open source maintainers, non-profit and scientific projects and AWS Activate startups can apply.
Get your Django project live, the easy way
One command or a git push. We host it for you on AWS, or you keep it in your own AWS account, where AWS credits can cover the AWS bill.
Prices and features were checked in October 2026 against the vendors' own pages (Heroku pricing, FastAPI Cloud pricing, Fly.io pricing, Railway pricing), and may have changed since. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.