Compare / Fly.io
Peter van Doorn
A Fly.io alternative that only does Django
Fly.io gives you cheap, flexible machines close to your users. The flip side is that you assemble the pieces yourself: a Dockerfile, volumes, release commands, and a managed Postgres that starts at $38 a month.
The short answer. Pick Fly.io if you want low-level control, many regions, or the cheapest possible compute. Pick Django Cloud if you want Django deployed correctly in one command, a far cheaper managed Postgres, and an app that lives in your own AWS account.
Why choose Django Cloud over Fly.io
- 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.
Fly.io and Django Cloud at a glance
| Fly.io | Django Cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your app runs | Fly's global machine fleet | Your own AWS account, or a dedicated AWS account we run for you |
| Free tier | None for new organizations: a short trial of 2 hours or 7 days | No free tier. AWS credits can cover the AWS bill on Self-hosted, and we sponsor Self-hosted for students and open source projects |
| Idle apps | Machines can be stopped when idle and started on demand | Always on, no cold start |
| Managed Postgres | From $38 a month, plus $0.28 per GB of storage | From $15 a month at AWS list price, high availability available |
| Setup | Fly config file, Dockerfile, volumes and release command are yours to write | One command; Dockerfile, static files and migrations handled |
| Regions | Many regions worldwide | AWS regions your Lightsail account supports; no multi-region failover |
What it costs to run a typical Django app
| Fly.io | Django Cloud Self-hosted | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GB server and a small managed Postgres | $47.50 (1 GB machine $6.70 + Managed Postgres Basic $38 + 10 GB storage $2.80) | $39 Fully managed, or $40 Self-hosted (Small $15 + 1 GB database $15 + $10) |
Fly's raw compute is cheaper per gigabyte: a 1 GB machine is $6.70 against $15 for a Lightsail Small. The difference comes from the managed database. You can also run Postgres yourself on a Fly volume, which costs less but makes you responsible for backups and failover. Prices shown are for the US East regions.
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 Fly.io is the better choice
- Cheapest compute and per-second billing
- Machines in many regions near your users, and multi-region setups
- Total flexibility over how the app is built and run
Questions
Is Django Cloud cheaper than Fly.io?
For an app with a managed database, usually. Fly's managed Postgres starts at $38 a month, while a 1 GB Postgres database through Django Cloud costs $15 at AWS list price.
Does Django Cloud scale to zero like Fly Machines?
No, on purpose. Your app stays on, so nobody waits for a machine to start. If you need an app that costs almost nothing while idle, Fly's autostop is a better fit.
Do I need to write a Dockerfile or fly.toml?
No. Django Cloud builds your project from the requirements you already have and runs migrations before every release.
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 (Fly.io pricing), and may have changed since. Fly.io is a trademark of its owner; Django Cloud is not affiliated with it. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.