Stack
Render
A managed platform for web services, cron jobs, and managed Postgres with flat per-instance pricing.
What it actually does
Render hosts web services, cron jobs, and managed Postgres from git with a Heroku-like experience and zero config. A $7/mo Starter instance removes cold starts and is cheaper than Railway for a steady 512 MB service.
There are two bills: a workspace plan (Hobby free, Pro flat $25/mo with unlimited seats) and per-instance compute ($7/mo Starter and up). A 2026 repricing traded seat fees for slashed included bandwidth, so Hobby now includes only 5 GB, with overage at $0.15/GB.
The free Hobby tier spins web services down after 15 minutes idle (about a minute to wake), and free Postgres is 1 GB that expires 30 days after creation, then deletes after a grace period, which surprises side projects.
Render vs its main rivals
The tools people actually weigh against Render: Railway, Fly.io, Heroku. Same criteria for every column, including where Render loses.
| Render |  Railway |  Fly.io | HHeroku | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pricing & access | ||||
| Free tier | YesYes (spins down) | NoNo (one-time $5) | NoNo (trial $5) | NoNo |
| Starting price | $7/mo | $5/mo | ~$2/mo | $5/mo (Eco) |
| Free tier for commercial use | YesYes | NoNo | NoNo | NoNo |
Platform & runtime | ||||
| Git-push deploy | YesYes | YesYes | Noflyctl/CI | YesYes |
| Managed database | YesPostgres | YesPostgres/MySQL | NoUnmanaged | YesPostgres |
| Regions | Global CDN | 4 regions | 35 regions | Few regions |
Scaling & limits | ||||
| Included bandwidth | 5 GB (Hobby) | Metered | Metered | Bundled |
| Egress overage | $0.15/GB | $0.05/GB | $0.02/GB | Bundled |
| Scale to zero | YesFree tier only | YesYes | YesYes | NoEco sleeps |
Developer & API | ||||
| REST API | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| CLI | Free | Free | Free | Free |
Team & support | ||||
| Unlimited team seats | YesPro flat $25 | NoPer-seat | YesFlat | NoPer-seat |
- Clean Heroku-like experience: web services, cron jobs, and managed Postgres with zero config
- $7/mo Starter removes cold starts, cheaper than Railway for a steady 512 MB service
- 2026 pricing made Pro a flat $25/mo with unlimited team members, no seat fees
- Free Postgres expires 30 days after creation, then deletes after a grace period
- New Hobby plan includes just 5 GB bandwidth (down from 100 GB legacy), overage at $0.15/GB
- Free web services cold-start after 15 minutes idle and take about a minute to wake
Pay less for it
4 ways foundRun pre-revenue services free if you accept 15-minute cold starts.
2026 Pro is a flat $25/mo with unlimited team members, removing per-seat fees.
Hobby includes only 5 GB; put Cloudflare in front to dodge $0.15/GB overage.
Railway — $5/mo with $5 usage included runs a small backend plus Postgres for less than Render's $7 Starter.
StackTracker tracks what you actually pay for Render and every other tool, flags overpayment, and shows the dollars you would save by switching.
Is it the right tool for you
- You want Heroku's simplicity with a predictable $7-25/mo bill
- You need managed Postgres and cron jobs alongside your web service
- You value a flat Pro plan with no per-seat fees
- Your app is bandwidth-heavy and the 5 GB Hobby cap will overage → use Cloudflare Workers & Pages
- You want the lowest egress and cheapest always-on VM → use Fly.io
Track what Render and the rest of your stack cost
StackTracker adds up every subscription, plus your hours, so you see the real number.
Prices and limits last verified 2026-07-20.