Software · head to head
Fly.io vs Tencent Cloud
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Fly.io egress is priced by destination region, from $0.02 per GB in North America and Europe to $0.12 per GB for Africa and India, so the same traffic costs six times more depending on where users are; Tencent Cloud standard SA5 2-core instance in Beijing is priced at 1567 CNY per year while an 8-core Standard S6 in Shanghai runs 5719 CNY per year
- They diverge on capability: Fly.io covers Global deployment, Tencent Cloud covers CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fly.io and Tencent Cloud actually diverge.
| Attribute | Fly.io | Tencent Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, Api, Docker | Linux, Windows, Api, Cli |
| Founded | 2020 | 2010 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Fly.io
- Global deployment
- Docker support
- Postgres databases
- Redis support
- Auto-scaling
- Health checks
- Backups
- Monitoring
Only in Tencent Cloud
- CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines
- COS - Cloud Object Storage
- TencentDB
- SCF - Serverless Computing
- CDN
- Load Balancer
- API Gateway
- Terraform
Both cover
- Docker
- VPC
- Cloud deployment
- Api support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Fly.io
- Deploying containerised applications close to users across regionsnot Tencent Cloud
- Running full stack apps and databases on managed machinesnot Tencent Cloud
Tencent Cloud
- Gaming platformsnot Fly.io
- Social medianot Fly.io
- Video streamingnot Fly.io
- Asia-Pacific deploymentnot Fly.io
- Mobile applicationsnot Fly.io
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Fly.io
- Egress is priced by destination region, from $0.02 per GB in North America and Europe to $0.12 per GB for Africa and India, so the same traffic costs six times more depending on where users are
- Stopped machines still bill at $0.15 per GB of root filesystem a month, so a paused service is not a free one
- Volumes are billed on provisioned capacity rather than usage, at $0.15 per GB a month
- Reservation discounts of 40% require paying a year up front, from $36 to $1,440
- Fly Kubernetes is a separate $75 a month per cluster
- Dedicated IPv4 addresses are $2 a month each
Tencent Cloud
- Standard SA5 2-core instance in Beijing is priced at 1567 CNY per year while an 8-core Standard S6 in Shanghai runs 5719 CNY per year
Pricing, plan by plan
Fly.io
Free- FreeFree
- 3 shared-cpu-1x VMs
- 3GB persistence storage
- 160GB outbound data/month
- Pay-as-you-goFree
- Unlimited applications
- Dedicated machines
- Global deployment
Tencent Cloud
Free- Free TrialFree
- Free trial credits
- CVM instances
- Cloud storage
- Pay-as-You-GoFree
- Flexible pricing
- No long-term contracts
- Global infrastructure
Which should you pick?
Choose Fly.io if
- You need global deployment.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api, Docker.
- You also want docker support.
Choose Tencent Cloud if
- You need cvm - cloud virtual machines.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
- You also want cos - cloud object storage.
Questions people ask
- Is Fly.io or Tencent Cloud better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fly.io starts at Free and Tencent Cloud at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fly.io or Tencent Cloud?
- Fly.io starts at Free and Tencent Cloud at Free.
- Does Fly.io or Tencent Cloud run on more platforms?
- Fly.io runs on Web, Api, Docker. Tencent Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
- Can I use Fly.io for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Fly.io best used for?
- Fly.io is most often used for deploying containerised applications close to users across regions, running full stack apps and databases on managed machines. Of those, deploying containerised applications close to users across regions and running full stack apps and databases on managed machines are not what Tencent Cloud is typically brought in for.
- What can Fly.io do that Tencent Cloud cannot?
- Fly.io covers Global deployment, Docker support, Postgres databases, Redis support. Tencent Cloud covers CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines, COS - Cloud Object Storage, TencentDB, SCF - Serverless Computing. Both handle Docker, VPC, Cloud deployment, Api support.