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Software · head to head

Hetzner Cloud vs Fly.io

Hetzner Cloud logo

Hetzner Cloud

Software

Affordable cloud servers in Europe

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fly.io logo

Fly.io

Software

Deploy web applications globally

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Hetzner Cloud cost-Optimized plans are shown as currently unavailable; 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
  • They diverge on capability: Hetzner Cloud covers Cloud servers, Fly.io covers Global deployment.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hetzner Cloud and Fly.io actually diverge.

Attributes where Hetzner Cloud and Fly.io differ
AttributeHetzner CloudFly.io
PlatformsWeb, Api, CliWeb, Api, Docker
Founded19972020

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 Hetzner Cloud

  • Cloud servers
  • Block storage
  • Object storage
  • Load balancers
  • Networks
  • Firewalls
  • Floating IPs
  • Terraform

Only in Fly.io

  • Global deployment
  • Docker support
  • Postgres databases
  • Redis support
  • Auto-scaling
  • Health checks
  • Monitoring
  • GitHub

Both cover

  • Backups
  • Docker
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support
  • Api support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Hetzner Cloud

  • Low-cost virtual servers for development and testingnot Fly.io
  • European hosting with data held in Germany or Finlandnot Fly.io
  • Workloads with heavy egress, where included traffic mattersnot Fly.io
  • Self-hosting applications away from the hyperscalersnot Fly.io

Fly.io

  • Deploying containerised applications close to users across regionsnot Hetzner Cloud
  • Running full stack apps and databases on managed machinesnot Hetzner Cloud

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Hetzner Cloud

  • Cost-Optimized plans are shown as currently unavailable
  • The shared-resource tiers are positioned for variable usage and development rather than sustained production workloads
  • Regions are limited to Germany, Finland, the United States and Singapore, so latency to other markets is a real constraint
  • The uptime guarantee is 99.9 percent, below what the large hyperscalers offer on comparable services
  • Support is 24/7 by email, without a phone channel

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Hetzner Cloud

Free
  • CX11$3.29/month
    • 1 vCPU
    • 1GB RAM
    • 25GB SSD
  • CX21$6.59/month
    • 2 vCPU
    • 4GB RAM
    • 40GB SSD

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Hetzner Cloud if

  • You need cloud servers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Cli.
  • You also want block storage.
Hetzner Cloud review

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.
Fly.io review

Questions people ask

Is Hetzner Cloud or Fly.io better?
Neither clearly leads. Hetzner Cloud starts at Free and Fly.io at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hetzner Cloud or Fly.io?
Hetzner Cloud starts at Free and Fly.io at Free.
Does Hetzner Cloud or Fly.io run on more platforms?
Hetzner Cloud runs on Web, Api, Cli. Fly.io runs on Web, Api, Docker.
Can I use Hetzner Cloud for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Hetzner Cloud best used for?
Hetzner Cloud is most often used for low-cost virtual servers for development and testing, european hosting with data held in germany or finland, workloads with heavy egress, where included traffic matters, self-hosting applications away from the hyperscalers. Of those, low-cost virtual servers for development and testing and european hosting with data held in germany or finland are not what Fly.io is typically brought in for.
What can Hetzner Cloud do that Fly.io cannot?
Hetzner Cloud covers Cloud servers, Block storage, Object storage, Load balancers. Fly.io covers Global deployment, Docker support, Postgres databases, Redis support. Both handle Backups, Docker, Cloud deployment, Web support.
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