Softwr

Cloud · head to head

Railway vs Traefik

Railway logo

Railway

Cloud

Ship software instantly

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Traefik logo

Traefik

Networking

Modern cloud-native edge router and API gateway

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Railway plan fees are usage credits rather than allowances, so the $5 Hobby and $20 Pro fees are spent on compute and anything beyond is billed on top; Traefik no transparent pricing displayed for Traefik Hub API Gateway or API Management products
  • They diverge on capability: Railway covers Git integration, Traefik covers API Gateway.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Railway and Traefik actually diverge.

Attributes where Railway and Traefik differ
AttributeRailwayTraefik
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
PlatformsWeb, Api, DockerKubernetes, Docker, Cloud
CategoryCloudNetworking
Founded20212015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Railway

  • Git integration
  • Zero-config deployment
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • Redis
  • Environment variables
  • Custom domains
  • Monitoring

Only in Traefik

  • API Gateway
  • Load Balancing
  • SSL/TLS Termination
  • Kubernetes
  • Consul
  • etcd
  • Linux support
  • Docker support

Both cover

  • Docker

What people use each for

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

Railway

  • Deploying applications and databases without managing serversnot Traefik
  • Running preview environments and services straight from a repositorynot Traefik

Traefik

  • API gateway for microservices architecturenot Railway
  • Kubernetes ingress controllernot Railway
  • Container and VM traffic routingnot Railway
  • Cloud-native application managementnot Railway

Where each one falls short

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

Railway

  • Plan fees are usage credits rather than allowances, so the $5 Hobby and $20 Pro fees are spent on compute and anything beyond is billed on top
  • The free plan carries $1 of monthly credit and caps a service at 1 vCPU and 0.5 GB
  • Compute is metered per second for both memory and CPU, so cost tracks uptime rather than traffic and an idle service still bills
  • Egress is $0.05 per GB on top of compute
  • The Pro fee is per workspace rather than per user or per project

Traefik

  • No transparent pricing displayed for Traefik Hub API Gateway or API Management products
  • No subscription period specified for paid tiers
  • Traefik Hub products require contacting sales for pricing

Pricing, plan by plan

Railway

Free
  • FreeFree
    • $5 credit/month
    • Community support
    • Unlimited projects
  • Pro$20/month
    • Private repos
    • Priority support
    • Advanced monitoring

Traefik

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Traefik review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Railway if

  • You need git integration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Docker.
  • You also want zero-config deployment.
Railway review

Choose Traefik if

  • You need api gateway.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Kubernetes, Docker, Cloud.
  • You also want load balancing.
Traefik review

Questions people ask

Is Railway or Traefik better?
Neither clearly leads. Railway starts at Free and Traefik at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Railway or Traefik?
Railway starts at Free and Traefik at Free.
Does Railway or Traefik run on more platforms?
Railway runs on Web, Api, Docker. Traefik runs on Kubernetes, Docker, Cloud.
Can I use Railway for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Railway best used for?
Railway is most often used for deploying applications and databases without managing servers, running preview environments and services straight from a repository. Of those, deploying applications and databases without managing servers and running preview environments and services straight from a repository are not what Traefik is typically brought in for.
What can Railway do that Traefik cannot?
Railway covers Git integration, Zero-config deployment, PostgreSQL, MySQL. Traefik covers API Gateway, Load Balancing, SSL/TLS Termination, Kubernetes. Both handle Docker.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Railway: How much does Railway cost?

Railway's Hobby plan is $5 per month and includes $5 of monthly usage credit. Pro is $20 per month per workspace with $20 of credit included. Enterprise is quoted. Usage beyond the included credit is billed per second.

Source
Traefik: Is Traefik Proxy free to use?

Yes, Traefik Proxy is completely free and open source. You can download and use it at no cost.

Source
Railway: Does Railway have a free tier?

Yes, two. A one-time Free Trial gives $5 of credit valid for 30 days, and an ongoing Free plan includes $1 per month with 1 vCPU and 0.5 GB per service, 1 replica and 3 days of log history.

Source
Traefik: What pricing model does Traefik use for its paid products?

Traefik Hub products (API Gateway and API Management) use quote-based pricing. Specific rates are not published on the pricing page; you must contact sales to request pricing.

Source
Railway: What are Railway's resource limits per plan?

The Free plan allows 1 vCPU and 0.5 GB per service with 1 replica. Hobby raises that to 48 vCPU and 48 GB with 6 replicas. Pro allows 1,000 vCPU and 1 TB per service with 42 replicas and 30 days of log history.

Source
Railway: How does Railway bill usage above the included credit?

Railway charges memory at $0.00000386 per GB per second and CPU at $0.00000772 per vCPU per second, with storage volumes at $0.00000006 per GB per second, plus separate egress and object storage fees.

Source
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