Software · head to head
Tencent Cloud vs Fly.io
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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; 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: Tencent Cloud covers CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines, Fly.io covers Global deployment.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Tencent Cloud and Fly.io actually diverge.
| Attribute | Tencent Cloud | Fly.io |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Linux, Windows, Api, Cli | Web, Api, Docker |
| Founded | 2010 | 2020 |
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 Tencent Cloud
- CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines
- COS - Cloud Object Storage
- TencentDB
- SCF - Serverless Computing
- CDN
- Load Balancer
- API Gateway
- Terraform
Only in Fly.io
- Global deployment
- Docker support
- Postgres databases
- Redis support
- Auto-scaling
- Health checks
- Backups
- Monitoring
Both cover
- VPC
- Docker
- Cloud deployment
- Api support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Tencent Cloud
- Gaming platformsnot Fly.io
- Social medianot Fly.io
- Video streamingnot Fly.io
- Asia-Pacific deploymentnot Fly.io
- Mobile applicationsnot Fly.io
Fly.io
- Deploying containerised applications close to users across regionsnot Tencent Cloud
- Running full stack apps and databases on managed machinesnot Tencent Cloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
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
Tencent Cloud
Free- Free TrialFree
- Free trial credits
- CVM instances
- Cloud storage
- Pay-as-You-GoFree
- Flexible pricing
- No long-term contracts
- Global infrastructure
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 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.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Tencent Cloud or Fly.io better?
- Neither clearly leads. Tencent 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, Tencent Cloud or Fly.io?
- Tencent Cloud starts at Free and Fly.io at Free.
- Does Tencent Cloud or Fly.io run on more platforms?
- Tencent Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli. Fly.io runs on Web, Api, Docker.
- Can I use Tencent Cloud for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Tencent Cloud best used for?
- Tencent Cloud is most often used for gaming platforms, social media, video streaming, asia-pacific deployment. Of those, gaming platforms and social media are not what Fly.io is typically brought in for.
- What can Tencent Cloud do that Fly.io cannot?
- Tencent Cloud covers CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines, COS - Cloud Object Storage, TencentDB, SCF - Serverless Computing. Fly.io covers Global deployment, Docker support, Postgres databases, Redis support. Both handle VPC, Docker, Cloud deployment, Api support.