# Fly.io vs Railway: which app deployment platform wins in 2026?

**Source:** https://promtable.com/compare/fly-vs-railway

> Fly.io wins on global edge deployment, persistent volumes, and cost at scale. Railway wins on developer experience and zero-config deploys. Pick Fly for global low-latency apps, Railway for fast iteration and side projects.

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Fly.io wins on global edge deployment, persistent volumes, and cost at scale. Railway wins on developer experience and zero-config deploys. Pick Fly for global low-latency apps, Railway for fast iteration and side projects.

## At a glance

| Dimension | Fly.io | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy model | **Global edge VMs (Firecracker)** ✓ | Region-pinned containers |
| Developer experience | CLI-first, Dockerfile required | **Zero-config GitHub deploy** ✓ |
| Cold start | **Fast (suspend/resume)** ✓ | Slower |
| Persistent volumes | **First-class** ✓ | Limited |
| Databases | Postgres + Upstash + LiteFS | Postgres + MySQL + Redis |
| Free tier | **Generous** ✓ | $5 trial credit |
| Pricing model | Per-second VM + bandwidth | Per-second container + bandwidth |
| Global edge | **30+ regions, auto-route** ✓ | Single region per service |
| Best for | Global apps, persistent state, multi-region | Side projects, fast iteration |

## Verdict

Fly.io is the right pick for global low-latency apps, persistent state, and multi-region deployments. Railway is the right pick for fast iteration, side projects, and zero-config deploys from GitHub. Both are heroku-replacements; Fly is more powerful + complex, Railway is simpler + more opinionated.

## When to pick which

- **Fly.io** — Global apps, persistent volumes, multi-region, cost at scale.
- **Railway** — Side projects, zero-config GitHub deploys, fast iteration.

## FAQ

### Fly or Railway for side projects?

Railway — zero-config GitHub deploy beats Fly's Dockerfile requirement for fast iteration.

### Fly or Railway for production?

Fly — global edge, persistent volumes, multi-region deploy, lower cost at scale.

### Cheapest of the two?

Fly.io at scale; Railway has a usable $5 trial credit for prototypes.

## Related

- [/alternatives/fly-io](https://promtable.com/alternatives/fly-io)
- [/compare/neon-vs-supabase](https://promtable.com/compare/neon-vs-supabase)
- [/glossary/edge-function](https://promtable.com/glossary/edge-function)

*Last updated: 2026-06-01*
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Original page: https://promtable.com/compare/fly-vs-railway
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