Fly.io
Hetzner
| Feature | Fly.io | Hetzner |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $0/mo | From $3.79/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
| Best For | full-stack-developers, global-apps, edge-computing, hobby-projects | startups, indie-hackers, european-companies, cost-conscious-teams |
| Founded | 2017 | 1997 |
| Global Deployment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Firecracker Vms | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fly Postgres | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto Scaling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Volumes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Private Networking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Gpu Support | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cloud Servers | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dedicated Servers | ✗ | ✓ |
| Load Balancers | ✗ | ✓ |
| Block Storage | ✗ | ✓ |
| Object Storage | ✗ | ✓ |
| Firewalls | ✗ | ✓ |
| Private Networks | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Fly.io Pros
- Deploy apps globally to 30+ regions easily
- Built-in Postgres and Redis for data at the edge
- Generous free tier for hobby projects
- Firecracker VMs start in milliseconds
✗ Fly.io Cons
- Operational complexity for simple apps
- Documentation can be hard to navigate
- Billing surprises if auto-scaling triggers unexpectedly
✓ Hetzner Pros
- Dramatically cheaper than AWS, GCP, and Azure
- Excellent price-to-performance ratio
- European data centers with strong GDPR compliance
- Simple and transparent pricing
✗ Hetzner Cons
- Fewer managed services than hyperscalers
- Limited regions (Europe and US East only)
- Less ecosystem of integrated services
The Verdict
Fly.io is built for full stack developers and global apps, with a focus on global-deployment and firecracker-vms. Hetzner targets startups and indie hackers and leads with cloud-servers and dedicated-servers.
Pricing is close: Fly.io starts at $0/mo versus $3.79/mo for Hetzner — not a deciding factor on its own.
Fly.io has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Hetzner requires a paid subscription from day one.
Hetzner edges out on user ratings (4.6 vs 4.2). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: Hetzner has a slight overall edge — but if deploy apps globally to 30+ regions easily matters most to you, Fly.io may still be the right call.