Can I run GPU workloads on Fly.io?

Yes, Fly.io offers GPU Machines with NVIDIA A100 and L40S GPUs for machine learning inference and other GPU-intensive workloads. This is a unique advantage over Railway which does not offer GPU support. GPU instances are available in select regions and billed per second. For teams serving AI models close to their users, Fly.io with GPUs is a powerful option.

Fly.io vs Railway: Global Edge VMs or Git-Push Deploys?

Deploy globally close to users with microVMs or prioritize developer experience from fewer regions? Fly.io and Railway serve different deployment needs.

Fly.io and Railway approach hosting from opposite directions, each optimally serving their own target audience. Fly.io optimizes for global distribution and low latency by running your application as Firecracker microVMs at over 30 locations worldwide, perfect for international applications with strict latency requirements like real-time gaming, global APIs, and collaborative tools. Railway optimizes for developer experience with the fastest and simplest deploy flow on the market, a visual service canvas, and managed databases. For the vast majority of applications, regional hosting from one or two locations is more than sufficient and Railway offers a significantly superior development experience. Only when global distribution with consistent sub-50ms latency is a hard requirement is Fly.io worth the extra configuration effort and steeper learning curve.

Fly.io and Railway hosting platforms compared

Background

The comparison between Fly.io and Railway fundamentally comes down to distribution versus simplicity, two fundamentally different approaches to application hosting. Fly.io solves a specific problem (global latency for distributed users) that most applications do not have, while Railway optimizes for the daily developer workflow and maximum productivity. Your choice primarily depends on where your users are geographically located. If 90% of your traffic comes from a single region, Railway offers a significantly better experience. If you serve users across multiple continents with strict latency requirements, Fly.io is the logical choice.

Fly.io

Fly.io is a platform that runs applications as Firecracker microVMs at locations spread around the world. Unlike traditional PaaS platforms that operate from a single region, Fly.io automatically runs your containers close to your end users at over 30 locations globally. This makes it exceptionally well-suited for latency-sensitive applications requiring global distribution, such as real-time chat, gaming backends, and global APIs. Fly.io supports any Docker container and offers persistent volumes, private networking via WireGuard, auto-scaling, and Firecracker VM isolation.

Railway

Railway is a modern Platform-as-a-Service that puts developer experience at its core as a fundamental value. With instant deploys that go live within seconds, transparent usage-based pricing, and excellent service integration via a visual canvas, Railway makes it exceptionally easy to deploy applications with databases and background services. Railway runs from a limited number of regions but fully compensates with superior ease of use, seamless monorepo support with service linking, and integrated managed databases.

What are the key differences between Fly.io and Railway?

Feature	Fly.io	Railway
Deployment model	Firecracker microVMs at 30+ global locations with automatic placement close to end users	Containers in limited regions, focusing on simplicity and developer experience over geographic distribution
Global distribution	Applications run worldwide close to end users with multi-region deployment and anycast routing	Few regions available without native multi-region support, sufficient for most regional applications
Ease of use	Fly CLI-driven workflow with fly.toml configuration, powerful but steeper learning curve for beginners	Intuitive web interface and CLI with very low barrier to entry, live within minutes after Git connection
Databases	Fly Postgres (community-managed, not fully managed), SQLite with LiteFS for edge databases	Integrated PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, and MongoDB as fully managed services with automatic backups
Persistent storage	Fly Volumes with persistent SSD storage tied to specific regions and VM instances	Persistence via integrated managed database services without manual volume management
Pricing model	Pay-per-VM with free monthly allowance, more complex cost structure with multiple factors	Usage-based with simple transparent billing per consumed CPU, RAM, and network per minute
Isolation & security	Firecracker microVMs provide hardware-level isolation that is stronger than container isolation	Container isolation that is sufficient for most workloads but less robust than VM-level isolation
Networking	Private networking via WireGuard mesh, anycast IP addresses, and multi-region load balancing	Internal service networks within projects, simpler networking without global distribution features

When to choose which?

Choose Fly.io when...

Choose Fly.io when your application serves users spread across multiple continents and consistently low latency is a hard requirement. Fly.io is also the right choice when you need Firecracker microVM isolation for stronger security guarantees, when you want to run SQLite with LiteFS for edge-compatible distributed databases, or when you are building real-time applications such as multiplayer games and collaborative editing tools that must deliver sub-50ms response times worldwide.

Choose Railway when...

Choose Railway when ease of use and developer experience are your top priorities, when your application performs well from a single region without global distribution, or when you have monorepo projects with multiple services that need tight integration via service linking and a visual canvas. Railway is also the better choice when you need managed databases without handling backups and maintenance yourself, and when you want to deploy without Docker knowledge or fly.toml configuration.

What is the verdict on Fly.io vs Railway?

Which option does MG Software recommend?

At MG Software, we choose Vercel for frontend deployment (which automatically distributes globally via its Edge Network) and Supabase for backend services. This combination covers most use cases we encounter without the complexity of manual multi-region configuration. For clients who need to globally distribute full-stack applications with server-side rendering or WebSockets, we recommend Fly.io for its unique multi-region capabilities and Firecracker VM isolation. For standard web applications, APIs, and microservice architectures, we recommend Railway for its superior ease of use, managed databases, and transparent pricing.

Migrating: what to consider?

Migrating from Railway to Fly.io requires Dockerizing your application and creating a fly.toml configuration file. Database migration needs careful planning since Fly Postgres is community-managed and does not provide the same managed experience as Railway. Budget for learning the Fly CLI and understanding networking concepts like anycast and WireGuard. Moving from Fly.io to Railway is simpler since Railway auto-detects most configurations via Nixpacks. In both directions, account for reconfiguring environment variables and custom domains.

Frequently asked questions

Choose Fly.io when your application needs to deliver low latency globally to users on multiple continents, for example real-time gaming backends, global APIs with sub-50ms response times, or edge databases with SQLite and LiteFS. Fly.io's Firecracker microVMs run at over 30 locations worldwide, which is fundamentally impossible with Railway that operates from limited regions. Choose Railway for standard web applications where ease of use and managed services matter more than geographic distribution.

Yes, Fly.io has a noticeably steeper learning curve than Railway. The platform is entirely CLI-driven via the flyctl tool and requires more knowledge of Docker, containers, networking concepts, and deployment configuration via fly.toml files. Railway in contrast offers an intuitive web interface where you connect a Git repository and go live within minutes without any Docker or configuration knowledge needed. For experienced DevOps engineers, however, Fly.io is very powerful and flexible.

Yes, Fly.io offers Fly Postgres (a community-managed PostgreSQL setup) and support for SQLite with LiteFS for distributed edge databases. It is important to know that Fly Postgres is not a fully managed database like Railway or Supabase provides. You are responsible for backups, upgrades, and maintenance yourself. For managed databases, we recommend Supabase or Neon as a complement to Fly.io, so you combine global compute with reliable database management.

Fly.io offers a free monthly allowance including 3 shared-cpu-1x VMs, but the cost structure is more complex with factors like VM size, number of regions, persistent volumes, and bandwidth. Railway offers a simpler model with the Hobby plan from $5/month and per-minute billing for consumed resources. For applications in a single region, Railway is typically more cost-effective. For globally distributed applications, Fly.io costs can add up but there is no alternative offering comparable distribution.

Yes, Fly.io supports WebSockets and long-lived connections excellently thanks to the Firecracker microVM model that provides full TCP/UDP control. This makes it ideal for real-time applications, gaming backends, and chat systems. Railway also supports WebSockets but from limited regions, meaning users far from the server experience higher latency. For globally distributed real-time applications, Fly.io is the better choice.

Yes, at MG Software we advise clients on the right hosting choice based on their specific latency requirements, user locations, and team capabilities. We have experience with both platforms and design architectures that best fit your situation. In most cases, we recommend Vercel + Supabase as the primary stack, supplemented with Fly.io for specific global distribution requirements. Contact us for advice.

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