Fly.io vs Cloudways
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Fly.io and Cloudways.
Quick Verdict
4.2/5
Fly.io
191 reviews
4.4/5
Cloudways
513 reviews
Cloudways is rated higher (4.4 vs 4.2). Fly.io runs Docker containers on bare metal in 35+ cities globally. Machines run close to users — sub-50ms latency from most locations. Supports any language and framework. Managed hosting layer that sits on top of DigitalOcean, AWS, GCP, Vultr, or Linode. You get managed control with one-click staging, Breeze caching, and 24/7 support.
Fly.io Deploy apps globally with sub-50ms latency | Cloudways Managed cloud hosting on your choice of provider | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.2 (191 reviews) | 4.4 (513 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | freemium | paid |
| Starting price | Free tier available✓ | From €14/mo |
| Best for | Latency-sensitive applications — APIs, real-time apps, and globally distributed backends | Agency developers and freelancers who want managed hosting flexibility without paying Kinsta prices |
| Specifications (entry plan) | ||
| CPU cores | 1 vCPU | 1 vCPU |
| RAM | 0.3 GB | 1 GB✓ |
| Storage | 0 GB | 25 GB✓ |
| Bandwidth | 0 TB/mo | 1 TB/mo✓ |
| SLA uptime | 99.9% | 99.9% |
| Data-center count | 35 | 65✓ |
| €/vCPU/mo | €0.00✓ | €14.00 |
| €/GB RAM/mo | €0.00✓ | €14.00 |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ✓ | |
| DDoS protection | ✓ | |
| Automated backups | ✓ | |
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ✓ | |
| Free tier | ✓ | |
| Data-center locations | ||
| Regions | United StatesUnited KingdomGermanyFranceNetherlandsSingapore+5 | United StatesUnited KingdomGermanyNetherlandsSingaporeAustralia+1 |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tiermanaged optionipv6eu datacenterus datacenterapac datacenterapi accessprivate networking | managed optionddos protectionbackups includedeu datacenterus datacenterapac datacenter |
| Visit Fly.io → | Visit Cloudways → | |
Fly.io
Pros
- + 35+ global cities — widest edge deployment network
- + Bare metal performance in a PaaS wrapper
- + Persistent volumes and managed PostgreSQL included
Cons
- - CLI-heavy — less visual than Render
- - Learning curve for networking concepts
- - Documentation occasionally outdated
Cloudways
Pros
- + Choose your underlying cloud provider
- + Excellent price-to-managed-value ratio
- + One-click staging environments
Cons
- - Adds markup on top of underlying provider cost
- - Less control than raw VPS for advanced users
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