One always-on Flex 1GB app instance reaches a $12 monthly compute cap; the $5 usage credit offsets the $5 Starter fee.
- Free option
- New Starter subscriptions get their first month free; after that, Starter costs $5/month and includes $5 in monthly usage credit.
- Why it fits
- Laravel teams that want the framework, database, queues, scheduler, cache, and deploy workflow managed as one platform.
- How deploys work
- Connect a Git repository or run cloud ship; Laravel Cloud builds the supported runtime and deploys every push with zero downtime.
- The tradeoff
- The excellent Laravel experience comes from an opinionated runtime, so arbitrary containers and server-level access are out.
Option 2 App platform
Render
≈$7/mo Starter
Move to Standard ($25, 1 CPU / 2 GB) if 512 MB gets tight; a managed database adds more.
- Free option
- Hobby workspace: $0 — static sites, free web services (0.1 CPU, 512 MB), a 30-day free Postgres, a 25 MB free key-value store, 5 GB bandwidth, 500 build minutes, 1 seat.
- Why it fits
- Apps and APIs that want git-push deploys with a fixed, understandable instance price.
- How deploys work
- Connect the Git repo; Render builds and deploys on push, with Docker support and instant rollbacks.
- The tradeoff
- The workspace-plus-services model means several line items, and bandwidth overage is pricey.
Option 3 App platform
Railway
≈$10/mo Hobby + usage
Roughly a quarter vCPU and 512 MB always on; a small database adds a few dollars.
- Free option
- Free: $1 of monthly usage credits, capped at 1 vCPU / 0.5 GB per service, one replica, and 3-day log history.
- Why it fits
- Full-stack apps and APIs where you want the app and its database running in minutes.
- How deploys work
- Connect a repo or image; Railway detects the build, deploys it, and adds databases with one click.
- The tradeoff
- Pure usage billing means the bill moves with your traffic — predictable only while the app is small.
