Comparison
Railway alternative
Unbroker is a Railway alternative PaaS: you deploy apps from a Git repository and operate them from the console, the API, or the ubctl CLI. The same account can add a provider-operated database cluster or a Linux cloud server. Railway bills CPU and memory per second for what a service uses. Unbroker bills app CPU and memory from the capacity you configure while the service is running.
For a root virtual machine, see Linux cloud server hosting.
Unbroker and Railway
Competitor cells were checked on October 26, 2026. Unbroker limits come from the current pricing catalogue. Open pricing.
| Topic | Unbroker | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Deploying an app | Connect a Git repository and use a framework preset. Pro also builds from a Dockerfile or runs a container image. GitHub-connected services can deploy on push to the configured branch. Pro can open a preview for a pull request. | Railway documents Git and Docker deployment, a CLI, and agent integrations. This page does not restate their template catalog. |
| Plans | Free is $0: 1 project, up to 2 services, and 3 deploys per UTC day. Each service is capped at 250m CPU and 256 MiB, with 10 GB of outbound transfer a month. Free does not include persistent volumes, servers, managed databases, Beacon, Dockerfiles, or container images. Pro is $25 per month and includes $25 of usage credit for that billing cycle. The credit does not roll over. Usage above the credit is added to the invoice. Pro has unlimited members and no seat fee. | Railway's pricing page lists Hobby at $5 per month with $5 of included usage, and Pro at $20 per month with $20 of included usage. Included usage resets each cycle. A free trial is a separate one-time credit. |
| App CPU and memory | Paid app CPU and memory follow the capacity you configure, for as long as the service is running. A quiet service and a busy one with the same settings accrue the same app CPU and memory charge. | Railway's pricing page says CPU, memory, and disk are billed per second for what the service uses. Stopped services do not accrue that compute charge. Egress is billed per GB. |
| Databases | You can run a database image as a private Apps service, or provision a provider-operated managed cluster. The API supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, Valkey, MongoDB, Kafka, and OpenSearch. The create flow shows which combinations the selected provider and region offer. Managed clusters require Pro, and recovery features depend on the engine and plan. | Railway runs database services on its platform. This page does not compare engine lists or backup guarantees. |
| Linux servers | Linux cloud servers are virtual machines with root access, a flat monthly price, and unlimited traffic that is not billed as a separate overage. They require Pro. Regions are the European Union, US Central, US East, and US West, at the same price in each. Deleting a server does not prorate the month already started. You operate the operating system. | Railway's public pricing describes application services, volumes, and sandboxes. It is not the same product as a Linux virtual machine you administer. |
| Members | Pro includes unlimited members with no seat fee. Free is one owner. | Railway Pro publishes unlimited workspace seats. Hobby is a single-developer workspace. |
The bills are not the same shape
Both products use a monthly fee that includes usage credit: Railway Hobby $5 with $5 of usage, Railway Pro $20 with $20 of usage, Unbroker Pro $25 with $25 of credit. Unbroker also has a $0 Free plan with the limits above. None of those fees is the whole invoice once usage passes the included amount.
Do not convert Railway's per-second rates into an Unbroker estimate. Railway meters CPU and memory that the service actually consumes. Unbroker meters the CPU and memory you configured, while the replicas are running. A service that sits idle can cost less on Railway's meter and the same as a busy service on Unbroker's. A service that bursts can cost more on Railway's meter without changing the Unbroker configuration charge. Price your own CPU, memory, hours, disk, and egress on each pricing page.
On the default Free runtime, an app pauses after 7 days without qualifying traffic. Pro apps do not pause for inactivity. The pricing page is the current description if that Free runtime changes. Dockerfile builds, workers, private repository credentials, and custom domains require Pro. For the published Railway rates and two worked examples, read [Railway pricing](/compare/railway-pricing).
Databases and servers in the same account
An Apps database node is a database image running as a private service. A managed database is a cluster the provider operates. You still own schemas, queries, credentials, and the recovery plan you test. Backup behavior is not the same on every engine.
A Linux cloud server is for software that needs the host: packages, daemons, or a layout that is not a platform service. You get root, and you apply operating-system updates. Use it when Cloud Apps is the wrong shape, not as a cheaper way to run an ordinary web process.
Beacon is managed pub/sub for live updates. It is at-most-once delivery, not a durable queue, and it requires Pro.
When to pick Railway instead
- You want CPU and memory billed from what the service uses, per second, rather than from a configuration you leave running.
- A $5 Hobby plan with $5 of included usage matches a small project better than Unbroker Free's caps or the $25 Pro commitment. Check the meters before treating either fee as the cheaper bill.
- The app already runs on Railway, and you do not need Unbroker's managed database clusters or a Linux server you administer.
When to pick Unbroker instead
- You want the app, a provider-operated database, and an optional Linux server on one account, operated from the console, the API, or ubctl.
- You want a $0 plan for a small Node.js or static site and can live inside the Free caps.
- You would rather pay for configured capacity than for moment-to-moment CPU, so a traffic spike does not change the app CPU and memory line while the settings stay the same.
Questions
Is Unbroker a Railway alternative?
Yes. Both deploy applications from Git onto a hosted PaaS. Unbroker also sells provider-operated database clusters and Linux cloud servers. The app compute meters differ, so the same workload can cost a different amount on each platform.
Is Unbroker cheaper than Railway?
Not as a blanket claim. On October 26, 2026, Railway listed Hobby at $5 per month with $5 of usage and Pro at $20 per month with $20 of usage. Unbroker Free is $0 with hard limits. Unbroker Pro is $25 per month with $25 of credit. Because the CPU and memory meters differ, compare a real workload on both pricing pages.
Can I move a Railway service to Unbroker?
Start from the same source revision and a test database. The migration tutorial covers configuration, a data rehearsal, and cutover. Validate the Unbroker workflow before you send production traffic.
Does Unbroker have a free plan?
Free is $0: 1 project, up to 2 services, and 3 deploys per UTC day. Each service is capped at 250m CPU and 256 MiB, with 10 GB of outbound transfer a month. Free does not include persistent volumes, servers, managed databases, Beacon, Dockerfiles, or container images. On the default Free runtime, an app pauses after 7 days without qualifying traffic. Pro apps do not pause for inactivity. The pricing page is the current description if that Free runtime changes.