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Railway vs Render
Railway and Render both host applications from Git. Railway's pricing page meters CPU and memory per second for what a service uses. Render's pricing page bills provisioned compute and prorates it to the second. Those meters are not the same, so a headline monthly fee is not the whole comparison. Unbroker is a third option: app CPU and memory follow the capacity you configure while the service is running.
Compare a real workload
- Write down one service: CPU, memory, hours it stays running, disk, and outbound transfer.
- Price that shape on Railway's usage page and on a Render compute plan. On October 26, 2026, Railway listed Hobby at $5 per month with $5 of included usage, and Pro at $20 per month with $20 of included usage. Render listed a $0 web service with 512 MB RAM and a paid instance at $7 per month for less than 1 CPU and 512 MB RAM.
- Add the database as its own line. Render documents a free Postgres that expires 30 days after creation, with 1 GB of storage and no backups. Paid Render Postgres is a separate compute plan plus storage.
- Price the same app on Unbroker from the capacity you would configure, plus the database you would actually provision. Unbroker Free is $0 inside published caps. Pro is $25.00 per month with $25.00 of usage credit for the cycle. Do not treat any of the three monthly fees as the full invoice.
What each platform is for
Railway is a hosted PaaS. Its public pricing describes application services, volumes, and per-second CPU, memory, and disk for what the service uses. Stopped services do not accrue that compute charge.
Render documents web services, static sites, private services, background workers, and managed Postgres. Its pricing page says you pay for provisioned resources. A Render blog post from April 2026, which says the workspace changes were rolled out by August 1, 2026, lists a Pro workspace at $25 per month with no seat fee. Compute prices on the pricing page are separate from that workspace fee.
Neither description is a recommendation. Read the current pricing page before you decide. Figures above were checked on October 26, 2026 and can change.
Where Unbroker fits
Unbroker is a hosted PaaS for Git-backed apps, with provider-operated database clusters and Linux cloud servers in the same account. App CPU and memory are billed from the configured capacity while replicas are running, not from second-by-second utilization. Pro is $25.00 per month and includes $25.00 of usage credit. The credit does not roll over.
Workers, image services, and volume-backed services run one replica. A managed Postgres cluster is not included on Free. The Railway and Render alternative pages go further on each product, including when to stay there.
Railway and Render, checked on October 26, 2026
| Topic | Railway | Render |
|---|---|---|
| App compute | CPU and memory billed per second for what the service uses. Stopped services do not accrue that charge. | Provisioned compute, prorated to the second. Instance sizes are listed on the pricing page. |
| Published starting plans | Hobby $5 per month with $5 of included usage. Pro $20 per month with $20 of included usage. | A $0 web service is listed with 512 MB RAM. A paid web instance is listed at $7 per month for less than 1 CPU and 512 MB RAM. Workspace plans are separate. |
| Postgres | Database services run on Railway. This page does not restate their backup policy. | Render Postgres is managed. Free Postgres expires after 30 days, is capped at 1 GB, and has no backups. |
Questions
Is Railway or Render cheaper?
There is no single answer. Railway meters usage per second. Render bills a provisioned instance. Compare one workload, including disk, egress, and the database, on both pricing pages.
Where does Unbroker fit between Railway and Render?
Unbroker hosts the app and can add a provider-operated database or a Linux cloud server. Its app CPU and memory charge follows configured capacity while the service runs. Pro is $25.00 per month with $25.00 of usage credit. That is a different meter from both Railway and Render.
Does Render have a free Postgres?
Render's free-plan documentation describes a free Postgres with 256 MB RAM, 1 GB of storage, no backups, and a 30-day lifetime. After it expires there is a grace period, then deletion if you do not upgrade.