Is Fly.io's shared-cpu-4x - 4GB the best deal?

Machines (Shared CPU) · $23.66/mo (4 GB RAM, 4 vCPU)

Better deals exist

Fly.io's $23.66/mo shared-CPU plan is significantly more expensive than comparable VPS offerings, even accounting for its per-second billing and regional flexibility. Several providers offer 4GB RAM with 2-4 vCPU for $4-6/mo, though most carry renewal-price traps and contract lock-ins that narrow the long-term gap.

Cloud VPS 4

$5.94/mosave 75%

Doubles your RAM to 8GB and matches 4 vCPU for $5.94/mo, with 100GB SSD and unlimited traffic; best raw specs-per-dollar on this list.

Caveat: Quoted price requires 24-month prepaid contract; 1-12 month terms cost significantly more per month, and fair-use policy may throttle sustained high bandwidth.

CX23

$6.49/mosave 73%

4GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40GB SSD, 20TB transfer for $6.49/mo with no long-term contract required and strong uptime track record.

Caveat: Recent price increases (June 2026) on other lines suggest future hikes possible; VAT not included in quoted price; traffic overage billed per GB beyond 20TB pool.

VPS-1

$4.54/mosave 81%

4GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40GB NVMe, daily backups, and unlimited traffic for $4.54/mo with no contract lock-in.

Caveat: Only 2 vCPU vs Fly's 4; Windows license adds $0.039/vCore/hour; APAC outbound traffic loses free-egress status after mid-2026.

NVMe 4

$4.18/mosave 82%

4GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 100GB NVMe, unmetered bandwidth for $4.18/mo with $50 Amazon gift card promo.

Caveat: Intro price requires 36-month prepay; renewal jumps to $9.99-15.99/mo (2-3x); free domain and privacy only year one; aggressive upsell prompts at checkout.

Cloud VPS S

$4.33/mosave 82%

2GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 80GB NVMe, unlimited traffic up to 1 Gbit/s for $4.33/mo; lowest headline price on comparable tier.

Caveat: Only 2GB RAM and 2 vCPU vs Fly's 4GB/4 vCPU; intro pricing is 3-month or 1-year promo on 1-year contract; renewal pricing 2-6x higher; outbound data transfer beyond 2TB pooled allowance billed at $0.036/GB.

Before you switch

Fly.io's per-second billing and no-contract model are genuinely valuable for short-term or bursty workloads; most alternatives require 12-36 month prepay to hit advertised prices.
Renewal prices on Bluehost, IONOS, Namecheap, and InMotion are 2-6x higher than intro rates; calculate true 3-year cost before committing.
Fly.io's hidden costs (extra RAM at $5/30d, stopped-machine storage, cross-region egress up to $0.12/GB, dedicated IPs at $3.60/mo) can add up quickly if you exceed base allocation.
Most VPS alternatives include fixed storage (40-100GB) vs Fly's rootfs-only model; verify whether you need persistent block storage separately on Fly.
Hetzner and OVHcloud offer month-to-month flexibility without contract lock-in, making them safer bets for testing; Contabo's 24-month requirement is the steepest commitment.

This comparison is generated from publicly listed pricing and may contain errors or omissions. It is not financial or professional advice, and CloudHosting.io is not responsible for decisions made based on it. Pricing, promotions, and specs change frequently and may not reflect current terms, regional availability, taxes, or contract length. Always verify current pricing and terms directly on the provider's site before purchasing or switching.

Comparable plans across providers

Provider	Plan	Price	Specs
Bluehost	VPS Hosting · NVMe 4 (Recommended)	$4.18/mo	4 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 100 GB NVMe SSD	Visit
IONOS	Cloud VPS (Linux) · Cloud VPS S	$4.33/mo	2 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 80 GB NVMe	Visit
OVHcloud	VPS · VPS-1	$4.54/mo	4 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40 GB NVMe	Visit
IONOS	VPS Hosting (VPS+) · VPS S+	$5/mo	2 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 90 GB NVMe	Visit
Contabo	Core VPS · Cloud VPS 4	$5.94/mo	8 GB RAM, 4 vCPU, 100 GB SSD	Visit
Hetzner	Cloud Servers · CX23	$6.49/mo	4 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40 GB SSD	Visit
Scaleway	Virtual Instances · DEV1-S	$6.55/mo	2 GB RAM, 2 vCPU	Visit
Namecheap	VPS Hosting · Pulsar	$6.88/mo	2 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40 GB SSD	Visit
Hosting.com (formerly A2 Hosting)	VPS Hosting (Self-Managed) · VPS XS	$9.99/mo	4 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 80 GB NVMe SSD	Visit
InMotion Hosting	VPS Hosting · VPS 4 vCPU	$9.99/mo	8 GB RAM, 4 vCPU, 160 GB NVMe SSD	Visit
AWS Lightsail	Virtual Servers · GP 2GB (Linux, IPv6)	$10/mo	2 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 60 GB SSD	Visit
IONOS	IONOS CLOUD Cubes (Basic) · Basic Cube S	$10.08/mo	4 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 120 GB NVMe	Visit
Alibaba Cloud	Simple Application Server · economy-e-2c-2g	$11.08/mo	2 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40 GB SSD	Visit
Kamatera	Cloud VMs · Sample: 2 vCPU / 2GB / 30GB	$12/mo	2 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 30 GB NVMe SSD	Visit
Google Cloud	Compute Engine · e2-small	$12.23/mo	2 GB RAM, 2 vCPU	Visit

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Comparing prices across every provider we track...