AWS vs Fly.io
AWS vs Fly.io compared for European indie developers and small startups. Pricing, EU jurisdiction, GDPR posture, and why Runsite (an EU-registered PaaS in Frankfurt) is worth a look.
AWS vs Fly.io: quick answer
AWS and Fly.io both offer Git-push deploy workflows, but they differ where it counts. AWS and Fly.io are both US-headquartered, so neither escapes US jurisdiction or the CLOUD Act, and neither runs EU-native infrastructure or offers hard spending caps. For European teams that need GDPR-compliant hosting in Frankfurt with predictable EUR billing and a permanent free tier, Runsite is the EU-native alternative to both.
// aws problems → runsite solutions
Common AWS frustrations. Sound familiar?
Every AWS frustration, solved.
AWS problem
"I need DevOps just to deploy a simple app"
EC2 requires VPC config, security groups, IAM roles, and manual deployment pipelines. Even ECS/Fargate has a steep learning curve.
Runsite solution
Git push and done
Connect your GitHub repo, choose a region, deploy. No cloud certifications required.
AWS problem
"My AWS bill had 47 line items"
EC2, EBS, data transfer, NAT gateway, CloudWatch, Route53, ACM, every service adds charges.
Runsite solution
One line on your invoice
Web service: €5/mo. PostgreSQL: €5/mo. That's it. No data transfer fees, no hidden charges.
AWS problem
"Budget alerts don't actually stop spending"
AWS sends you an email when you hit 80% budget. But charges keep accruing. There's no hard cap.
Runsite solution
Hard spending cap + Telegram alerts
Set a monthly limit. Get Telegram notifications at 80%. We physically stop charges at your cap.
// comparison
Runsite vs AWS
Side-by-side. No marketing fluff, just facts.
| Feature | Runsite | AWS |
|---|---|---|
| Setup Complexity | ✓ Git push deploy | EC2 + VPC + IAM + Security Groups |
| Billing Clarity | ✓ One plan, one price | ✗ 20+ line items per invoice |
| Spending Limits | ✓ Hard cap: cannot overspend | ✗ Budget alerts only, charges continue |
| GDPR Compliance | ✓ EU entity, not subject to CLOUD Act | ✗ US company, CLOUD Act applies |
| Free Tier | ✓ Permanent | 12-month trial only |
| Data Egress | ✓ Included in plan | $0.09/GB after 100GB |
| Service Catalog | Focused PaaS | ✓ 200+ services |
| Global Regions | Frankfurt (eu-central) only | ✓ 30+ regions worldwide |
// the other side
What about Fly.io?
Fly.io is powerful but complex. Runsite gives you the same edge: EU data centers, Docker support, with zero DevOps.
// fly.io problems → runsite solutions
Common Fly.io frustrations. Sound familiar?
Every Fly.io frustration, solved.
Fly.io problem
"Fly.io has a steep learning curve"
Machines API, fly.toml, volumes, regions. Fly.io is powerful but requires significant DevOps knowledge.
Runsite solution
Git push and done
Connect your GitHub repo, pick a region, deploy. No config files, no CLI learning curve.
Fly.io problem
"Fly.io is a US company"
Even with EU regions, Fly.io is subject to US jurisdiction and the CLOUD Act.
Runsite solution
EU-registered entity
Runsite is an EU company. Your data is governed by European law, period.
Fly.io problem
"Usage-based billing is unpredictable"
Per-second VM billing and bandwidth charges make it hard to predict monthly costs.
Runsite solution
Fixed plans + hard caps
Know exactly what you'll pay. Set a spending limit that can't be exceeded.
// comparison
Runsite vs Fly.io
Side-by-side. No marketing fluff, just facts.
| Feature | Runsite | Fly.io |
|---|---|---|
| Setup Complexity | ✓ Git push deploy | flyctl CLI + TOML config |
| EU Data Centers | ✓ Frankfurt (eu-central) | ✓ Multiple EU regions |
| GDPR Compliance | ✓ EU entity, full compliance | ✗ US company |
| Free Tier | ✓ Permanent | ✓ $5/mo free allowance |
| Managed PostgreSQL | ✓ From €5/mo | ✓ Fly Postgres |
| Docker Support | ✓ Any Dockerfile | ✓ Firecracker VMs |
| Spending Limits | ✓ Hard cap + alerts | ✗ Usage-based only |
| Learning Curve | ✓ Minimal: connect GitHub, deploy | Steep: Machines API, volumes, TOML |
// in-depth comparison
How AWS and Fly.io each compare to Runsite
AWS vs Runsite
Two hundred-plus services. Thirty-plus regions. Deep integrations across every technology stack you can name. AWS is the most comprehensive cloud platform on the planet, and for enterprises with dedicated DevOps teams and complex multi-service architectures, that flexibility is unmatched.
Now try to deploy one small web application. Suddenly you are navigating EC2, VPC, IAM, security groups, and load balancers, or learning the abstractions of ECS, Fargate, or App Runner. The invoice lands with dozens of line items. Worse, the budget alerts you set up do not actually stop spending. And AWS is a US company subject to the CLOUD Act.
Runsite runs the other way: a focused PaaS with git-push deploys, hard spending limits, one-line invoices, and EU-only infrastructure under EU jurisdiction. If your project does not need 200 AWS services and you just want to ship an application to EU users without hiring a cloud engineer, Runsite gets you deployed in minutes with transparent, predictable costs.
Fly.io vs Runsite
The thing that trips people up on Fly.io is the complexity, not the capability. The fly.toml configuration, Machines API, volume management, and region-aware routing all require significant learning before you ship. Per-second billing across multiple dimensions (CPU, RAM, bandwidth, IPs) makes cost prediction difficult, and because Fly.io is a US company, even its EU regions leave your account and metadata under US jurisdiction.
None of that is a knock on the engineering. Firecracker microVMs, global edge deployment, WireGuard-based private networking, and a powerful Machines API give you fine-grained control over where and how your containers run. For developers who want infrastructure-level flexibility with some PaaS convenience, Fly.io delivers.
Runsite makes the opposite trade, swapping low-level control for simplicity: connect GitHub, pick a region, deploy. Fixed monthly pricing with hard spending caps and full EU legal compliance. If you want Docker hosting in Europe without learning a new infrastructure API, and you value predictable costs over edge computing flexibility, Runsite removes the operational overhead that Fly.io requires.
// why consider runsite
Beyond AWS and Fly.io
EU PaaS for indie developers and small European startups. One region: Frankfurt.
EU-First Infrastructure
While AWS and Fly.io default to US markets, Runsite is built exclusively for European developers. Frankfurt (eu-central) region, EU entity, EU jurisdiction, with no transatlantic transfers.
Real GDPR Compliance
EU-registered entity. Your data is governed by European law. No US jurisdiction, no CLOUD Act.
Predictable Pricing
No per-invocation charges, no surprise bills. Fixed plans with hard spending caps and Telegram alerts.
Common Questions
FAQ
Which is better for EU hosting, AWS or Fly.io?
Neither AWS nor Fly.io is EU-native. Both are US-based (AWS: US-headquartered (Amazon); Fly.io: US-headquartered) and route most traffic through US regions, with EU availability that is usually limited or gated behind higher tiers. Even when you can select a European region, the parent company stays subject to the US CLOUD Act, which can compel disclosure of EU customer data. For genuine EU data residency, an EU-registered platform is the safer choice: Runsite runs exclusively in Frankfurt (eu-central) under EU jurisdiction, with no transatlantic transfers and no CLOUD Act exposure — the kind of guarantee neither US provider can make.
Which has the better free tier, AWS or Fly.io?
Free tiers on both AWS and Fly.io change frequently and tend to share the same catch: compute that sleeps after inactivity, bandwidth or build-minute caps, or trial credits that expire after a fixed window. They are fine for quick experiments but rarely sustainable for an always-on hobby project. If a permanent free tier matters, read the current terms carefully. Limits are often buried in the pricing footnotes. Runsite takes the opposite approach: a free tier with no credit card and no expiry, designed to keep small projects online indefinitely rather than nudging you onto a paid plan.
Is AWS or Fly.io GDPR-compliant?
Both AWS and Fly.io can be configured to support GDPR-compliant workloads through a signed Data Processing Agreement (DPA) and EU region selection where available. However, as US-incorporated entities they remain subject to the US CLOUD Act regardless of where the data physically sits, which is a documented sticking point for European compliance and DPO review. For workloads where US jurisdiction is a hard blocker (public-sector, healthcare, or privacy-sensitive consumer apps), an EU-headquartered provider removes the ambiguity entirely. Runsite is EU-registered with data kept inside the EU, so GDPR posture is the default rather than a configuration exercise.
What is the cheapest way to deploy a side project, AWS or Fly.io?
For a single small service, both AWS and Fly.io can look inexpensive on paper. The headline price rarely matches the real bill. Per-service billing, metered bandwidth, build minutes, and add-ons for databases or key-value stores stack up quickly, and neither platform offers a hard spending cap to stop a surprise invoice. The cheapest predictable option is one with fixed monthly pricing and an enforced ceiling. Runsite bills in EUR from €5/month with hard spending caps and Telegram alerts, plus a permanent free tier, so a side project stays cheap by design, not by careful monitoring.
// explore alternatives
Try the European Alternative
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