Hobby server alternatives since Heroku going paid
In no particular order:
- Fly.io
- Render.com
- Hatchbox.io (I built this! 🤓)
- DigitalOcean Apps
- Railway
Hatchbox.io is a bit different because it runs on your server(s) and you only pay for servers. If you deploy 2+ apps on a single server, you save money because most hosts charge per-app fees.
Moving forward, exploring alternatives is a smart move. I've been in a similar boat, considering the shift to more cost-effective options.
I'm a very amateur Rails user and only have hobby apps with low usage. I'm willing to pay for simplicity. I was OK with Heroku and was able to move the Postgres database back and forth from my Mac to Heroku as needed and not too many problems deploying. I've had more trouble with Fly.io.
That said, any good comparison sources to recommend?
Hatchbox is the best option for hobby apps with low usage. A small Digital Ocean droplet of 2 GB (or maybe 1 GB for very low usage) is enough and Hatchbox is an additional $10/month/server (droplet). If you do use Digital Ocean, just sign up for the credentials, then sign up for Hatchbox and let Hatchbox take care of setting up your droplet. You can use this link for 2 months free at Digital Ocean.
https://www.digitalocean.com/?refcode=87fcb9dab7a3