EthioDeploy's Free plan runs one backend with a Postgres, MySQL or Redis database at no cost, and never asks for a credit card. Push to GitHub and it builds and deploys your API. Below is exactly what you get, where it runs out, and how it compares with other free tiers.
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<project>.ethiodeploy.app.The stack is detected from your repo. Each guide has a section on running that framework on the Free plan.
One Node process fits a small API in 256 MB. Keep sessions in the database, not in memory, because sleeping restarts the process.
Run one or two gunicorn or Uvicorn workers. Each extra worker is another copy of your app in memory.
A compiled Go binary is the lightest fit for 256 MB and starts fastest after sleep.
Use a MySQL or Postgres addon, not SQLite: files on disk are wiped on every deploy.
Add a Postgres, MySQL or Redis addon from the project's dashboard and its connection string is injected as DATABASE_URL (or REDIS_URL). The free database doesn't expire, and Postgres is snapshotted daily. It sits on a private network with your app, so nothing else on the internet can reach it. Browse tables and run SQL from the built-in tools. See Addons.
A web service stops after 30 minutes without traffic. The next request starts it again and waits up to 30 seconds for it to boot, so the first visitor after a quiet spell waits a little.
A bot or queue consumer set up as a Background Worker never sleeps, but it counts against the plan's monthly usage quota.
No custom domain and no branch previews on the Free plan.
Wiped on every deploy. Keep data in the database and uploads in object storage.
When an app has to stay awake or needs your own domain, Pro is $10 or 1,399 ETB a month, with 1 GB of memory and a 5 GB database.
See ProFree backend hosting has shrunk: Heroku ended its free plans in 2022, and most platforms now offer a trial or a small credit instead.
| Platform | Free web service | Free database |
|---|---|---|
| EthioDeploy | 1 project; sleeps after 30 minutes idle | 512 MB Postgres, MySQL or Redis, no expiry |
| Render | Web services sleep after 15 minutes idle | Free Postgres expires after 30 days |
| Railway | $1 of usage credit a month, up to 0.5 GB per service | Databases run as services from that credit |
| Fly.io | No free tier for new accounts, only a short trial | Managed Postgres from $38 a month |
| DigitalOcean App Platform | Free tier covers up to 3 static sites only | Dev Postgres from $7 a month |
Other platforms' terms checked on October 23, 2026: Render free tier, Railway pricing plans, Fly.io pricing, Fly.io Managed Postgres, DigitalOcean App Platform pricing. More detail in Heroku alternatives and Render free tier cold starts.
Yes. EthioDeploy's Free plan runs one project with a 512 MB Postgres, MySQL or Redis database and asks for no card. Sign in with GitHub, pick the repo, and it deploys on every push.
Yes. A free web service stops after 30 minutes without traffic and starts again on the next request, which waits while the app boots. A Background Worker never sleeps, but it counts against the plan's monthly usage quota.
No. The free Postgres, MySQL or Redis addon keeps its data for as long as the project exists. It has 512 MB of storage and is reachable only from your app.
Node.js, Python, Go, PHP and Ruby backends, plus static sites. Frameworks such as Express, NestJS, Django, FastAPI, Flask, Laravel and Rails are detected from the repo, with no Dockerfile needed.
There's no separate student plan. The Free plan needs no card, which is usually what stops students, and paid plans can be paid in Ethiopian Birr by bank transfer as well as by card.
Pro is $10 or 1,399 ETB a month: apps that never sleep, 1 GB of memory per container, a 5 GB database, custom domains and no fixed project cap.