Hosting · replacement recipe

Go from Railway to Render

The job: App hosting PaaS (Deploy from Git or Docker, Managed databases, Custom domains). Pick where you are today and where you want to land; the move below follows your pick.

From · what you pay for now
Railway
Railway Hobby · $5/mo
Year one+$10modeled
To · your pickDoesn't cover Managed databases
Render
Free plan · $0 a month
Change where you land

The money

$5/mo today $0/mo

Railway Hobby

Year one, net+$10
Pays back in10 months

Modeled from public list prices, with your time at $50 an hour. Show the math

Does it do the job? 2 of 3 covered

  • Deploy from Git or Docker
  • Managed databases
  • Custom domains

The work

Setup
About 1 h
Upkeep
None
Watch out
Doesn't cover: Managed databases

Make the move in four steps

  1. Export from Railway

    Files stored in volumes, including database files such as SQLite

    Export steps

  2. Set up Render

    Free web services (custom domains; spin down after 15 min idle) fit hobby apps. Not for a database: free Postgres expires after 30 days, is deleted 14 days later…

    Details

  3. Switch links and integrations

    Point links, embeds and integrations at Render, then send a test through every one.

  4. Cancel Railway

    Turn off renewal before your renewal date, once the new setup works. Access runs until: Cancelling stops all deployments right away, while the plan stays active until the end of….

    How to cancel Railway
Open RenderHow to cancel Railway
Modeled, not measured. Savings use public prices and planning assumptions: the bill you stop paying, minus the new tool, your upkeep time and your setup time at $50/hour, over the first 12 months. Paths marked Tested by Stackcut were run end to end by us on our own products. They're our tests, not customer results. Check the must-haves in each recipe before you switch.

The whole recipe: 1 ways out, best first

What you use

  • Deploy from Git or Docker
  • Managed databases
  • Custom domains

Not covered

  • Cron jobs
  • Private networking
  • Object storage
  • Environments and PR previews

Check before switching

  • You only rely on: Deploy from Git or Docker, Managed databases, Custom domains
  • Export your data from Railway before canceling

Agents: get_recipe("replace-railway") on the Stackcut MCP server.

1 ways out, best first

Switch vendorRender (free tier)Saves $10 in year one
$5/mo today → $0/mo · setup 1 h · then $60/yr · payback 10 mo
If your use fits the free tier (Free web services spin down after 15 min without traffic (750 free instance hours/month per workspace). Free Postgres: 1 GB, expires 30 days after creation (14-day grace to upgrade), one per workspace. Free Key Value doesn't persist data).
Covers 67% of the core features (not: Managed databases)
Free web services (custom domains; spin down after 15 min idle) fit hobby apps. Not for a database: free Postgres expires after 30 days, is deleted 14 days later, and has no backups.
How we got this
You pay now: Railway Hobbyflat price$5/mo
New cost: Render (free tier)free plan$0/mo
Difference each month$5 − $0+$5/mo
Over 12 months+$5 × 12+$60
Setup, once1 h × $50/h−$50
Year one+$60 − $50+$10
  • Not counting your time (1 h in year one): saves $60 in year one.

Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team

Sources: railway.comrender.comrender.com

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