Fly.io vs Paperspace Comparison
Detailed comparison of features, pricing, and capabilities
Last updated May 1, 2026
Overview
Compare key metrics and features at a glance
Fly.io
https://fly.io
Fly.io is a platform that allows developers to deploy applications closer to their users by running them in micro-VMs on a global network of servers. It transforms Docker containers into micro-VMs that can run anywhere in the world, providing better performance through edge computing and simplified deployment processes. The platform specializes in running full-stack applications globally with minimal latency.
Paperspace
https://www.paperspace.com
Paperspace is a cloud computing platform specializing in GPU-accelerated virtual machines and machine learning infrastructure, enabling developers and data scientists to build, train, and deploy AI/ML models at scale. It offers products including Gradient, a MLOps platform for running Jupyter notebooks and ML pipelines, and Core, which provides on-demand GPU cloud instances. Paperspace was acquired by DigitalOcean in 2023, integrating its GPU cloud capabilities into DigitalOcean's broader cloud services portfolio.
Quick Comparison
| Detail | Fly.io | Paperspace |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Platform as a Service (PaaS) | AI Cloud Infrastructure |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| Plans Available | 5 | 8 |
| Features Tracked | 16 | 15 |
| Founded | 2017 | 2014 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, USA | New York, USA |
Features
Detailed feature-by-feature comparison
Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| api | ||
| Fly Machines API | ||
| Full API Access | ||
| core | ||
| Auto-Scaling | ||
| Collaboration Tools | ||
| Docker Container Deployment | ||
| Firecracker MicroVMs | ||
| Fly Launch | ||
| GPU Instances | ||
| Global Anycast Networking | ||
| High-Speed Networking | ||
| Instant Provisioning | ||
| Jupyter Notebooks | ||
| ML Monitoring | ||
| Managed Postgres | ||
| Managed Redis | ||
| Model Deployments | ||
| Multi-Region Deployment | ||
| Multiple Language Support | ||
| Per-Second Billing | ||
| Persistent Storage | ||
| Persistent Volumes | ||
| Pre-configured Frameworks | ||
| Private Network | ||
| Windows Machines | ||
| Workflows | ||
| integration | ||
| CI/CD Integration | ||
| Kubernetes Support | ||
| security | ||
| Secrets Management | ||
| support | ||
| Hands-on Support | ||
| Prometheus Metrics | ||
| flyctl CLI | ||
Pricing
Compare pricing plans and value for money
Fly.io
From $0/mo
Price Components
- Compute (shared-cpu-1x 256MB): $0.0028/hour
- Persistent Volumes: $0.15/GB
- Volume Snapshots: $0.08/GB (10 included)
- Data Egress (NA/Europe): $0.02/GB
- Dedicated IPv4: $2/address
Best For
Developers and startups building latency-sensitive, full-stack or stateful apps like global APIs and databases that need edge deployment without vendor lock-in.
Paperspace
From $0/mo
Price Components
- base_fee: $0/month
- storage: $0/GB (5 included)
- base_fee: $8/month
- storage: $0/GB (15 included)
- base_fee: $39/month
Best For
ML engineers and data scientists needing cost-efficient, GPU-accelerated development environments with integrated MLOps tools and flexible per-second billing.
Integrations
See which third-party services are supported
Supported Integrations
Coming Soon
Integration comparison data for Fly.io, Paperspace is being collected and will be available soon.
Strengths & Limitations
Key strengths and limitations of each service
Fly.io
Developers and startups building latency-sensitive, full-stack or stateful apps like global APIs and databases that need edge deployment without vendor lock-in.
- Deploys Docker containers as micro-VMs across global edge locations with Anycast networking for sub-100ms latency, outperforming centralized PaaS like Heroku.
- Supports stateful apps via Fly Volumes for persistent NVMe storage and managed Postgres with automated scaling, unlike ephemeral serverless competitors.
- Generous free Hobby tier covers compute, storage, and Anycast IPs with pure pay-as-you-go pricing, avoiding minimum fees of Render or DigitalOcean.
- 7th most popular deployment platform with 2.5% market share and 3M+ apps launched, backed by Series C funding and $11.2M 2024 revenue.
- Managed Postgres requires more hands-on management than fully managed DBaaS from AWS or DigitalOcean, lacking complete 'hands-off' automation.
- Enterprise support starts at $2500/month, pricier than Render's $29/user organization plans for similar scale.
- Smaller team of 51-200 employees may limit rapid feature development versus hyperscalers like AWS.
Paperspace
ML engineers and data scientists needing cost-efficient, GPU-accelerated development environments with integrated MLOps tools and flexible per-second billing.
- Per-second billing with no hourly minimums enables precise cost control for variable GPU workloads compared to competitors' hourly models
- Integrated MLOps platform (Gradient) combines managed Jupyter notebooks, automated pipelines, and model deployment in one interface without switching tools
- Access to enterprise-grade GPUs (H100, A100) with 10 Gbps backend networking optimized specifically for AI/ML training at scale
- Limited market presence and brand recognition post-DigitalOcean acquisition compared to established competitors like AWS SageMaker or Google Colab
- Smaller global data center footprint than hyperscalers, potentially limiting geographic redundancy and latency optimization for distributed teams
Company Info
Company details and background
Fly.io
Paperspace
Comparison FAQ
Common questions about comparing Fly.io and Paperspace
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