Quick answer
Nile - For most builders choosing a free tier, Nile wins because its free plan is truly no-card and gives a clearer path for database-first apps, while Koyeb is better only if you need a broader app hosting platform beyond Postgres.
How the free tiers compare
Koyeb and Nile solve different problems, so the free tier difference is mostly about scope. Koyeb is a general cloud platform for deploying services, containers, APIs, and even Postgres, with broad infrastructure features like custom domains, regions, logs, autoscaling, and networking baked in. Its free value is more about platform access than a single workload, but the plan is capped and tied to compute credit. Nile is narrower but more database-specific: it centers on PostgreSQL for multi-tenant apps, with unlimited tenant databases, vector support, auth features, connection pooling, and query-token-based usage. The biggest practical difference is friction and fit. Nile is easier to start with because the free tier explicitly needs no card, and it is shaped for B2B SaaS data modeling. Koyeb is better when the free tier needs to cover both app runtime and database hosting in one place.
Koyeb vs Nile free tier, side by side
| KoyebFTV 40 | NileFTV 48 | |
|---|---|---|
| No credit card requiredOnly state this because Nile explicitly includes ftv_no_cc_required: true. Koyeb has false, so a card is required. | Not stated | Yes |
| Free compute / query allowanceDifferent units, so these are not directly comparable. | $10 included compute credit | 50 million serverless query tokens |
| Storage includedKoyeb's free tier is specifically Postgres storage; Nile's is database storage. | 1 GB Postgres storage | 1 GB storage |
| ConnectionsNile includes this in the free tier; Koyeb does not list a free connection quota here. | Not stated | 500 connections |
| RegionsKoyeb offers broader free-region access; Nile's free tier is limited to one region placement. | 7 regions in the US, EU, and Asia | One region global placement |
| Custom domainsKoyeb includes this in the free tier. | 10 custom domains | Not stated |
After you outgrow the free tier
Koyeb is mostly flat-priced for the platform plans, but compute remains a separate variable cost because paid tiers are labeled with included compute credit plus extra compute usage. Nile is also flat-priced for the main plans, but the free and paid tiers are anchored around usage limits on query tokens, storage, connections, and branches. For a small team, Nile is the cheaper paid entry point at $15/month versus Koyeb Pro at $29/month, assuming the included quotas fit. Koyeb gets more expensive once you need broader hosting capacity or more services and users; Nile diverges when database usage, storage, or connections outgrow the starter database limits.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Koyeb | Nile |
|---|---|---|
| Starter production app with one database and light trafficKoyeb's compute is separate, so the real total can be higher depending on usage. | $29/mo +compute | $15/mo |
| 10 users, 100 services on the platformKoyeb's Pro tier explicitly includes 10 users and 100 services; Nile is database-centric and does not sell services/users this way. | $29/mo +compute | Not directly comparable |
| 150 million serverless query tokens/moNile Pro includes 150 million tokens. No per-token overage rate was provided for paid tiers. | Not stated | $15/mo |
| 5 GB storage, 10,000 connectionsNile Pro includes these quotas. Koyeb's provided pricing does not give comparable database connection limits. | Not stated | $15/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Koyeb when…
- You need to deploy an API, worker, or full web app, not just a database.
- You want one platform for serverless containers, builds, domains, and networking.
- You need broader cloud features like multiple regions, private networking, and load balancing.
- You expect to host a small production service and may later grow into a general app platform.
Pick Nile when…
- You are building a PostgreSQL-backed B2B SaaS and care most about tenant isolation.
- You want a free database tier with no credit card required.
- You need unlimited tenant databases, vector embeddings, and cross-tenant analytics in the starter plan.
- You are starting with database-first infrastructure and do not need app hosting in the same product.
Bottom line
If you are choosing a free tier for a builder project, Nile is the cleaner default for most database-first teams because it has no-card onboarding and a plan shaped around real SaaS tenancy needs. Koyeb makes more sense when your free-tier choice is really about app hosting plus infrastructure, not just Postgres. For the common case of a small B2B app that needs a database first, Nile is the easier and cheaper place to start.
Read the full listings: Koyeb and Nile. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.