Quick answer
Northflank - Northflank wins for most builders who want a truly usable free sandbox with predictable small-step paid upgrades, while Koyeb is better if you need broader free platform limits and a bigger set of included deployment features.
How the free tiers compare
These two free tiers are shaped differently. Koyeb gives you a broader platform envelope: more services, more users, more regions, 1 TB bandwidth, logs and metrics, custom domains, and built-in Postgres access. Its free tier is really a capped slice of a larger usage-based platform, so it suits builders who want to test a fuller hosting stack before paying for compute. Northflank is narrower but simpler: 2 services, 1 database, 2 cron jobs, and always-on compute in a sandbox. Its paid ladder starts at very small monthly increments, which makes it easier to move from free to a low-cost production setup. Koyeb’s first paid step is a flat $29/month plus compute, so the jump is steeper. Northflank is usually the cheaper on-ramp for small projects, while Koyeb gives more free surface area before you outgrow it.
Koyeb vs Northflank free tier, side by side
| KoyebFTV 40 | NorthflankFTV 36 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free servicesKoyeb’s free service cap is much larger. | Up to 100 | Up to 2 |
| Free usersNorthflank’s input does not list a free user limit. | Up to 10 | Not stated |
| Free databasesKoyeb includes Postgres on the free tier, but with capped hours and storage details. | Serverless Postgres included | Up to 1 free database |
| Free bandwidthNorthflank’s input does not list bandwidth. | 1 TB/month included | Not stated |
| Free custom domainsKoyeb explicitly includes custom domains on the free tier. | 10 included | Not stated |
| Free build concurrencyOnly Koyeb provides this quota in the input. | 5 concurrent builds | Not stated |
| Free supportKoyeb lists community support on the free tier. | Community platform access | Not stated |
| Free compute styleThe free experience is different: Koyeb is credit-based, Northflank is sandbox-based. | $10 included compute credit in Pro, plus usage-based compute | Always-on compute for sandbox testing and building |
After you outgrow the free tier
Koyeb’s pricing is usage-based for compute, with a flat Pro entry point at $29/month plus compute, then Scale at $299/month plus compute, and Enterprise by contact sales. Northflank’s paid ladder is flat and granular, starting at $2.70/month and stepping through $5.40, $12, $18, $24, and $36/month for increasingly larger compute sizes. For most small-team use, Northflank is cheaper to start and easier to forecast. Koyeb becomes more expensive faster once you move beyond the free credit, but it may make sense if you need its broader platform limits and hosted features.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Koyeb | Northflank |
|---|---|---|
| light app beyond free tierKoyeb’s Pro includes $10 compute credit; Northflank’s smallest paid compute is cheaper on its own. | $29/mo +compute | $2.70/mo |
| small dev workload needing more headroomNorthflank’s nf-compute-50 is listed as recommended for dev. | $29/mo +compute | $12/mo |
| larger small-team deploymentNorthflank’s nf-compute-100-2 is the most popular listed option. | $29/mo +compute | $24/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 more than a toy sandbox and want free access to up to 100 services and 10 users.
- You want 1 TB/month bandwidth included with the free tier.
- You need built-in free Postgres capacity, even if limited to 5 hours per month and 1 GB storage.
- You care about regions, global load balancing, custom domains, and platform features like WebSockets, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3 on day one.
Pick Northflank when…
- You want a small free environment for a couple of services, a database, and cron jobs.
- You want always-on compute for testing without first buying a larger plan.
- You expect to scale gradually and prefer low monthly steps like $2.70, $5.40, and $12.
- You are deploying containers, jobs, and preview-style workloads and want a simpler sandbox-to-paid path.
Bottom line
For the most common builder case, Northflank is the better free-tier starting point because it gives you a simple sandbox and a much cheaper paid climb once you outgrow it. Koyeb wins if your priority is free platform breadth, especially service limits, bandwidth, domains, and included Postgres access. If you want the lowest-friction path from free testing to a small paid deployment, Northflank is the safer default. If you want more infrastructure surface area before paying, Koyeb is stronger.
Read the full listings: Koyeb and Northflank. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.