Railway, Render, and Fly.io have become popular with developers who want to deploy applications without managing servers. They provide simple deployment pipelines, managed databases, and auto-scaling—making them great for prototypes and production apps alike.
But they all run on US infrastructure (primarily AWS and GCP), and their pricing can surprise you at scale. If you're a European developer looking for similar simplicity with EU data residency, this guide covers your options.
Why Look for Alternatives?
Data Residency
Railway and Render run on US infrastructure by default. While some offer EU regions, your billing data, account data, and often backups still flow through US systems. For GDPR-conscious businesses, this creates compliance complexity.
Pricing at Scale
PaaS pricing that looks cheap at hobby scale can become expensive as you grow:
| Service | Free Tier | Production (2 vCPU, 4 GB) | + Database + Redis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Railway | $5 credit/mo | ~$25-40/mo | ~$50-80/mo |
| Render | Free (limited) | $25-85/mo | ~$60-130/mo |
| Fly.io | $5 credit/mo | ~$30-50/mo | ~$60-100/mo |
| DanubeData | €50 credit | €7.49-14.99/mo | €32.47-39.97/mo |
Vendor Lock-In
Each PaaS has its own deployment format, configuration system, and limitations. Moving from Railway to Render means rewriting your deployment configuration. Moving to a VPS or managed platform means you're working with standard Docker, databases, and infrastructure—tools you already know.
What Railway, Render, and Fly.io Do Well
Before comparing alternatives, it's worth noting what makes these platforms popular:
- Git-push deploys: Push to GitHub, your app updates automatically
- Zero-config for common frameworks: Next.js, Rails, Django detected automatically
- Managed databases: PostgreSQL with no setup required
- Preview environments: Every pull request gets a unique URL
- Simple scaling: Increase resources with a slider
DanubeData as an Alternative
DanubeData isn't a PaaS in the Railway/Render sense—there's no automatic git-push deployment for arbitrary code. Instead, it provides managed infrastructure building blocks that cover the same needs with more control:
For Web Applications (VPS + Managed Database)
Deploy your application on a VPS with full root access, connect it to a managed database, and add a managed Redis cache:
| Component | DanubeData | Railway Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Application hosting | VPS (DD Micro, €7.49-14.99/mo) | Web service (~$25-40/mo) |
| Database | Managed PostgreSQL (€19.99/mo) | PostgreSQL plugin (~$15-30/mo) |
| Cache | Managed Redis (€4.99/mo) | Redis plugin (~$10-20/mo) |
| Object storage | S3 Storage (€3.99/mo) | External (AWS S3) |
| Total | €36.46-44.96/mo | $50-90/mo |
For Serverless Workloads
DanubeData's serverless containers provide scale-to-zero deployments similar to Fly.io Machines or Render's auto-scaling:
- Deploy from Docker images, Git repositories, or ZIP uploads
- Scale to zero when idle—no charges for unused time
- Automatic HTTPS with custom domains
- Starting at €5/month
For WordPress, Ghost, or n8n
If you're deploying one of these common applications, DanubeData's Managed Apps provide a one-click experience that's simpler than any PaaS:
- WordPress: From €6.99/month (includes MariaDB + Redis)
- Ghost: From €7.99/month (includes MySQL)
- n8n: From €9.99/month (includes PostgreSQL + Redis)
Each managed app includes automated backups, custom domains with auto-TLS, and real-time metrics—without any deployment configuration.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Railway | Render | Fly.io | DanubeData |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Git-push deploy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Serverless only |
| Managed PostgreSQL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Managed MySQL | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Managed Redis | Yes | Yes | Via Upstash | Yes (+Valkey, Dragonfly) |
| Object storage | No | No | No | Yes (S3-compatible) |
| VPS / VM access | No | No | SSH (limited) | Full root access |
| Managed apps | No | No | No | WordPress, Ghost, n8n |
| EU data residency | No (US-based) | EU region available | EU region available | Germany only |
| Pricing | Usage-based | Instance-based | Usage-based | Flat monthly |
When to Stick with Railway/Render/Fly.io
- You need git-push deployment for custom code: These platforms excel at automatic builds and deploys from a Git repository. DanubeData's serverless containers support git deploys, but VPS instances require manual or CI/CD deployment.
- You need preview environments: Automatic per-PR deployments are a killer feature for frontend and API development.
- You're in the US: If your users are primarily in the US, US-based infrastructure makes more sense.
- You're building a prototype: The free tiers and $5 credits are useful for quick experiments.
When to Choose DanubeData
- EU data residency is required: All data stays in Germany, with a European company.
- You want more control: Full VPS access alongside managed services—no platform limitations.
- You need managed MySQL or MariaDB: Railway is the only PaaS above that offers MySQL; DanubeData supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB.
- You need S3-compatible storage: None of the three PaaS platforms above include object storage.
- Cost matters at scale: Flat pricing is more predictable than usage-based billing.
- You want managed apps: Deploy WordPress, Ghost, or n8n without any infrastructure work.
Migration Path
Moving from Railway, Render, or Fly.io to DanubeData:
- Database: Export from your PaaS database, import into a DanubeData managed database instance
- Application: Deploy on a VPS using Docker (same containers) or use serverless containers for a similar experience
- Redis: Point your app to a DanubeData managed Redis/Valkey instance
- Storage: Use DanubeData S3 instead of external cloud storage
- CI/CD: Set up GitHub Actions or your preferred CI to deploy to VPS via SSH
Your Docker containers, database schemas, and application code don't change—only the infrastructure underneath.
Try DanubeData with €50 in signup credit and see how it compares to your current platform.
