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# HostDC vs Railway

Railway is a general app platform billed by usage, with a $5 Hobby plan that includes $5 of usage, while HostDC has a free plan and flat prices from $1.69 a month for Discord bots only.

Facts about Railway were checked on 2026-09-24 on railway.com and can change without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy. HostDC figures on this page come from our live settings, so they are always current.

## Side by side

| | HostDC | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes: 256 MB RAM pool, 0.5 CPU, 512 MB storage | One-time $5 trial credit |
| Keeping a free bot online | Reactivate once a week from the dashboard or the reminder email | Runs until the trial credit is used up |
| Cheapest paid plan | Lite, $1.69 a month: 1 GB RAM, 1 CPU, 5 GB storage | Hobby, $5 a month including $5 of usage |
| Next plan up | Pro, $2.49 a month: 2 GB RAM, 2 CPU, 10 GB storage, a public web address | Usage above the credit: $10 per GB of RAM and $20 per vCPU a month |
| Languages | Node.js, Bun, Deno, Python, Go, Java, Rust, .NET and PHP | Any language that builds into a container |
| Panel | Our own dashboard: live console, file editor, health card that shows the gateway connection | Project canvas with deploys from Git, logs and metrics |
| Backups | Free: weekly, kept 1 day; Mini, Lite, Pro and Max: daily snapshots | Not stated on the pricing pages |
| Databases | Hosted (Postgres, Redis or FerretDB) from Mini up | Managed databases you add to a project |
| Music and voice bots | Hosted on Pro and Max, a paid add-on on Lite; external on Free and Mini | Possible with enough resources |
| Locations | Our servers in Europe | Not stated on the pricing pages |
| Ads | Google ads on Free; sponsored ads on every plan | No |
| Refunds | Consumers can withdraw within 14 days of a subscription's first payment and get the unused days back | Not stated on the pricing pages |

## Where HostDC is the better fit

- There is a free plan with no end date, not a one-time credit.
- Prices are flat, so a busy month never costs more than $2.49.
- The console, health card and templates are built for Discord bots.

## Where Railway is the better fit

- It runs any language or Docker image and adds managed databases next to your bot.
- Hobby resource limits go far beyond HostDC's plans.
- A small bot often fits inside the $5 of included usage.

## Next steps

Compare every host on one page in the [overview](/compare), see HostDC's plans on the [pricing page](/pricing), or pick your runtime: [Node.js](/host/node), [Python](/host/python) or [Go](/host/go).

Sources, checked 2026-09-24:

- [Railway pricing plans](https://docs.railway.com/pricing/plans)
- [Railway pricing](https://railway.com/pricing)

## FAQ

### Does Railway have a free tier?
Railway's docs list a trial with a one-time $5 credit, then the Hobby plan at $5 a month. HostDC's free plan has no end date.

### Is Railway cheaper than HostDC?
For a tiny bot that fits in the included usage, Railway Hobby costs $5 a month. HostDC Lite is $1.69 and Pro is $2.49, with nothing billed by usage.