Vercel vs Railway
A detailed comparison of Vercel and Railway to help you choose the right tool for your needs.
💰 Pricing Comparison
| Plan | Vercel | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | ✓ Hobby plan (personal projects) | ✓ $5 free credit/mo |
| Lowest Paid | $20/user/mo | $5/mo + usage |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Custom pricing |
⚡ Feature Comparison
| Feature | Vercel | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Instant deployments | ✓ | ✓ |
| Preview URLs | ✓ | — |
| Serverless functions | ✓ | — |
| Edge network | ✓ | — |
| Analytics | ✓ | — |
| Next.js optimized | ✓ | — |
| GitHub integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom domains | ✓ | ✓ |
| Environment variables | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web Analytics | ✓ | — |
| Databases | — | ✓ |
| Cron jobs | — | ✓ |
| Monitoring | — | ✓ |
| CLI | — | ✓ |
| Templates | — | ✓ |
| Networking | — | ✓ |
| Open Source | ✗ | ✗ |
| Rating | ⭐ 4.6 | ⭐ 4.3 |
Pros & Cons
Vercel
Pros
- ✓ Best DX for Next.js
- ✓ Free hobby tier
- ✓ Fast deployments
- ✓ Great preview URLs
Cons
- ✗ Expensive at scale
- ✗ Vendor lock-in
- ✗ Limited serverless runtime
- ✗ Build time limits
Railway
Pros
- ✓ Beautiful UI
- ✓ Easy to use
- ✓ Good free tier
- ✓ Quick setup
Cons
- ✗ Can get expensive
- ✗ Limited regions
- ✗ Newer platform
- ✗ Limited scaling options
🏆 The Verdict
Choose Vercel if: You need frontend and full-stack web applications. Vercel excels with its best dx for next.js and free hobby tier.
Choose Railway if: You need developers wanting simple, modern hosting. Railway stands out with its beautiful ui and easy to use.
Best free option: Both Vercel and Railway offer free tiers. Vercel offers "Hobby plan (personal projects)" while Railway offers "$5 free credit/mo".
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vercel better than Railway?
It depends on your needs. Vercel is better for frontend and full-stack web applications, while Railway is better for developers wanting simple, modern hosting. Both are excellent tools rated 4.6 and 4.3 respectively.
Which is cheaper, Vercel or Railway?
Vercel starts at $20/user/mo while Railway starts at $5/mo + usage. Both offer free tiers.
Can I switch from Vercel to Railway?
Most tools offer import/export features to help you migrate. We recommend trying Railway's free tier before fully committing to a switch.
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