Top 7 Free Deployment Services for 2025 (Compared with Pricing & Features)

Teams are adopting free deployment services that automate getting code from the repository to the cloud to save time and reduce DevOps overhead.

An automated application deployment tool handles the build, test, and release process without manual intervention. These modern DevOps deployment tools let developers focus on coding instead of configuring servers, making continuous deployment accessible even on a budget.

In this post, we’ll compare the top 7 free application deployment platforms of 2025, highlighting their ease of use, lock-in risks, pricing (free tier limits and paid plans), and best use cases for solo developers, agencies, and startups.

What is automated deployment?

Automated deployment means setting up a system that moves code from a repository into production (servers or cloud) with minimal manual steps.

Instead of manually logging into servers or using FTP, these tools handle everything: they pull code from Git, build it (often into containers), deploy to test and production, and even monitor or roll back if something goes wrong.

Think of them as “autopilot” for your app delivery pipeline.

By automating every step, teams gain speed and consistency.

Deployment software eliminates manual steps and reduces errors, making releases faster. It enforces consistent, repeatable processes across environments. In 2025, a good automated deployment platform will also integrate observability, rollback, and cost controls, so developers focus on coding, not operations.

“Application deployment tools help teams move their applications from development to production without manual steps or scripting… They manage building your code, packaging it (usually in containers), deploying to environments, monitoring, rollback, scaling, and more.”

Comparison Table: 7 Free Deployment Platforms at a Glance

Tool	Free Tier (usage)	Ease of Use	Lock-in	Ideal For
Kuberns	Free platform (pay only compute)	Very high (UI, no YAML)	Low (uses your cloud)	Startups, teams wanting all-in-one DevOps and Looking for reducing AWS cost by 40%
Zeet	3 free projects on any cloud	High (web UI, CLI)	Low (multi-cloud tool)	Multi-cloud orgs, startups
Render	Free Web Services, DB (750 hrs/mo)	High (Heroku-like)	Moderate (uses Docker)	Hobby apps, static sites
Railway	$5 credit + $5/mo usage (≈500h)	High (modern UI)	Moderate (container)	Solo devs, prototypes
Fly.io	One-time $5 credit; $5/mo usage	Medium (CLI-based)	Low (Docker-friendly)	Edge apps, microservices
Qovery	3 apps + 2 envs + 1 DB (on your cloud)	High (Heroku-like)	Very low (your infra)	Developers wanting Heroku simplicity on their own AWS/GCP/Azure
Northflank	2 services + 500 build mins + 2GB storage/mo	High (UI + CLI + YAML)	Moderate (managed infra)	Teams needing GitOps + CI/CD + databases out of the box

See each section in detail.

1. Kuberns

Kuberns is an AI-driven cloud PaaS that automates deployments end-to-end. It promises zero YAML and an intuitive UI: you connect your Git repo, and Kuberns detects your stack, builds and deploys it, then auto-scales as needed.

Unlike tools that only handle CI/CD, Kuberns also includes unified logging/metrics and cost monitoring.

Notably, Kuberns charges no platform fees; the service itself is free, According to their site, “you get all the features Kuberns offers for free forever, you pay only for servers, databases, etc.”

Key points:

Free tier: Fully free platform. No usage limits on the software. You pay only your own cloud provider fees (AWS, etc.).

Ease of use: Very high. Guided workflows replace writing CI/CD configs; one-click deploy from Git.

Features: Auto-scaling, built-in monitoring/AI alerts, zero-downtime rollbacks. It claims up to 40% AWS cost savings by unique cloud offering.

Best for: Startups or agencies needing full-stack deployment + observability without DevOps overhead. The platform is enterprise-grade but with “startup-friendly pricing”. and you pay only for cloud resources used.

See the Kuberns page for details or try for free now.

2. Zeet

Zeet is a deployment-as-a-service platform focused on multi-cloud delivery. It orchestrates your builds and deployments across AWS, GCP, Azure, and other clouds with minimal setup.

• Free tier: Zeet provides a lifetime free plan covering 3 projects. Each project can be deployed on any supported cloud. The helpdesk notes that you can “deploy 3 projects for free” with full essential features and team collaboration.
• Ease of use: Zeet has a polished web UI and CLI. It’s easier than managing Terraform or vanilla Kubernetes, though some initial cloud knowledge helps.
• Lock-in: Low. Zeet simply automates the infrastructure you already have in the cloud. You remain in control of VM sizes and settings.
• Pricing: After free tier, paid plans add more projects and advanced features. (As of 2025, Zeet offers Pro plans for larger teams.)
• Notable: Zeet’s site highlights that the free plan “supports 8 clouds” on the free tier. In practice, Zeet’s orchestration works with most major cloud services.
• Best for: Startups or agencies deploying multi-cloud apps without handling CI/CD pipelines manually. Also good for teams adopting DevOps practices: Zeet includes basic RBAC and a GraphQL API.

3. Render

Render bills itself as a modern PaaS with free options. Its Hobby tier is free: $0 per user/month (plus you pay for compute). Render supports full-stack apps, web services, static sites, background workers, and managed databases.

• Free tier: Render’s free tier allows Web Services (Node, Python, etc.), Databases, and Key-Value instances at no charge, and even static sites for free. The main limitation is 750 free instance, hours per workspace per month. (After using 750 hours, free services pause until the next month.) You also get 100 GB outbound bandwidth per month on Hobby
• Ease of use: Very high. Render’s dashboard and GitHub integration mean you push code, and Render builds and deploys automatically. It requires minimal configuration.
• Lock-in: Moderate. Deployments run in Docker containers, and Render manages the infrastructure. It’s fairly portable (your code and Dockerfiles can be moved), but if you rely on Render-specific features, some migration work may be needed.
• Pricing: Paid tiers start at $19/user/month (Pro) or $29/user (Organization). Paid plans add more bandwidth, team seats, audit logs, etc. Render’s billing is mostly per-seat plus usage.
• Use-case: Hobby projects, prototypes, personal sites, or small businesses. The free tier is quite generous for testing and lightweight apps. However, free services sleep after 15 minutes of inactivity, so they’re not suitable for always-on production without upgrades.
• Free tier limits: Only one free Postgres DB is allowed per account (1GB max, expires after 30 days). Static sites have no compute limit. Web services can auto-suspend when idle.

4. Railway

Railway is a cloud platform often compared to Heroku. It emphasises simplicity: create a project, connect a repo, and Railway spins up the services.

• Free tier: Railway used to offer 500 free hours, but as of 202,4 it requires a credit card for continued use. New users get a $5 trial credit to start. The Hobby plan includes $5 of free usage per month. In practical terms, that’s roughly 500 CPU-hours per month at no charge. Once you exhaust $5 of usage, you’ll be billed at ~$0.016 per CPU-hour or equivalent (pay-as-you-go) beyond that.
• Ease of use: Very high. Railway’s interface is modern and minimal. It auto-detects languages (Node, Python, Ruby, etc.) and even hosts databases automatically. GitHub pushes trigger new deployments with little setup.
• Lock-in: Moderate. You deploy in containers or managed VMs. Data can be transferred since Railway provides integrated Postgres, Redis, etc., but you could also use external databases.
• Pricing: Besides Hobby ($0 + $5/month usage credit), a Pro plan unlocks more concurrency and teams. Railway’s main cost is usage-based (vCPU, RAM, egress).
• Best for: Rapid prototypes, solo developers, side projects. Many find Railway ideal for trying out an idea. However, the $5/month cap means you can’t run heavy workloads for free indefinitely. (Community feedback notes Railway “is unusable as a free host for anything heavy, since apps will dgo own after ~10 days if you hit the limit)

5. Fly.io

Fly.io is an edge cloud platform for running applications close to users globally. It provides Docker deployments with a focus on microservices.

• Free tier: Important: Fly.io no longer offers a free tier for new accounts. New users get a one-time $5 credit to try the platform. After that, the cheapest “Hobby” plan is $5/month which includes $5 of usage credit. (Older “legacy hobby” accounts have a truly free plan with small quotas, but new orgs have the $5 min.) In short, you must pay at least $5/month now to run apps on Fly.io.
• Ease of use: Medium. Fly uses a CLI and fly.toml configuration. It has rich features (TCP routing, Redis, certs) but requires learning some Fly concepts. Deploying is generally straightforward for Docker-based apps.
• Lock-in: Low. You provide your own Dockerfile or buildpacks. Fly spins up VMs for each service. The platform features like geo-routing are Fly-specific, but your container image is portable elsewhere if needed.
• Pricing: After credits, billing is usage-based (per vCPU, memory, etc.). Fly’s pricing page lets you calculate the cost per region. The community clarifies “Hobby” includes $5 of usage, so effectively pay-as-you-go but with a $5 minimum spend.
• Use-case: Edge and multi-region apps (e.g. real-time games, APIs) where latency matters. Not ideal if you want a fully free hobby tier, since Fly expects payment.
• Free allowances: New orgs: 3×256 MB VMs and 3 GB volumes free each month. These cover trivial workloads, but any higher usage triggers payment.

In summary, Fly.io is more of a developer-friendly cloud (like a CDN for code) than a free playground. For 2025, treat it as paid with credit rather than free.

6. Qovery

Qovery is a DevOps automation tool that helps you deploy full-stack apps on your own cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure) while abstracting away Kubernetes.

• Free tier: Qovery offers 3 applications, 2 environments, and 1 database on the free plan. You deploy on your own cloud account, so costs depend on usage, but Qovery itself doesn’t charge platform fees on the free tier.
• Ease of use: Very user-friendly UI similar to Heroku, plus a CLI. You don’t need to manage Kubernetes directly,Qovery handles provisioning, scaling, and deployment pipelines.
• Lock-in: Very low. Since apps run on your own cloud, you’re not locked into Qovery’s infra. You can move away anytime and retain full access to your cloud setup.
• Pricing: Paid tiers offer more apps, databases, and environments, and enhanced team collaboration tools.
• Notable: Qovery supports advanced features like preview environments, environment cloning, Git integration, and even custom deployment rules.
• Best for: Developers who want Heroku-like simplicity but need to deploy on their own cloud accounts for compliance, cost control, or performance reasons.

7. Northflank

Northflank is a full-featured PaaS that supports building, deploying, and scaling services with built-in CI/CD and database provisioning.

Unlike older platforms, Northflank supports microservices, monoliths, background jobs, cron tasks, and databases, all from a unified interface.

• Free tier: You get 2 services, 500 build minutes/month, 2GB persistent storage, and 1 database, enough to host and build small projects or APIs.
• Ease of use: Offers a polished dashboard, CLI support, and optional YAML config. Northflank makes it easy for developers to get started without giving up customization.
• Lock-in: Moderate. While Northflank abstracts a lot (like Render), you deploy on their infrastructure and databases, so full portability may need migration steps.
• Pricing: Paid plans offer more services, build minutes, and team collaboration options. Pricing is based on compute and build time.
• Notable: Northflank supports GitHub/GitLab integrations, automatic deployments, logs, metrics, cron jobs, and backups, like a DevOps toolchain in one.
• Best for: Small teams looking for an all-in-one CI/CD + hosting platform with strong GitOps features, ideal for early-stage SaaS.

How to choose the right platform for you?

When choosing among deployment services, consider these factors:

• Ease of use: How simple is the UI/CLI? Can a solo dev or team configure it without a lengthy setup? Platforms with Git-based workflows and minimal YAML rank high.
• Platform lock-in: Does the tool work with any cloud or stack, or is it tied to a vendor? Open containers/Docker tend to minimise lock-in, while proprietary runtimes or specialised stacks increase it.
• Pricing: What are the paid plans beyond the free tier? Is pricing per user, per app, or purely usage-based? Is billing transparent or complex?
• Free tier limits: How generous is the free offering? Look at the free project count, compute hours, database storage, and team collaboration features. Many tools offer some free usage but cap it (e.g. Render’s 750 free instance-hours per month or Railway’s $5 credit per month).
• Best for: Is it aimed at hobby projects, solo developers, startups, or enterprise teams? Ease-of-use often favours indie devs, while advanced features or compliance serve larger teams.

We compare each tool on these factors above.

Choosing the right deployment service based on your needs.

For solo developers:

Working on personal projects or side gigs, platforms like Render and Railway offer an easy starting point with generous free tiers. Render’s static hosting or free web services can support lightweight apps, while Railway’s fast setup suits rapid prototyping. If you’re deploying into your own AWS account but don’t want to manage infrastructure, Kuberns offers a seamless alternative. It automates CI/CD, deployment, and scaling without adding platform fees, ideal for developers who want more control without the overhead.

For early-stage startups:

Railway is good for quick launch cycles, but often needs a paid tier for reliability. Kuberns fits well in this phase by providing a no-friction path from code to cloud, optimising your AWS usage, and helping you stay within budget, especially useful when scaling starts. Unlike others, it lets startups skip managing cloud credentials or infrastructure while maintaining flexibility and ownership.

Agencies and freelancers juggling multiple client apps:

You need better project separation, team access, and clear billing. Zeet shines here with per-client cloud deployments and built-in collaboration, though its free plan is capped. Render supports teams, but each service incurs usage costs.

Kuberns supports multiple deployments under one dashboard and makes it easier to visualise performance, logs, and costs across projects. It’s particularly helpful when agencies want to show value to clients or simplify infrastructure handoffs.

Finally, for students or developers learning DevOps, platforms like Render and Railway offer safe playgrounds with free access. You can deploy containers, explore CI/CD flows, and test ideas without being billed.

Kuberns is also a strong learning platform; it abstracts the complex parts of deployment while still exposing logs, build pipelines, and metrics, helping learners understand how modern CI/CD works in real-world scenarios.

It’s especially useful for those interested in transitioning from beginner platforms to more production-ready pipelines.

Each platform solves different problems, but the one you choose should align with how much control you need, what your app demands, and how soon you plan to scale.

Pick what grows with you

The free deployment services available in 2025 have come a long way, each offering something unique depending on whether you’re building fast, scaling wide, or just learning the ropes.

Whether you’re launching a personal tool, managing client apps, or preparing for production-grade workloads, the platforms you choose now should make tomorrow’s transitions easier, not harder.

If you’re looking for something that lets you start fast, stay in control, and grow into more complex use cases, especially across CI/CD, cost visibility, and cloud integration, it’s worth exploring platforms that bridge simplicity with scale like Kuberns.