# I don't understand free-tier!?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Questions / Help\ **Tags:** postgres\ **Created:** [May 13, 2022, 12:35pm UTC](https://community.fly.io/t/i-dont-understand-free-tier/5145 "2022-05-13T12:35:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![codecapsules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@codecapsules](https://community.fly.io/u/codecapsules)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 12:35pm UTC](https://community.fly.io/t/i-dont-understand-free-tier/5145/1 "2022-05-13T12:35:26Z")
Hello i’m new in [fly.io](http://fly.io), i deploy rails app for my personal project here but i don’t understand what’s is free-tier and the difference with heroku. The documentation is not very clear … - When i create my postgresql database, what is free ? the 256mb ? ![Capture d’écran 2022-05-13 à 13.55.44](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/fly1/original/3X/0/9/09124a21401454472b0623e10ef8b4b0765a645c.png) - How many ram i can select in free-tier ? ![Capture d’écran 2022-05-13 à 14.32.30](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/fly1/original/3X/7/b/7b350e8aa8e33372a17ee71cb4af59d39ccc8f68.png) - Can we limit ressources for free-tier ? i dont see this option like in heroku … I think i will take premium in [fly.io](http://fly.io) because its a really amazing plateform but for moment i’m just in my development of my futur rails apps without user 🙂 Thanks you. ---
**Author:** ![greg](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/fly1/user_avatar/community.fly.io/greg/32/2119_2.png) [@greg](https://community.fly.io/u/greg)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 12:59pm UTC](https://community.fly.io/t/i-dont-understand-free-tier/5145/2 "2022-05-13T12:59:36Z")
The free tier lets you make up to 3 vms of the smallest type. So yes, the shared-cpu-256mb ones. And it includes up to 3GB of storage. So if you make a development database using 256mb, that would use 1/3 of your 256mb vm allowance. And when it asks how big to make the volume, choose either 1/2/3 GB. As you have a limit of 3GB of storage for free. You then have _two_ out of your three vm allowance remaining. And so you _could_ deploy an app using _one_ shared-cpu-256mb vm. I think that is the default. And you would not want to enable any scaling/auto-scaling (well beyond a max of two vms) for that app. Else it could exceed the total free allowance (of three vms). So resources (apart from bandwidth) are _automatically_ limited (by the fact you have not assigned them to be used). ---
**Author:** ![abeeshake](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/fly1/user_avatar/community.fly.io/abeeshake/32/11492_2.png) [@abeeshake](https://community.fly.io/u/abeeshake)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2022, 9:49am UTC](https://community.fly.io/t/i-dont-understand-free-tier/5145/3 "2022-06-26T09:49:41Z")
Is `2,340 hours per month` of shared cpu 1x time same in following cases? 1. Run 3 [shared-cpu-1x](https://fly.io/docs/about/pricing/#compute) VMs with 256MB RAM full time. 2. one 512MB RAM and one 256MB RAM full time? if yes, does it mean that I can run one instance of 512MB RAM and one instance of 256MB ram under free tier? ---
**Author:** ![greg](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/fly1/user_avatar/community.fly.io/greg/32/2119_2.png) [@greg](https://community.fly.io/u/greg)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://community.fly.io/t/i-dont-understand-free-tier/5145/4 "2022-06-26T15:07:18Z")
Good question! _This_ answer makes me think yes (and logically 512mb+256mb === 256mb+256mb+256mb) _but_ you may want to wait for confirmation: > [@Account Eligible for the new free-tier](https://community.fly.io/t/account-eligible-for-the-new-free-tier/5027/4): > > Yes, you can create 3 VMs of shared-cpu-1x with 256MB per month or you could create one VM with additional memory. We bill ~5$ per additional GB but since you’re using 512MB (256MB additional memory) it should be even lower than that. ---
**Author:** ![lubien](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/fly1/user_avatar/community.fly.io/lubien/32/41919_2.png) [@lubien](https://community.fly.io/u/lubien)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 11:47am UTC](https://community.fly.io/t/i-dont-understand-free-tier/5145/5 "2022-06-27T11:47:12Z")
> [@abeeshake](#): > > Run 3 [shared-cpu-1x](https://fly.io/docs/about/pricing/#compute) VMs with 256MB RAM full time. This is true > [@abeeshake](#): > > 1. one 512MB RAM and one 256MB RAM full time? This is not quite right. The 512MB RAM VM would create costs as you’d have an extra 256MB (256MB base + 256MB extra) and we’d bill for the extra. We bill memory per VM. Also thanks @greg for helping out 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![fgallaire](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/fly1/user_avatar/community.fly.io/fgallaire/32/8083_2.png) [@fgallaire](https://community.fly.io/u/fgallaire)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2022, 4:16am UTC](https://community.fly.io/t/i-dont-understand-free-tier/5145/6 "2022-12-24T04:16:42Z")
Hello, Migrating an app from a free Heroku dyno, I’m very happy with the fly services and dashboard but quite disappointed by the free tier offer: it’s so obvious that most people need one 512mb VM more than three 256mb VMs… Could we expect a change in policy ? ---
**Author:** ![ignoramous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a9adbd/32.png) [@ignoramous](https://community.fly.io/u/ignoramous)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2022, 9:18am UTC](https://community.fly.io/t/i-dont-understand-free-tier/5145/7 "2022-12-24T09:18:25Z")
> [@fgallaire](#): > > It’s so obvious that most people need one 512mb VM more than three 256mb VMs… That’s the reason it isn’t in the free tier. 😉 Make a 256mb swap space, if you’re okay with it: [Swap memory - #2 by OldhamMade](https://community.fly.io/t/swap-memory/2749/2)