Nodion vs Fly.io
Fly.io runs full-stack applications on Firecracker microVMs across 35+ regions worldwide. It appeals to developers who want their applications to run close to their users at the edge. Nodion is a European all-in-one PaaS that combines applications, managed databases, object storage, CDN, transactional emails and DNS on a single integrated platform.
| Feature | Nodion | Fly.io |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Stuttgart, Germany (EU) | Chicago, USA |
| Data Residency | EU, US and APAC regions | 35+ global regions |
| GDPR by Default | Yes | DPA available |
| Managed Applications | Yes | Yes |
| Managed PostgreSQL | Yes | Yes (from $38/month) |
| Managed MySQL | Yes | No |
| Managed Valkey / Redis | Yes | Via Upstash |
| Object Storage | Yes (S3-compatible) | Tigris (S3-compatible) |
| Global CDN | Yes (25 locations) | No (multi-region apps) |
| Transactional Emails | Yes (SMTP) | No |
| Managed DNS | Yes (free, GeoDNS) | Yes |
| Billing Model | Per-second | Per-second |
| Free Tier | First 5 EUR/month free | No (7-day trial only) |
| Docker + Buildpacks | Yes | Yes |
| 1-Click Deploy Marketplace | 25+ apps | No |
EU Hosting and Data Sovereignty
Fly.io is a US company headquartered in Chicago. While it offers European regions, the company itself operates under US jurisdiction. Nodion is a German company headquartered in Stuttgart, operating under EU law with data stored in EU data centers by default. For organizations that need an EU entity behind their infrastructure, and not just an EU data center location, Nodion provides that assurance natively.
All-in-One Platform vs Build-Your-Own
Fly.io focuses on running applications and managed PostgreSQL. For Redis, you use Upstash. For object storage, you use Tigris. There is no built-in CDN, transactional email or one-click marketplace. Each additional service comes from a different provider with its own billing and support. Nodion provides all of these as first-party, fully integrated services on a single platform with a single bill and unified support.
Pricing and Free Tier
Fly.io no longer offers a free tier for new users. New accounts get a 7-day free trial with just 2 hours of machine runtime, after which a payment method is required. Fly.io's managed PostgreSQL starts at $38 per month, making even a simple app-plus-database setup a significant monthly commitment. On Nodion, the same setup costs a fraction of that: approximately 1 EUR per month for the smallest instance and 1.50 EUR per month for a database. The first 5 EUR of monthly usage is free for every user with no payment method required, so you can run a small application with a managed database entirely for free.
Global Edge Deployment
Fly.io's main strength is its ability to run applications across 35+ regions worldwide using Firecracker microVMs. This is ideal for latency-sensitive applications that need to be close to users everywhere. Nodion focuses on providing reliable infrastructure in strategic EU, US and APAC regions. If your users are primarily in Europe, Nodion's approach is simpler and more cost-effective. If you need your application running in 30+ locations simultaneously, Fly.io's architecture is purpose-built for that use case.
When Fly.io Might Be the Better Choice
Fly.io is built for multi-region, edge-first deployments where latency across the globe is critical. In practice, the vast majority of web applications do not need to run in dozens of regions simultaneously. Most projects serve users in one or two geographic areas and benefit more from a simple, affordable platform with integrated services than from a complex multi-region architecture. For the rare use case that genuinely requires global edge deployment, Fly.io's Firecracker-based architecture is designed for that. For everyone else, Nodion's integrated platform with managed databases, object storage, CDN, email, DNS, EU hosting and a free tier is the more practical and cost-effective choice.
Start for free! The first 5 EUR of monthly usage is free for everyone.