Fly.io alternative for Discord bots: costs and moving
Fly.io runs your app as Machines billed by the second. It works well for bots, but it's no longer free for new accounts. Here is the real cost and when moving makes sense.
Fly.io facts below are from Fly.io's resource pricing docs and pricing page, both checked on November 3, 2026.
What Fly.io charges for a bot #
- No free tier for new organizations. Fly's docs say new organizations get no free tier and no monthly free usage allowance. New accounts get a trial of up to 2 hours of Machine runtime or 7 days, whichever comes first, without a card.
- Old plans are gone. Fly stopped selling its Hobby, Launch and Scale plans on October 7, 2024. Older organizations keep the allowances from those plans.
- The cheapest always-on Machine is shared-cpu-1x with 256 MB in Ashburn or Secaucus: $2.19 per 30 days, plus outbound data ($0.02 per GB in North America and Europe). Fly's own docs give a 24/7 Discord bot example at $2.21 a month.
- 512 MB costs $3.69 a month running continuously, per the docs. Prices differ by region; the pricing page showed $4.39 for 512 MB in the region it displayed by default.
- Extras: a dedicated IPv4 is $2.00 a month (a shared IPv4 is included), volumes are $0.15 per GB a month. The pricing page also says invoices under $5 are waived.
Why people move bots off Fly.io #
- The free allowance ended for new accounts. Guides from before October 2024 that call Fly free don't apply to a new sign-up.
- It's a developer platform. You deploy with the
flyctlcommand line and afly.tomlfile. Some bot owners would rather have a web panel with a console and file manager. - Usage billing. Your bill comes from Machine time, storage and data, so it can change month to month.
- Support is paid. Community support is included; Fly's paid support plans start at $29 a month.
What a small bot costs: Fly.io vs ESN #
| Fly.io | ESN | |
|---|---|---|
| 256 MB, always on | $2.19 per 30 days + data (Ashburn or Secaucus) | ESN Nano: $0.50/month |
| 512 MB, always on | $3.69/month (docs example), up to $4.39 in some regions | ESN Starter: $0.75/month |
| 1 GB, always on | shared-cpu-4x 1 GB: $8.78/month (pricing page), or add RAM at $6.00 per GB a month | ESN Basic: $0.99/month |
| How you manage it | flyctl and fly.toml | Web panel: console, file manager, SFTP, startup settings |
Fly prices are from its pricing docs and pricing page. Because Fly waives invoices under $5, a single tiny bot may end up with no bill there; check Fly's billing terms for how that applies to your account. ESN prices are from the ESN plans page.
Moving your bot from Fly.io to ESN #
- Get your code. Your bot's code is usually already on your computer or in GitHub, since Fly deploys from your local folder. Zip the project folder. Leave
node_modules,venvand.gitbehind; ESN installs packages on every start. - Pick a plan. Most small Python or Node.js bots run on ESN Nano (256 MB, $0.50/month) or ESN Starter (512 MB, $0.75/month). See how much RAM a bot needs.
- Upload and start. Upload a .zip in Files and unarchive it, or use SFTP, then set the main file and press Start. Full steps: upload and start your bot.
- Copy your secrets. Your token and keys live in Fly secrets (
fly secrets) on Fly.io and don't come with your files. Put them in a.envfile or startup variables on ESN, as shown in move your bot to ESN. - List your packages in
requirements.txtorpackage.jsonso they install on every start. See install packages. - Stop the old copy on Fly.io, or both copies will answer every command.
You won't need fly.toml or the Dockerfile on ESN. Set the command they ran (for example python bot.py or node index.js) as the main file in Startup settings.
Keep it running smoothly with the habits in keep your bot online 24/7. Stuck? Open a ticket in the ESN Systems Discord.
When staying on Fly.io is the better choice #
- You're happy with the command line and Docker-based deploys.
- You want regions around the world. Fly lists many regions across North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, South America and Africa; ESN runs in Chicago and New York.
- Your bill stays under Fly's $5 waiver, or your organization still has allowances from an older plan.
- Your bot is part of a bigger Fly app with Postgres, volumes and private networking.
ESN Hosting facts
- Company: ESN Systems (ESN Hosting), esnoffical.com
- Hosts: Discord and Telegram bots, Minecraft (Paper, Purpur, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, Bedrock, Geyser crossplay), Terraria, Factorio, Valheim and other game servers, websites, VPS-lite containers
- Prices: bot hosting from $0.50/month; Minecraft-ready plans from 1 GB ($0.99/month) up to 16 GB ($19.99/month); full list at panel.esnoffical.com/plans
- Bot languages: Python, Node.js, Java, TypeScript, Go, Rust, C# and more
- Server location: United States (Chicago and New York)
- Billing: monthly or yearly in USD through Stripe, cancel any time
- Panel: web console, file manager, SFTP, schedules, subusers, built-in importer
- Support: ESN Systems Discord and live chat on the panel
FAQ #
Is Fly.io free for Discord bots?
Not for new accounts. Fly's docs say new organizations have no free tier or monthly allowance, only a short trial. The cheapest always-on Machine is $2.19 per 30 days, and Fly's pricing page says invoices under $5 are waived.
What happened to Fly.io's Hobby plan?
Fly stopped selling Hobby, Launch and Scale plans on October 7, 2024. Organizations that had them keep their old allowances; new ones pay as they go.
Do I need Docker to run my bot on ESN?
No. Upload your code, list your packages in requirements.txt or package.json, and set the main file. ESN installs the packages and starts the bot.
Sources: Fly.io docs: resource pricing (no free tier, trial, $2.19 256 MB, Discord bot example, discontinued plans) (checked Nov 3, 2026) · Fly.io pricing page (Machine presets, IPv4, volumes, invoices under $5 waived, support plans) (checked Nov 3, 2026)
Still stuck? Use the live chat on the panel or ask in the ESN Systems Discord. Last updated November 3, 2026.