Runtime

Fly Machines vs Freestyle: VM pricing for agents

A Fly Machine is billed by size while started; Freestyle bills each vCPU, GiB and disk allocated. The 2 vCPU, 4 GB benchmark: $1.44 against $2.25.

Runtime is cheaper than both, by 55% against Fly Machines and 72% against Freestyle. One thousand one-minute runs of a 2 vCPU, 4 GiB sandbox using 20 CPU-seconds each cost $1.44 on a performance-2x Fly Machine, $2.25 on Freestyle and $0.64 on Runtime.

Estimated compute cost

55% less than Fly Machines72% less than Freestyle

2 vCPUs · 4 GiB · 60 s a run · 20 CPU-seconds busy

1,000

Compute only, at list rates checked 23 September 2026 and 25 September 2026 (Fly.io pricing, Freestyle pricing). Plan fees, network, taxes and free credits are left out. The worked example below shows the arithmetic.

At a glance

Fly Machines Freestyle Runtime
Isolation Firecracker microVM Full Linux virtual machines Firecracker microVM, own kernel
Price performance-2x with 4 GB, $0.0861 an hour, iad $0.1322 an hour for 2 vCPUs and 4 GiB $0.03125 an hour waiting, $0.08 busy
Disk Temporary root disk; volumes keep files 32 GiB by default, billed Included while it runs
Idle Suspend at 2 GB of memory or less Hibernates with memory Pause keeps memory, 1 to 365 days
Regions 18 Not stated One US region

Whole cores or hibernation

Fly's performance vCPUs are whole cores, and the Machine is still the cheaper of the two rivals. What Freestyle offers in return is state: VMs that hibernate with memory at any size and fork while running. A Fly Machine suspends with memory only at 2 GB or less, and its root disk does not outlive it.

Cost for the same job

2 vCPU and 4 GB, 60 seconds, 20 CPU-seconds, 1,000 runs; Freestyle's default 32 GiB disk counted:

TextMachines   Size   1,000 × 60 s / 3,600 × $0.0861                = $1.44Freestyle  CPU    1,000 × 60 s / 3,600 × 2 × $0.04032           = $1.34           Memory 1,000 × 60 s / 3,600 × 4 × $0.0129            = $0.86           Disk   1,000 × 60 s / 3,600 × 32 × $0.000086         = $0.05           Total                                                  $2.25Runtime    CPU    1,000 × 20 s / 3,600 × $0.025                = $0.14           Memory 1,000 × 60 s / 3,600 × 4 × $0.0075           = $0.50           Total                                                  $0.64

Both rivals bill by allocation, so keeping both CPUs busy for the whole minute leaves them at $1.44 on Machines and $2.25 on Freestyle; the same job is $1.33 on Runtime.

Which one to pick

  • Fly Machines for apps across 18 regions with Fly's volumes and Postgres.
  • Freestyle for agent VMs that keep memory and fork live.
  • Runtime for the lowest cost, with memory kept across pauses at any size up to 64 GiB.

See Runtime vs Fly.io and Runtime vs Freestyle.

Sources

Fly Machines rates checked 23 September 2026; Freestyle rates checked 25 September 2026.

Facts on this page were checked on 25 September 2026.

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