Render vs AWS Lightsail
Pricing data as of 2026-10-12 · refreshed weekly
Render (paas) and AWS Lightsail (vps) overlap on 15 stacks. The table below shows the cheapest fitting plan on each for a typical startup workload (~50,000 visits/month) — list prices, no promos.
Renderpaas
| 512 MB / 0.5 CPU | $7/mo |
| 2 GB / 1 CPU | $25/mo |
AWS Lightsailvps
| $5 bundle | $5/mo |
| $7 bundle | $7/mo |
| $12 bundle | $12/mo |
| $24 bundle | $24/mo |
Cheapest fitting plan per stack (startup traffic)
| Stack | Render | AWS Lightsail | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Next.js | $17.35 (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) | $5 ($5 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
| Nuxt | $17.35 (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) | $5 ($5 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
| Astro | $17.35 (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) | $5 ($5 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
| SvelteKit | $17.35 (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) | $5 ($5 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
| Remix / React Router | $17.35 (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) | $5 ($5 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
| Node.js API | $17.35 (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) | $5 ($5 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
| Django | $35.35 (2 GB / 1 CPU) | $7 ($7 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
| FastAPI | $17.35 (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) | $5 ($5 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
| Laravel | $35.35 (2 GB / 1 CPU) | $7 ($7 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
| Ruby on Rails | $35.35 (2 GB / 1 CPU) | $12 ($12 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
| Spring Boot | $35.35 (2 GB / 1 CPU) | $12 ($12 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
| WordPress | $35.35 (2 GB / 1 CPU) | $7 ($7 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
| Ghost | $35.35 (2 GB / 1 CPU) | $7 ($7 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
| Strapi | $35.35 (2 GB / 1 CPU) | $7 ($7 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
| Static site | $17.35 (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) | $5 ($5 bundle) | AWS Lightsail |
Next.js by traffic level
| Traffic | Render | AWS Lightsail |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby / side project (~5,000/mo) | $7.45 (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) | $5 ($5 bundle) |
| Startup / small business (~50,000/mo) | $17.35 (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) | $5 ($5 bundle) |
| E-commerce (~200,000/mo) | $123.55 (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) | $5 ($5 bundle) |
| High traffic (~1,000,000/mo) | $226 (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) | $7 ($7 bundle) |
"+" = even the largest plan may not cover that traffic. Full breakdowns: Next.js on Render · Next.js on AWS Lightsail
FAQ
Is Render or AWS Lightsail cheaper?
AWS Lightsail is cheaper for all 15 stacks both can run, at startup traffic (~50,000 visits/month). Price alone ignores ops work: Render is a PaaS, AWS Lightsail is a VPS.
What does a Next.js app cost on Render vs AWS Lightsail?
Cheapest fitting plan by traffic level — hobby / side project: Render $7.45/month (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) vs AWS Lightsail $5/month ($5 bundle); startup / small business: Render $17.35/month (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) vs AWS Lightsail $5/month ($5 bundle); e-commerce: Render $123.55/month (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) vs AWS Lightsail $5/month ($5 bundle); high traffic: Render $226/month (512 MB / 0.5 CPU) vs AWS Lightsail $7/month ($7 bundle).
What is included with Render and AWS Lightsail?
Render bundles CDN, SSL, Previews, Auto-deploy; not included: Image opt, Edge. AWS Lightsail is a VPS with nothing bundled — CDN, TLS automation, previews and deploys are yours to set up.
How current are these prices?
They are official list prices as of 2026-10-12, re-checked against each provider's pricing page on a weekly cycle. Intro promos and coupons are not used in totals; taxes are not included unless a plan note says so.