Railway
Pilots vs Railway, and What an Idle App Keeps
Both deploy a directory in one command. They part ways at what an idle app keeps.
How Pilots compares
Where Pilots agrees with each platform and where it differs. What is said about another platform was read from its own pages, and links to them.
What each one runs
On most platforms an app and a sandbox are two different things, and what was built in one is deployed again to the other. Pilots runs both in the same microVM, which is why one command turns a sandbox into production.
| Platform | Apps run in | Sandboxes run in | From sandbox to production |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilots | microVMs | The same microVMs | One command, at the same URL |
| Railway | Containers | Linux VMs | A separate deploy, as a service |
| Render | Containers | Isolated containers, in early access | A separate deploy, as a service |
| Vercel | Functions | microVMs | A separate deploy, as functions |
| Modal | Containers under gVisor | Containers under gVisor, with VMs in beta | A separate deploy, in Python |
| Fly.io | microVMs | microVMs, as Sprites | A separate deploy, with a second CLI |
| E2B | No platform for apps | microVMs | Sandboxes only |
Render
Pilots vs Render, Always-On Instances or Machines That Sleep
Render keeps instances running and manages your Postgres. Pilots freezes what is idle and wakes it whole.
Vercel
Pilots vs Vercel, Functions or a Server That Sleeps
Vercel turns an app into functions behind a global network. Pilots keeps it a server, and lets the server sleep.
Modal
Pilots vs Modal, Infrastructure as Python or a Computer With a URL
Modal declares compute in Python. Pilots runs whole apps in machines that remember.
Fly.io
Pilots vs Fly.io, the Same MicroVM Arranged Differently
Both run microVMs and both suspend with memory. Fly sells that as two products, and Pilots as one.
E2B
Pilots vs E2B, a Sandbox That Can Become Production
Both pause a sandbox with its memory. Only one of them is also where the finished app runs.