Where to Host Strapi for Free

If you're a beginner, student, freelancer, or small business owner working with limited budgets, you may be searching for free hosting options for Strapi. Good news---there are several ways to host Strapi for free. However, each free platform comes with limitations, so it's important to understand what you're getting.

Strapi has become one of the most popular headless CMS solutions in the modern development world---especially among developers building Jamstack applications, mobile apps, backend APIs, and full MERN stack solutions. Its flexibility, plugin ecosystem, role-based access system, and self-hosted nature make it a top choice for both startups and enterprise teams.

This comprehensive guide covers all free platforms where you can host Strapi, along with pros, cons, limitations, configurations, and recommendations. Whether you're experimenting with Strapi or building a small project, this resource will help you find the best free hosting option.

If you need help deploying Strapi, building a MERN application, or setting up a full backend infrastructure, you can also hire AAMAX --- a full-service digital marketing and web development company offering Web Development, SEO Services, Digital Marketing, and MERN Stack Development services. Visit AAMAX for professional support.

Why Developers Look for Free Strapi Hosting

Strapi is unlike traditional CMS platforms because it requires:

• A running Node.js server\
• A database (SQLite, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MySQL)
• A place to store uploaded media
• Proper environment variables
• Adequate CPU and memory

This means free hosting is harder compared to static website hosting. However, Strapi can run on multiple free tiers, especially with serverless or limited VPS plans.

Here's why developers seek free hosting:

• Testing Strapi before committing to paid infrastructure
• Educational or student projects
• Portfolio or demo APIs
• Learning DevOps and backend deployment
• Low-budget startup MVPs
• Temporary sandbox environments

Now let's explore where you can host Strapi at zero cost.

## 1. Hosting Strapi for Free on Render

Render has become one of the most developer-friendly platforms and a popular alternative to Heroku. Render's free tier allows hosting web services, cron jobs, static sites, and databases.

Why Render Works Well for Strapi

Render supports:

• Always-on Node.js services
• Free PostgreSQL database (with limits)
• GitHub/GitLab deployment
• Automatic SSL certificates
• Background workers (optional)

How to Deploy Strapi on Render (Free Tier)

• Push your Strapi project to GitHub

• Create a new Web Service on Render

• Choose "Node.js"

• Set build command:

  yarn install && yarn build
  

• Set start command:

  yarn start
  

• Add environment variables

• Connect with Render's free PostgreSQL database (optional)

Render Free Tier Limitations

• 750 hours/month (service sleeps after inactivity)
• Slow cold starts
• Limited database size (free PostgreSQL is very small)
• 512 MB RAM limit can cause crashes on large Strapi builds

Best For

• Hobby projects\
• Medium-sized test applications\
• Small Strapi APIs with low traffic

Render is currently one of the best free hosting platforms for Strapi.

## 2. Hosting Strapi for Free on Railway

Railway is another excellent option that provides one of the smoothest deployment experiences. It auto-detects Node.js apps and makes environment setup painless.

Why Railway Is Great for Free Strapi Hosting

• Extremely easy deployment
• Auto-configured environment variables
• Simple PostgreSQL integration
• Beautiful interface
• Easy project duplication

Railway's free tier gives developers usage credits every month that reset automatically.

Limitations of Railway Free Tier

• If your Strapi + database exceed free credits, your app shuts down temporarily
• Storage persistence may be limited
• Sleeping or pausing services after inactivity

Best For

• Beginners who want fast deployment\
• Demo APIs and academic projects\
• Hackathon apps

Railway provides one of the fastest free deployments for Strapi.

## 3. Hosting Strapi for Free on Fly.io

Fly.io is a global app hosting platform that offers a surprisingly generous free tier. It allows you to deploy containers, which is great for Strapi.

Why Fly.io Works for Strapi

• Global deployment options\
• Free 256 MB RAM VMs\
• Deploy with Docker without complications\
• Built-in scaling controls

You can even deploy Strapi close to your users geographically.

Free Tier Limitations

• Low RAM may crash Strapi during builds
• Must configure persistent volumes manually
• Higher learning curve compared to Render or Railway

Best For

• Developers familiar with Docker\
• Apps requiring global regions\
• Lightweight Strapi builds

If you want total control with free hosting, Fly.io is one of the most advanced options.

## 4. Hosting Strapi for Free on Vercel (with limitations)

Vercel is not designed for full backend hosting, but you can deploy Strapi using:

• Serverless Functions\
• Edge Functions\
• External database connections

However, this setup is not recommended for heavy Strapi usage.

Why Strapi on Vercel Is Challenging

Strapi's backend server state conflicts with serverless environments.

Workaround

You can deploy only the Strapi admin panel on Vercel while hosting the backend API elsewhere.

Vercel Free Tier Best For

• Admin UI hosting\
• Static dashboards\
• Public frontend sites with an external Strapi backend

Vercel is not ideal for full Strapi hosting, but you can still use it for hybrid approaches.

## 5. Hosting Strapi for Free on Netlify (Partial Support)

Like Vercel, Netlify excels with static frontends. You cannot fully host Strapi on Netlify, but you can deploy certain parts.

What Netlify Can Host

• Strapi Admin Panel (as a static build)
• Headless frontend with external Strapi API

Why You Can't Fully Host Strapi Here

Netlify uses serverless functions, which do not support Strapi's Node.js backend runtime.

Best For

• Using Strapi CMS backend hosted elsewhere\
• Frontend frameworks: Next.js, React, Vue, Svelte

Netlify works well for multi-environment setups where Strapi is not the primary hosted platform.

## 6. Hosting Strapi for Free on GitHub Codespaces (Development Only)

GitHub Codespaces is a free cloud-based development environment with container support.

Why GitHub Codespaces Works for Strapi

• Free hours each month\
• Ability to run Strapi in a cloud container\
• Great for development environments\
• Perfect for learning and testing

Limitations

• Not intended for production
• Shuts down when inactive
• No public domain without custom configuration

Best For

• Students
• Developers practicing Strapi
• API prototyping

Though not production-ready, Codespaces is an amazing free tool for Strapi development.

## 7. Hosting Strapi for Free with Replit

Replit allows running full Node.js apps in the browser, including Strapi.

Why Replit Is Useful

• Free cloud environment
• Easy environment variable management
• Built-in Git integration
• Can expose public URLs

Limitations

• Slow performance
• Projects sleep on inactivity
• Limited 0.5--1 GB RAM environments

Best For

• Learning Strapi
• Small temporary APIs
• Class projects

If you want instant Strapi hosting with no setup, Replit is extremely convenient.

## 8. Hosting Strapi for Free Using LocalTunnel or Ngrok (Temporary Hosting)

You can host Strapi locally and expose it online using tools like:

• Ngrok\
• LocalTunnel\
• Cloudflared Tunnel

These create temporary public URLs.

Pros

• 100% free
• Perfect for demo or client preview
• Zero configuration

Cons

• Not stable for production
• URL changes frequently (in free plans)
• Local machine must stay running

Best For

• Demos\
• Testing\
• Development

Great for quick sharing but not recommended for live applications.

## 9. Hosting Strapi for Free on Free VPS Providers (Limited Availability)

Some providers offer temporary or limited free VPS instances:

• Oracle Cloud Free Tier\
• Google Cloud Free Trial\
• AWS Free Tier (temporarily)

Pros

• Full control over server\
• Ability to run Strapi + database\
• Highly scalable

Cons

• Requires DevOps skills\
• Not 100% free in long-term\
• Setup time is longer

Best For

• Developers who understand servers\
• Hobby projects requiring full VPS access

Oracle Cloud's free tier is especially popular since it provides always-free ARM-based VPS.

## Comparison of Free Strapi Hosting Options

Platform Full Support Free Tier Suitability Difficulty Level

---

Render Yes Excellent Easy Railway Yes Very Good Easy Fly.io Yes Good Medium Vercel Partial Medium Medium Netlify Partial Medium Easy Codespaces Dev Only High Easy Replit Yes Medium Easy Oracle/AWS/GCP Yes Medium Hard Ngrok Temporary Only High Very Easy

Render and Railway are the best free options for real projects.

## Final Thoughts: Best Free Platforms to Host Strapi

Strapi is a powerful CMS, but hosting it for free requires choosing the right provider. Based on performance, ease of deployment, and stability:

Best Overall Free Strapi Hosting

• Render
• Railway

Best for Learning

• Replit\
• Codespaces

Best for Production-Like Setup

• Fly.io\
• Oracle Cloud Free Tier

If you plan to scale your Strapi backend, move from free to paid plans for:

• Better uptime\
• More RAM\
• Improved storage\
• Faster response times

If you need a professional Strapi setup, MERN Stack Development, or complete backend deployment, you can hire AAMAX --- a full-service digital marketing and web development agency offering Web Development, SEO Services, Digital Marketing, and expert MERN Stack Development solutions.

This ensures your Strapi project is optimized, secure, and scalable as your business grows.