AWS App Runner closed to new customers on April 30, 2026. Migrate to ECS Express Mode, Google Cloud Run, Railway, Render, Fly.io, or Azure Container Apps. Free tier comparison, pricing, and migration paths.

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AWS App Runner Migration Guide: Alternatives with Free Tiers & Pricing

Published 2026-04-10 · Not yet reviewed · Figures compiled 2026-04-10, not re-checked since · 18 of 55 figures in the tables below come from our records for 1,493 developer tools · 7 AWS pricing changes tracked

Closed
to new customers, April 30, 2026
AWS stability: WATCH
Closed
To new customers since April 30, 2026
10
Alternatives Compared
8
With Free Tiers
3
Migration Paths

What happened: AWS App Runner stopped accepting new customers on April 30, 2026. Existing customers can keep using it as normal, including creating new services, and AWS says it does not plan new features. AWS recommends Amazon ECS Express Mode for migrating.

AWS’s recommendation: ECS Express Mode provides a simplified ECS experience designed to replace App Runner. It supports auto-scaling, managed networking, and integration with ECR. The key difference: ECS Express Mode requires container images — it does not support App Runner’s source code deployment.

Free alternatives exist: If you want to leave AWS, Google Cloud Run (2M requests/mo free, scale to zero) and Render (free tier with 750 hrs/mo) both offer container deployment with free tiers and source code deployment support.

Jump to section

  1. Deprecation Timeline
  2. Alternative Comparison Table
  3. Pricing Comparison
  4. Migration Paths
  5. Migration Considerations
  6. Migration Examples
  7. FAQ
  8. AWS Change Timeline
  9. Recommendations
  10. Methodology

Deprecation Timeline

Key dates for the App Runner deprecation. Existing services continue, but plan your migration.

Date Event Impact
Apr 2026 AWS announces that App Runner closes to new customers on April 30, 2026, with no new features planned, and recommends ECS Express Mode. HIGH
Apr 30, 2026 New customer cutoff. No new App Runner services can be created by new accounts. Existing customers can continue deploying. HIGH
Post-cutoff Existing services continue to run. Updates and deployments allowed for current customers. No new features will be added to App Runner. MEDIUM
TBD AWS has not announced a final shutdown date for existing services. However, maintenance mode typically precedes full deprecation. Plan migration proactively. INFO
What’s NOT affected (yet): Existing App Runner services continue to run after April 30. You can still deploy updates and new versions to existing services. The key concern is long-term viability — with no new features and maintenance mode status, App Runner’s future is limited. Plan your migration timeline accordingly.

Container Deployment Alternatives

All 10 alternatives compared. Migration effort rated from the perspective of an App Runner integration.

Provider Free Tier Starting Price Pricing Model Source Deploy Migration
Amazon ECS Express Mode Free plan: $100 credit at sign-up + up to $100 more, 6 months ~$0.01/hr (Fargate) Per-hour (Fargate vCPU + memory) No Moderate
AWS Fargate AWS Free Tier (limited) $0.04048/vCPU-hr + $0.004445/GB-hr Per-second (vCPU + memory) No Moderate
Elastic Beanstalk No EB fee (pay for underlying resources) EC2 pricing Per-hour (underlying EC2/RDS) Yes Low
Google Cloud Run 2M requests/mo, 180K vCPU-sec, 360K GiB-sec free $0.00002400/vCPU-sec Per-request + per-second (scale to zero) Yes Moderate
Azure Container Apps 180K vCPU-sec, 360K GiB-sec/mo free $0.000024/vCPU-sec Per-second (consumption) or dedicated Yes Moderate
Railway $5 trial credit (30 days), then $1 of free credit a month $5/mo + usage ($0.000463/vCPU-min) Per-minute (vCPU + memory) + subscription Yes Low
  • After the 30-day trial, the Free plan allows 1 project, 3 services per project and no custom domains. Cron jobs are available during the trial only. (From railway.com/pricing, read 2026-10-12.)
Render Free tier (750 hrs/mo, sleeps after inactivity) $7/mo (Starter) Per-service fixed monthly Yes Low
  • Render's docs say not to use Free instances for production applications. (From render.com/docs/free, read 2026-10-05.)
  • Free web services cannot send outbound traffic on ports 25, 465, or 587, commonly used for SMTP. (From render.com/docs/free, read 2026-10-05.)
  • A free Postgres database expires 30 days after creation and becomes inaccessible. You then have a 14-day grace period to upgrade to a paid plan before Render deletes it with all its data. (From render.com/docs/free, read 2026-10-05.)
  • Free Postgres databases have no backups of any kind. (From render.com/docs/free, read 2026-10-05.)
  • A free web service loses any changes to its local filesystem, such as uploaded images or a SQLite database, every time it redeploys, restarts or spins down, and it cannot attach a persistent disk. (From render.com/docs/free, read 2026-10-05.)
  • If a workspace uses all 750 free instance hours in a month, Render suspends all of its free web services until the start of the next month. (From render.com/docs/free, read 2026-10-12.)
Fly.io None for new accounts — 2 hrs runtime or 7-day trial $2.19/mo (shared-cpu-1x) Per-VM + bandwidth Yes Low-Moderate
DigitalOcean App Platform 3 static sites free, starter apps $5/mo $5/mo (Basic) Fixed monthly per app Yes Low
Northflank Free tier (2 services, 0.2 vCPU, 512MB RAM) $10/mo (Developer) Per-service + resource usage Yes Low
  • Northflank requires every user to add a payment method before creating resources, on any plan, to verify identity and prevent abuse. (From northflank.com/docs/v1/application/billing/pricing-on-northflank, read 2026-10-04.)
  • Northflank says the free Developer Sandbox is for exploring the platform, hobby projects and testing ideas, and should not be used for production applications. (From northflank.com/docs/v1/application/billing/pricing-on-northflank, read 2026-10-04.)
  • Beyond the free Sandbox, Northflank bills pay-as-you-go: $0.01667 per vCPU-hour and $0.00833 per GB of memory per hour (the smallest plan, 0.1 vCPU and 256 MB, is $2.70 a month), GPUs from $0.80 an hour (NVIDIA L4) to $2.74 (H100 80GB) and $3.00 (RTX PRO 6000), disk $0.15 per GB a month, and egress $0.06 per GB. (From northflank.com/pricing, read 2026-10-15.)
Source code deploy matters: One of App Runner’s key features was deploying directly from source code (GitHub) without building a Docker image. ECS Express Mode does not support this — you must provide a container image. If source code deployment is important to your workflow, consider Railway, Render, Google Cloud Run, or DigitalOcean App Platform, all of which support auto-deploy from GitHub.

Pricing Comparison

Monthly cost comparison across alternatives. App Runner pricing shown for reference.

Provider Free Tier Typical Monthly Cost Scaling Model
App Runner (closing) None for new customers From $5/mo (1 vCPU, 2GB) Per-request auto-scaling
ECS Express Mode (Fargate) AWS Free Tier (limited) ~$30/mo (0.5 vCPU, 1GB 24/7) Per-second, service auto-scaling
Google Cloud Run 2M req + 180K vCPU-sec/mo Pay-per-use (scale to zero) Per-request, scale to zero
Azure Container Apps 180K vCPU-sec/mo Pay-per-use (scale to zero) Per-second, KEDA events
Railway $5 trial credit (30 days), then $1 of free credit a month From $5/mo + usage Per-minute, horizontal
Render 750 hrs/mo (sleeps) From $7/mo (Starter) Fixed + auto-scaling (paid)
Fly.io None (2 hrs or 7-day trial) From $2.19/mo per VM Per-VM, multi-region
DigitalOcean App Platform Static sites free From $5/mo (Basic) Fixed monthly per app
Scale-to-zero advantage: Google Cloud Run and Azure Container Apps can scale to zero — you pay nothing when there’s no traffic. App Runner supported auto-scaling but not true scale-to-zero (minimum provisioned instances were always billed). This makes Cloud Run and Container Apps significantly cheaper for low-traffic or intermittent workloads.

Migration Paths

Three paths depending on your cloud strategy. The right choice depends on whether you want to stay on AWS, go multi-cloud, or use a developer PaaS.

Path 1: Stay on AWS (ECS Express Mode)

AWS’s official recommendation. ECS Express Mode simplifies container deployment on ECS with managed networking and auto-scaling. Your ECR images, IAM roles, VPC config, and CloudWatch logs continue to work. The main change: you must containerize your app if you used App Runner’s source code deployment — ECS Express Mode requires container images.

Best for: Teams invested in AWS ecosystem, using ECR, IAM, and other AWS services

Path 2: Multi-Cloud PaaS (Cloud Run, Container Apps)

Google Cloud Run and Azure Container Apps offer the closest experience to App Runner — fully managed, auto-scaling, and pay-per-use with generous free tiers. Both support source code deployment and scale-to-zero, which App Runner didn’t offer. Cloud Run’s 2M free requests/month makes it the strongest free tier option.

Best for: Cost-sensitive workloads, intermittent traffic, multi-cloud strategy

Path 3: Developer PaaS (Railway, Render, Fly.io)

Developer-focused platforms with the simplest deployment experience. Push to GitHub, get a running service. Railway and Render offer the closest DX to App Runner’s source code deploy. Fly.io excels at multi-region deployment. All have free tiers or trial credits to get started.

Best for: Fast deployment, great DX, small teams, side projects

Migration Considerations

Key differences to evaluate when choosing your migration target.

Source Code vs. Container Image Deployment

App Runner supported both source code (auto-built by AWS) and container image deployment. ECS Express Mode only supports container images. If your team doesn’t maintain Dockerfiles, consider adding a build step (GitHub Actions, AWS CodeBuild) or choose a platform that builds from source (Cloud Run, Railway, Render).

Custom Domain Migration

Custom domains configured in App Runner need to be reconfigured on your new platform. Update DNS records (CNAME or A records) to point to your new provider. Most platforms provide managed TLS certificates via Let’s Encrypt. Plan for a brief DNS propagation period.

Auto-Scaling Differences

App Runner scaled based on concurrent requests. ECS Express Mode uses ECS Service Auto Scaling (CPU/memory-based). Cloud Run and Container Apps support request-based scaling AND scale-to-zero. Railway and Render offer auto-scaling on paid plans. Consider your scaling triggers when migrating.

Cold Start Behavior

App Runner had configurable provisioned concurrency to minimize cold starts. On Cloud Run and Container Apps, cold starts occur when scaling from zero. Fly.io keeps VMs warm by default. Railway and Render keep services running continuously on paid plans. Factor cold start requirements into your decision.

VPC and Networking

If your App Runner service connected to VPC resources (RDS, ElastiCache), staying on AWS (ECS Express Mode or Fargate) preserves those network connections. Moving to another cloud requires exposing those resources publicly or setting up VPN/peering — a significant migration consideration for data-heavy applications.

Migration Examples

App Runner to ECS Express Mode (AWS CLI)

If your App Runner service uses ECR, the ECS migration is straightforward:

# Step 1: Get your current App Runner image URI aws apprunner describe-service \ --service-arn arn:aws:apprunner:us-east-1:123456789:service/my-app \ --query "Service.SourceConfiguration.ImageRepository.ImageIdentifier" # Step 2: Create ECS cluster (Express Mode simplifies this) aws ecs create-cluster --cluster-name my-app-cluster # Step 3: Register task definition aws ecs register-task-definition \ --family my-app \ --requires-compatibilities FARGATE \ --network-mode awsvpc \ --cpu "256" \ --memory "512" \ --container-definitions '[{"name":"my-app","image":"YOUR_ECR_IMAGE","portMappings":[{"containerPort":8080}]}]' # Step 4: Create service with auto-scaling aws ecs create-service \ --cluster my-app-cluster \ --service-name my-app-service \ --task-definition my-app \ --desired-count 1 \ --launch-type FARGATE

App Runner to Google Cloud Run

Deploy from source code or container image with a single command:

# Deploy from source code (like App Runner source deploy) gcloud run deploy my-app \ --source . \ --region us-central1 \ --allow-unauthenticated # Or deploy from container image gcloud run deploy my-app \ --image gcr.io/my-project/my-app:latest \ --region us-central1 \ --allow-unauthenticated \ --min-instances 0 \ --max-instances 10

App Runner to Railway

The simplest migration — connect your GitHub repo and deploy:

# Install Railway CLI npm install -g @railway/cli # Login and initialize railway login railway init # Deploy from current directory railway up # Or connect GitHub repo for auto-deploy # (done via Railway dashboard — push to main = auto deploy)
Dockerfile optional: Railway, Render, and Google Cloud Run all support deploying without a Dockerfile — they auto-detect your language and build accordingly using buildpacks (Nixpacks on Railway, Heroku buildpacks on Render, Google Cloud buildpacks on Cloud Run). This matches App Runner’s source code deployment experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does AWS App Runner shut down?▼
AWS App Runner closed to new customers on April 30, 2026. Existing customers can keep using it, including creating new services, and AWS says it does not plan new features. AWS has not announced a shutdown date for existing services, and recommends Amazon ECS Express Mode for migrations.
What is ECS Express Mode and how does it replace App Runner?▼
ECS Express Mode is AWS's recommended migration path. It simplifies Amazon ECS by providing a streamlined container deployment experience similar to App Runner — easier configuration, managed networking, and automatic scaling — while giving you access to the full ECS ecosystem. The main difference is that ECS Express Mode only supports container images (no source code deploy), so you'll need to build your container first.
Can I still use App Runner if I'm already a customer?▼
Yes. AWS says existing customers can continue to use App Runner as normal, including creating new services. AWS does not plan new features and recommends ECS Express Mode when you migrate.
What are the best free alternatives to App Runner?▼
Google Cloud Run's free tier is 2 million requests/month, 180K vCPU-seconds, and scale to zero. Fly.io provides 3 free shared VMs. Render has a free tier with 750 hours/month (services sleep after inactivity). Azure Container Apps offers 180K vCPU-seconds/month free. For AWS-native options, Elastic Beanstalk has no management fee — you only pay for underlying resources.
Which alternative supports source code deployment like App Runner?▼
App Runner's source code deployment (push code, AWS builds the container) is available on: Google Cloud Run (Cloud Build + buildpacks), Railway (GitHub auto-deploy), Render (GitHub auto-deploy), Fly.io (Dockerfiles + buildpacks), DigitalOcean App Platform (GitHub/GitLab auto-deploy), Azure Container Apps (source code via buildpacks), Elastic Beanstalk (source bundles + Dockerfiles), and Northflank (buildpacks + Dockerfiles). ECS Express Mode does NOT support source code deploy — you must provide a container image.

AWS Change Timeline

Changes tracked in our deal changes database:

Date Change Impact
effective Oct 7, 2026 AWS Proton reaches end of support on 2026-10-07, when its console and resources stop being accessible. AWS: "Your deployed CloudFormation stacks and the resources they manage will remain intact and continue to function." New customers could not sign up after 2025-10-07. Source ↗ MEDIUM
effective Sep 30, 2026 AWS App Mesh reached end of support on 2026-09-30. AWS: "After September 30, 2026, you will no longer be able to access the AWS App Mesh console or AWS App Mesh resources." AWS points App Mesh users to Amazon ECS Service Connect. Source ↗ MEDIUM
effective Jun 30, 2026 Fargate platform version 1.3.0 reached end of support on June 30, 2026. AWS blocked new tasks and services on it from June 15 and said it would terminate the tasks still running on it on June 30. Platform version 1.4.0 replaces it. Source ↗ MEDIUM
effective Apr 30, 2026 AWS App Runner closed to new customers. Service enters maintenance mode with no new features. AWS recommends migrating to Amazon ECS Express Mode for simplified container deployment. Source ↗ HIGH
effective Apr 30, 2026 The Node.js 20 Lambda runtime (nodejs20.x) was deprecated on 2026-04-30. Lambda blocks creating functions on it from 2027-07-29 and updating them from 2027-08-31; AWS's runtime page says "you can continue to invoke your functions indefinitely". Source ↗ HIGH
effective Apr 20, 2026 Amazon WorkSpaces Thin Client stopped accepting new customers on 2026-04-20. Existing customers can keep using their devices, and can still order more, until AWS ends support on 2027-03-31. Source ↗ LOW
effective Jan 4, 2026 EC2 Capacity Blocks for ML GPU prices increased ~15% across regions. p5e.48xlarge went from $34.61 to $39.80/hr (US East) and $43.26 to $49.75/hr (US West N. California) Source ↗ MEDIUM

Recommendations

Best Alternative for Each Use Case

Staying on AWS (recommended for AWS-heavy stacks):

ECS Express Mode — AWS’s official replacement. Keeps your ECR images, IAM roles, VPC connections, and CloudWatch monitoring. Requires container images (no source code deploy).

Best free tier:

Google Cloud Run — 2M requests/month, 180K vCPU-seconds, scale to zero. The most generous free tier for container workloads. Source code deployment supported via buildpacks.

Closest App Runner experience:

Render — similar DX with GitHub auto-deploy, managed TLS, and simple dashboard. Free tier available (750 hrs/mo, services sleep after inactivity). Paid plans start at $7/mo.

Best developer experience:

Railway — push to deploy with zero config. Free plan: 30-day $5 trial credit, then $1 of free credit a month. Auto-detects language and builds without Dockerfiles. Closest to App Runner’s simplicity.

Multi-region deployment:

Fly.io — deploy to multiple regions with a single config. 3 free shared VMs. Scale to zero supported. Ideal for latency-sensitive applications serving global users.

Full PaaS with CI/CD:

Northflank — built-in CI/CD pipelines, buildpacks, preview environments. Free tier with 2 services. Good for teams that want a complete platform, not just deployment.

Event-driven scaling:

Azure Container Apps — KEDA-based auto-scaling that responds to events (queues, HTTP, custom metrics). 180K vCPU-seconds/month free. Best for event-driven architectures.

AWS source code deploy replacement:

Elastic Beanstalk — if you need to stay on AWS with source code deployment, Beanstalk supports source bundles and Dockerfiles. No management fee — pay only for underlying EC2/RDS resources.

Methodology

How we track this data: AgentDeals monitors free tier changes across 1,493 developer tools in 60 categories. The App Runner deprecation is tracked in our shutdown tracker and stability dashboard.

Migration recommendations: Based on official AWS documentation, provider pricing pages, and community migration reports. Free tier availability confirmed against official documentation as of 2026-04-10. Pricing data read from each of the 10 alternatives.

For real-time data, use our stability dashboard, Atom feed, or MCP server. Full dataset available via REST API.

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