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 · 7 AWS pricing changes tracked

Days Remaining

Alternatives Compared

With Free Tiers

Migration Paths

What’s happening: AWS App Runner will stop accepting new customers on April 30, 2026. The service has entered maintenance mode with no new features planned. Existing services continue to run, but AWS officially recommends migrating to Amazon ECS Express Mode.

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), Fly.io (3 free VMs), and Render (free tier with 750 hrs/mo) all offer container deployment with free tiers and source code deployment support.

Deprecation Timeline

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

Date	Event	Impact
Apr 2026	AWS announces App Runner will stop accepting new customers. Service enters maintenance mode. ECS Express Mode recommended as replacement.	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	AWS Free Tier (750 hrs t2.micro/mo, 12 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 (t2.micro free 12 mo)	Per-hour (underlying EC2/RDS)	Yes	Low
Google Cloud Run	2M requests/mo, 360K vCPU-sec, 180K 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/mo free credit (trial)	$5/mo + usage ($0.000463/vCPU-min)	Per-minute (vCPU + memory) + subscription	Yes	Low
Render	Free tier (750 hrs/mo, sleeps after inactivity)	$7/mo (Starter)	Per-service fixed monthly	Yes	Low
Fly.io	3 shared-cpu-1x VMs, 160GB bandwidth free	$1.94/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

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 + 360K 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/mo credit (trial)	From $5/mo + usage	Per-minute, horizontal
Render	750 hrs/mo (sleeps)	From $7/mo (Starter)	Fixed + auto-scaling (paid)
Fly.io	3 shared VMs free	From $1.94/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 stops accepting new customers on April 30, 2026. Existing customers can continue using the service, but it has entered maintenance mode with no new features planned. AWS has not announced a final shutdown date for existing services, but recommends migrating to Amazon ECS Express Mode.

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. Existing App Runner services will continue to run after April 30, 2026. You can update existing services and deploy new versions. However, the service is in maintenance mode — no new features will be added, and AWS strongly recommends planning a migration.

What are the best free alternatives to App Runner?▼

Google Cloud Run offers the most generous free tier (2 million requests/month, 360K vCPU-seconds, 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
Oct 7, 2026	AWS Proton end of support. Infrastructure-as-code provisioning service being retired. All environments, services, and templates will stop working.	MEDIUM
Sep 30, 2026	AWS App Mesh end of support. Service mesh for ECS/EKS being fully retired. All configurations, virtual nodes, and routes will stop functioning.	MEDIUM
Jun 30, 2026	AWS Fargate Platform Version 1.3.0 end of support. Tasks on PV 1.3.0 will stop running. Migration to Platform Version 1.4.0+ required.	MEDIUM
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.	HIGH
Apr 30, 2026	Node.js 20 AWS Lambda runtime 3-phase deprecation begins. Phase 1 (April 30): no new function creation. Phase 2 (June 30): no function updates. Phase 3 (August 30): no invocations.	HIGH
Apr 20, 2026	AWS WorkSpaces Thin Client end of availability. AWS stopping sales of Thin Client devices. Existing devices continue working but no new hardware can be purchased.	LOW
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)	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, 360K 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. $5/mo free trial credit. 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 1,580 developer tools in 66 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 verified across all 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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