Is Oracle Cloud Always Free still available?
Yes. Oracle now lists Arm 1,500 OCPU hours and 9,000 GB hours a month (2 OCPU, 12 GB); a 5 June 2026 archive gave 4 OCPU, 24 GB.
Free tier guide
Oracle Cloud free tier alternatives in 2026
Oracle Cloud Always Free still exists, but its Arm allowance halved to 2 OCPU and 12 GB. If that fits, staying is hard to beat; Google's e2-micro is the closest like-for-like, but far smaller.
AWS and Azure give credits that end. redu: an always-on server and private Postgres your agent runs over MCP. Good for a website, an app or an API.
redu is our product. Every other provider below is quoted from its own pages, read on 1 November 2026. Prices and limits change, so check each provider's linked page.
Always Free Arm today2 OCPU / 12 GB
Down from 4 OCPU/24 GB.
The options
Free tiers compared.
| Provider | Free | Card at signup | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Always Free | Arm 2 OCPU/12 GB, 200 GB disk, 10 TB/month traffic | Yes | Idle VMs may be reclaimed; "out of host capacity"Source, read 1 November 2026 |
| Google e2-micro | 2 vCPUs (25% sustained), 1 GB, 30 GB-months disk, US-only | Yes, or other payment method | No end date; Paid billing account needed by day 90Source, read 1 November 2026 |
| AWS Free plan | No permanent server stated; up to USD 200 credits | Not for most new customers | 6 months or until credits run outSource, read 1 November 2026 |
| Azure free account | USD 200 credit, 12 months of VM hours | Yes, not prepaid | Disabled unless moved to pay-as-you-go in 30 daysSource, read 1 November 2026 |
| Railway free VM | 2 vCPU, 2 GB VM, no account | No | Deleted unless claimed in 24 hoursSource, read 1 November 2026 |
| Northflank Sandbox | USD 20/month of resources, 1 database, always on | No | No end date statedSource, read 1 November 2026 |
| redu.cloud | Server 1 vCPU/2 GB/10 GB disk, Postgres VM, always on | No; required after 7 days, or deleted | 5 GB/month outbound capOur free tier rules |
| Neon (database only) | Postgres, 1 GB per project, up to 100 projects | No | Permanent; compute scales to zeroSource, read 1 November 2026 |
| Aiven (database only) | PostgreSQL: 1 CPU, 1 GB RAM, 1 GB storage | No | Permanent; powers off when idle, after noticeSource, read 1 November 2026 |
FAQ
Oracle free tier questions
Why does Oracle say "out of host capacity"?
A temporary lack of Always Free shapes in your home region, Oracle says. Try another availability domain, retry later, or upgrade to Pay as You Go.
Which Oracle alternatives need no credit card?
Railway's free VM, Northflank's Sandbox, Neon and Aiven. AWS says most new customers need none.
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