Cohostly vs Fly.io: an alternative for AI-built apps
Where Fly.io fits, where Cohostly fits, and when to pick Fly.io instead for apps built with Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor.
Fly.io is a platform that runs containers close to users, configured with a command-line tool and a config file. Cohostly is for the small apps an AI assistant builds for you or your team: deploy from a folder or over MCP, share by email, and approve changes. Here is how to choose.
The short answer
Pick Fly.io for what it is built for (below). Pick Cohostly when the app was written by an assistant, a specific set of people should open it, and you want nothing risky to change without your yes.
What Fly.io does well
- Running containers in several regions.
- Fine control over machines, volumes and networking.
- Apps whose owners are comfortable with Docker.
Where Cohostly is different
- Share by email, like a document: named people, your team, anyone with the link, or the public.
- Connect Google, Slack and other accounts one permission at a time, so no password sits in the code.
- Secrets are typed on a private page, never into a chat or the source.
- Every change by a teammate or an assistant waits for approval, explained in plain words with its risk.
- Deploy from a folder, .zip, GitHub repo, or straight from Claude, Claude Code or Cursor over MCP.
- Apps rest when nobody is using them and wake in about a second, so small tools cost little.
When Fly.io is the better pick
- You need multi-region deployment or specific infrastructure control.
- Your team already works in containers.
Moving an app from Fly.io to Cohostly
If you do not want to write a Dockerfile or learn a CLI, upload the project to Cohostly: it reads the project and proposes the settings.
Questions
Do I need Docker on Cohostly?
No. Upload a folder, .zip or repo with a dependency file and a start command.
Is Cohostly for production services?
It is built for small apps and internal tools shared with specific people.