Zenifra vs Railway

The Railway alternative for apps serving Brazil

Railway is great for fast deploys, but it bills in US dollars, by card only, and has no region in South America. Zenifra runs in Brazil, bills in Brazilian reais with PIX or boleto, and keeps apps, databases, and AI in one console.

Start free Estimate my cost

The 30-second summary

Choose Zenifra if

Your users are in Brazil and latency matters.
You want to pay in Brazilian reais with PIX, boleto, or card, without IOF.
You want apps, PostgreSQL, AI APIs, and Previews in one console, with support in Portuguese.

Choose Railway if

Your users are mostly in the US, Europe, or Asia.
You need MySQL, MongoDB, or several regions outside Brazil.
Paying in US dollars with an international card fits your budget.

Zenifra vs Railway side by side

The criteria that matter most for teams serving users in Brazil.

Where your app runs

Zenifra: Infrastructure in Brazil
Railway: California, Virginia, Amsterdam, and Singapore, with no South America region

Billing currency

Zenifra: Brazilian real (BRL)
Railway: US dollar (USD)

Payment methods

Zenifra: PIX, boleto, and card
Railway: Post-paid credit card; invoicing on Enterprise only

IOF and exchange rate

Zenifra: None: billing is domestic
Railway: 3.5% IOF on Brazilian cards, plus the daily exchange rate

Pricing model

Zenifra: Hourly, monthly, or yearly, in Brazilian reais
Railway: Subscription (US$5 Hobby, US$20 Pro) + usage: US$20 per vCPU and US$10 per GB of RAM per month

Getting started for free

Zenifra: 2 free HTTP projects, no card required
Railway: One-time US$5 credit for 30 days; then the Free plan with US$1 per month

Managed databases

Zenifra: PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Valkey, and ClickHouse
Railway: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, and MongoDB through templates

Deployment options

Zenifra: GitHub or a public or private Docker/OCI image, from the console or the CLI
Railway: GitHub, Docker image, and CLI

AI by API

Zenifra: OpenAI-compatible API with per-project keys and budgets
Railway: Through templates and external providers

Test environments

Zenifra: Previews billed hourly in Brazilian reais
Railway: Pull request environments

Support

Zenifra: In Portuguese
Railway: In English

Criterion	Zenifra	Railway
Where your app runs	Infrastructure in Brazil	California, Virginia, Amsterdam, and Singapore, with no South America region
Billing currency	Brazilian real (BRL)	US dollar (USD)
Payment methods	PIX, boleto, and card	Post-paid credit card; invoicing on Enterprise only
IOF and exchange rate	None: billing is domestic	3.5% IOF on Brazilian cards, plus the daily exchange rate
Pricing model	Hourly, monthly, or yearly, in Brazilian reais	Subscription (US$5 Hobby, US$20 Pro) + usage: US$20 per vCPU and US$10 per GB of RAM per month
Getting started for free	2 free HTTP projects, no card required	One-time US$5 credit for 30 days; then the Free plan with US$1 per month
Managed databases	PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Valkey, and ClickHouse	PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, and MongoDB through templates
Deployment options	GitHub or a public or private Docker/OCI image, from the console or the CLI	GitHub, Docker image, and CLI
AI by API	OpenAI-compatible API with per-project keys and budgets	Through templates and external providers
Test environments	Previews billed hourly in Brazilian reais	Pull request environments
Support	In Portuguese	In English

What it costs in practice

On Railway, the bill depends on usage and arrives in US dollars. On Zenifra, you pick a plan and see the price in Brazilian reais before you create anything.

Railway (Hobby plan)

Example: an app and PostgreSQL using, together, an average of 0.75 vCPU and 1.5 GB of RAM, with a 5 GB volume and 10 GB of egress in the month.

Hobby subscription (includes US$5 of usage)$5.00
Usage above the included credit$26.25
Monthly total: $31.25
With 3.5% IOF on a Brazilian card: $32.34, converted at the daily exchange rate

Lower average usage lowers the bill; spikes raise it.

Zenifra

App + PostgreSQL from R$17.80/month

Lowest paid application plan plus the lowest paid PostgreSQL plan, in Brazilian reais, without IOF.

Estimate my cost

The scenarios are not a 1-to-1 match: resources differ by plan. Use the calculator to compare with your app’s usage.

Where Railway comes out ahead

An honest comparison leads to a better decision. These are Railway’s strengths.

Global regions

Four regions on three continents, useful when most of your users are outside Brazil.

Pay for actual usage

CPU and memory are metered per second, so idle services cost little.

Template ecosystem

A large catalog of community-maintained templates.

More database engines

MySQL and MongoDB are available through templates.

How to migrate from Railway to Zenifra

If your app already runs on Railway from GitHub or a Docker image, the same code runs on Zenifra.

Create your account and project

Connect the same code

Use the same GitHub repository or the same Docker/OCI image as your Railway service.

Copy your environment variables

Add the service variables to the project and check the port your app listens on.

Migrate PostgreSQL

Create the database on Zenifra, dump the Railway database, and restore it into the new one.

Validate and point your domain

Test on the Zenifra URL or in a Preview, then point your domain’s DNS when everything checks out.

Migration commands

# 1. Export the Railway database
pg_dump "$RAILWAY_DATABASE_PUBLIC_URL" --format=custom --no-owner --file=backup.dump

# 2. Restore it into Zenifra PostgreSQL
pg_restore --no-owner --dbname="$ZENIFRA_DATABASE_URL" backup.dump

Start free Read the docs

Questions about Railway and Zenifra

Short answers to the most common questions when comparing both platforms.

Does Railway have servers in Brazil?

No. As of September 29, 2026, Railway’s public regions were California, Virginia, Amsterdam, and Singapore. Apps on Railway serve Brazilian users from outside the country.

How much does Railway cost in Brazilian reais?

Railway bills in US dollars: US$5 per month on Hobby and US$20 on Pro, plus usage above the included credit. On a Brazilian card, the daily exchange rate and 3.5% IOF apply.

Can I pay Railway with PIX or boleto?

According to Railway’s documentation, billing requires a post-paid card, and invoicing is only available on Enterprise. On Zenifra you pay in Brazilian reais with PIX, boleto, or card.

Do I need to change my code to leave Railway?

Usually not. If your app runs from a GitHub repository or a Docker image, Zenifra uses the same code. You only add your environment variables and check the port.

Does Zenifra have a free plan?

Yes. You start with 2 free HTTP projects and PostgreSQL or Valkey on free plans, with no card required.

Information checked on 9/29/2026 on the official pages: Railway pricing, Railway plans, Railway regions.