Railway for Students: 30-day free trial with $5 in credits, then $1/month
Free (30-day trial, then $1/month)
What you get
- 30-day free trial with $5 in credits, then $1/month. Up to 1 vCPU / 0.5 GB RAM per service (up to 2 vCPU / 1 GB during the trial)
- 0.5 GB volume storage
- community support
- no credit card required. During the trial: 5 projects, 5 services per project, 2 replicas, 1 GB ephemeral disk, up to 10 GB object storage, 1 custom domain.
From the official page: “"Free $0 per month ... Start with a 30-day free trial with $5 credits, then $1 per month"; "Up to 1 vCPU / 0.5 GB RAM per service"; "No credit card required"; "Projects: 5 during trial, then 1"”
How to claim
- Go to railway.com/new
- Deploy your project
- Get the 30-day trial with $5 credits; after the trial ends, move to the $1/month Free plan
Eligibility
No credit card required; open sign-up.
Expiry & renewal rules
The free trial lasts only 30 days (with $5 credits); after the trial the Free plan is actually $1/month (not permanently $0). Limits drop: 1 project, 3 services, 1 vCPU/0.5 GB RAM, 0 custom domains.
Availability
Not specified on the official page. Most student programs require enrollment verification; some restrict by region.
FAQ
Is Railway still free for students in 2026?
It changed. Railway no longer offers the exact deal it used to — see the status banner above and What you get for the current state, verified Oct 21, 2026.
Do I need a credit card? How long does the Railway student offer last?
Yes — a card is required at some point in the flow (called out in Eligibility above). Duration: The free trial lasts only 30 days (with $5 credits); after the trial the Free plan is actually $1/month (not permanently $0). Limits drop: 1 project, 3 services, 1 vCPU/0.5 GB RAM, 0 custom domains.
What's the catch with Railway's student program?
The honest caveats: The free trial lasts only 30 days (with $5 credits); after the trial the Free plan is actually $1/month (not permanently $0). Limits drop: 1 project, 3 services, 1 vCPU/0.5 GB RAM, 0 custom domains.. Student programs are usually limited to non-commercial use, may require yearly re-verification, and can be discontinued with little notice — that is exactly why this page exists. Verify on the official page before building anything on top of a free tier.