---
title: "Pixeltable vs Fly.io: one-file data layer vs regional Machines"
description: "Fly.io runs Machines worldwide from fly.toml. Pixeltable is data, orchestration, and HTTP in one file. They can run together. Last reviewed Oct 2026."
keywords:
  - Pixeltable vs Fly.io
  - Fly.io alternative
  - Fly.io vs Pixeltable
  - deploy multimodal AI app
  - Fly Machines Python hosting
url: "https://www.pixeltable.com/compare/pixeltable-vs-fly"
---

# Pixeltable and Fly.io

Fly.io hosts any app: fly launch / fly deploy builds a Machine from fly.toml and a Dockerfile, in regions you pick, with Anycast HTTP. Pixeltable is the data, orchestration, and serving layer in one Python file: typed media tables, computed columns, embedding indexes, and FastAPIRouter. Fly.io does not own that schema. Pixeltable Cloud is Limited Beta, not GA. They are complementary: Fly.io can host the Pixeltable process.

## Summary

### Pixeltable

- Database, orchestration, and serving in one Python file
- Insert a row; computed columns, indexes, and HTTP follow
- Open source; Pixeltable Cloud is Limited Beta, not GA
- Not a global Machine fabric for arbitrary frameworks

### Fly.io

- fly launch / fly deploy: Dockerfile + fly.toml Machines, Anycast IPv6, shared IPv4
- Compute billed per second while a Machine runs; stopped Machines pay $0.15/GB-month of rootfs. Volumes $0.15/GB-month
- Cheapest always-on size: shared-cpu-1x with 256 MB is $2.19 per 30 days in iad/ewr; extra RAM $6/GB-month. Egress NA/EU $0.02/GB
- Hosts any app close to users; you still add storage, transforms, and an index unless the schema owns them

## Comparison

| Feature | Pixeltable | Fly.io |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Application schema: store, transform, index, serve | Regional Machines that run your container |
| Deploy any language or framework | Python Pixeltable apps; not a general PaaS | Any OCI image, many regions, autostop/autostart |
| Multimodal tables and incremental compute | Typed media columns; dependents of a changed row recompute | You write that layer in the process the Machine runs |
| Embedding index | EmbeddingIndex declared on the source table | A Machine or volume-backed store you add |
| HTTP serving | FastAPIRouter in the same file as the tables | Fly Proxy: [http_service], force_https, concurrency, autostop |
| Pricing shape | Open source locally; Cloud Community is free in Limited Beta | No Machines platform fee; pay per second of CPU/RAM plus volume and egress |

## One file vs fly.toml

Pixeltable: tables, chunking, EmbeddingIndex, FastAPIRouter. Fly.io: Machines that run whatever you built. Last reviewed: Oct 2026. Fly.io: https://docs.fly.io/reference/configuration and https://docs.fly.io/launch/deploy

### Pixeltable

```python
import pixeltable as pxt
from pixeltable.functions.document import document_splitter
from pixeltable.functions.huggingface import sentence_transformer
from pixeltable.serving import FastAPIRouter

TableModel = pxt.model_base()
embed = sentence_transformer.using(
    model_id='sentence-transformers/all-MiniLM-L6-v2'
)

class Docs(TableModel, name='docs'):
    document: pxt.Document
    title: pxt.String

class Chunks(
    TableModel,
    name='chunks',
    base=Docs,
    iterator=document_splitter(
        document=Docs.document, separators='sentence,token_limit', limit=512
    ),
):
    __indexes__ = [pxt.EmbeddingIndex(text, string_embed=embed)]

@pxt.query
def search_docs(query: str, limit: int = 5):
    sim = Chunks.text.similarity(string=query)
    return (
        Chunks.order_by(sim, asc=False)
        .limit(limit)
        .select(Chunks.text, Chunks.title, sim)
    )

api = FastAPIRouter(name='docs')
api.add_insert_route(Docs, path='/docs', inputs=[Docs.document, Docs.title])
api.add_query_route(path='/search', query=search_docs)
# pxt schema update app.py docs && pxt service update app.py docs
# Or mount the router on FastAPI and host that process on Fly.io.
```

### Fly.io

```toml
# fly.toml — https://docs.fly.io/reference/configuration
app = "docs-api"
primary_region = "iad"

[http_service]
  internal_port = 8080
  force_https = true
  auto_stop_machines = "stop"
  auto_start_machines = true
  min_machines_running = 0

[[vm]]
  size = "shared-cpu-1x"
  memory = "256mb"

# fly launch && fly deploy
# The Machine runs your Dockerfile. Object storage, the embed
# job, and the vector DB are still services you wire yourself.
# Fly.io is not the multimodal table.
```

## When to choose Pixeltable

- **The app is media, models, and retrieval**: One Python file for tables, computed columns, indexes, and HTTP. A coding agent writes it; you review one diff. pip install pixeltable. Cloud is Limited Beta.
- **You were about to glue FastAPI to object storage, a worker, and a vector DB on Fly**: Fly.io will host that stack close to users. Pixeltable replaces the glue for this job, whether you run it locally or as the process a Machine deploys.

## When to choose Fly.io

- **You need Machines in many regions, not only a Pixeltable schema**: Any container, Anycast HTTP, autostop/autostart. Fly.io is the host. Docs: https://docs.fly.io/launch/deploy
- **You want per-second Machines with no platform seat fee**: shared-cpu-1x / 256 MB is $2.19 per 30 days in iad/ewr. Stopped Machines pay rootfs only. https://fly.io/docs/about/pricing/

## Making the right choice

### Complementary, not a swap

- Fly.io hosts the Machine. Pixeltable is the schema inside it (or on Pixeltable Cloud, Limited Beta).
- A typical glue stack on Fly is still object storage + a worker Machine + a vector DB + FastAPI. The host does not collapse those boxes.
- To run together: mount FastAPIRouter on uvicorn (docs.pixeltable.com/howto/deployment/serving) and point [http_service] at that port, or keep Cloud as the catalog and Fly as another app.
- Same aisle as Railway, Render, Modal, and Vercel: serving and deploy, not the multimodal table.

## FAQ

### Is Pixeltable a Fly.io alternative?

No. Fly.io is a hosting platform for Machines. Pixeltable is database + orchestration + serving in one Python file. Fly.io can host that file. Pixeltable does not replace Fly.io for arbitrary apps.

### Can I deploy Pixeltable on Fly.io?

Yes. Pixeltable is open source: pip install pixeltable. Serve with FastAPIRouter on uvicorn, or pxt service update locally. Fly.io runs the Machine. Pixeltable Cloud is a separate Limited Beta host, not a requirement.

### Where were these facts checked?

Last reviewed: Oct 2026. fly.toml: https://docs.fly.io/reference/configuration. Deploy: https://docs.fly.io/launch/deploy. Pricing: https://fly.io/docs/about/pricing/ and https://fly.io/pricing. Pixeltable serving: https://docs.pixeltable.com/howto/deployment/serving.