First, distinguish the kind of access
The same “free” starting point can mean recurring usage, free software you operate yourself, or a temporary trial. Our catalogue check found Fly.io still labelled Freemium even though its profile already described paid usage. The catalogue label now says Paid, with the trial documented separately. This corrects Fewertools’ classification; it is not a newly announced price increase.
Four examples, with the boundary left visible
Fly.io: a limited trial, then metered resources
For new organizations, the official pricing guide says there is no ongoing free tier. The trial ends after two hours of Machine runtime or seven days, whichever comes first. Certain resource allowances and legacy plans have separate terms.
The smallest listed compute example is USD 2.19 for 30 days of continuous runtime: shared-cpu-1x, 256 MB RAM, in Ashburn or Secaucus. Billing is by the second. North America/Europe outbound internet transfer is listed separately at USD 0.02/GB. A database, volumes and other resources add their own costs. This is not a complete application quote. Fly.io profile and billing scope.
Auphonic: recurring audio time with output limits
The Free allowance provides two processed audio hours per month with an Auphonic jingle. Credits do not carry over, and each production consumes at least three minutes. A short file can therefore use more allowance than its duration. Paid amounts were not established in this check. Auphonic source notes.
Artillery: reporting allowance, separate infrastructure
Artillery Cloud Free lists 30 reports per month, two members and one month of retention. Distributed tests allow up to five workers and 30 minutes per test. These are Artillery reporting and test quotas; they do not establish a total AWS or Azure infrastructure bill. Artillery source notes.
Authentik: free software you host
Authentik’s Open Source edition is free, but the provider says it does not currently offer a hosted version. Hosting and operational work remain separate; Enterprise features have their own subscriptions. We did not verify a paid quote or measure maintenance effort. Authentik source notes.
A five-field cost check
For each tool in a proposed stack, record these fields before putting a zero in the total. Leave an unknown cost blank instead of treating it as free.
- Access: recurring free plan, temporary trial, free software or paid service?
- Allowance: what unit is counted, what resets, and which limits apply?
- Trigger: what happens when the trial or allowance ends?
- Outside costs: hosting, storage, network, add-ons, extra seats and operational work.
- Evidence: official source, date, region, currency and billing basis.
Download the dated source receipts. These are documentation observations, not invoices or hands-on test results.
Apply it to your own stack
Use the stack cost calculator to record your actual costs and the pricing watchlist to save tools on this device. Unknown costs remain unknown; a saved watchlist does not send personalised alerts.
For help scoping a software decision, see Fewertools Services. Buying a service does not change a tool’s listing, recommendation or rank.
More dated research on Watch · Catalogue recheck and limitations