Replit Free Tier Limits: Sleep Time, Performance & What to Know
Replit's free tier puts your app to sleep after ~5 minutes of inactivity, limits you to shared CPU and 512MB–1GB RAM, and restricts deployments and custom domains. These free tier limits make Replit excellent for learning and prototyping, but create real problems for anything production-facing. Below is a complete breakdown of every free tier restriction, how paid plans compare, and what to do when you outgrow Replit.
Key Takeaway: Replit gets you about 70% of the way to a working app. The last 30% typically requires either upgrading to a paid Replit plan or migrating to professional hosting to achieve production quality.
Replit Free Tier: Sleep Time, Limits & Restrictions
Replit offers a generous free tier for getting started, but it comes with important restrictions that affect how your app performs and whether it can serve real users. Here is exactly what you get on the free tier and where the limits are.
Sleep & Inactivity Behavior
On the free tier, your Replit app goes to sleep after approximately 5 minutes of inactivity. This means if no one visits or makes a request to your app for 5 minutes, Replit shuts down the container to save resources.
When the next visitor arrives, the app must "cold start" — spinning the container back up, loading your code, and reinitializing the server. This cold start takes 10 to 30 seconds depending on your app's size and dependencies. During this time, visitors see either a loading screen or a timeout error.
For personal projects and demos this is fine. For anything customer-facing — a SaaS app, a landing page, an API that other services call — 30 seconds of downtime on every visit is a dealbreaker.
CPU & Memory Limits
Free tier Repls run on shared, limited CPU and are capped at 512MB to 1GB of RAM. You share compute resources with other free-tier users on the same machine, so performance fluctuates depending on server load.
In practice, this means your app may run fine during testing but slow down significantly when multiple users hit it simultaneously, or when background tasks (database queries, API calls, file processing) consume the limited available memory.
Storage Limits
Free tier provides approximately 1GB of disk storage. This includes your code, dependencies (node_modules, pip packages, etc.), and any data your app writes to disk. For apps with large dependency trees or those that store user uploads, you can hit this ceiling quickly. Once storage is full, your app may fail to install packages or write files.
Deployment Restrictions
Free tier deployments are limited in scope. You get a replit.app subdomain (no custom domains), limited bandwidth, and restricted deployment options. You cannot connect your own domain name, which is a problem for any project that needs to look professional or build brand credibility. Additionally, free deployments may be subject to rate limiting and availability restrictions.
Always-On Availability
Always-on is not available on the free tier. This is the single biggest limitation for anyone trying to run a real application. Always-on keeps your app running 24/7 without sleeping, and it is only available on Replit Core ($20/month) or Teams plans. Without it, every visit after 5 minutes of inactivity triggers a cold start.
Free Tier vs Replit Core: Full Comparison
| Feature | Free Tier | Replit Core ($20/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Shared, limited | Dedicated, faster |
| Memory (RAM) | 512MB – 1GB | 4 – 8GB |
| Storage | ~1GB | 50GB+ |
| Sleep after inactivity | ~5 minutes | Always-on available |
| Cold start time | 10 – 30 seconds | Minimal |
| Custom domain | No | Yes |
| Deployments | Limited | Full |
| AI Agent usage | Basic | Advanced, more prompts |
Ready to move beyond Replit's limits?
If you've hit Replit's free tier ceiling, here's how to take your app to production: Ship Your Replit App: From Free Tier to Production →
Other Limitations of Replit
Beyond free tier restrictions, Replit has broader limitations that affect users on all plans, including paid.
Performance Limitations
Even on paid plans, Replit's shared infrastructure means performance can be unpredictable. Production apps can be slow or hit resource caps during traffic spikes compared to dedicated cloud hosting like Vercel, AWS, or Railway.
Vendor Lock-in Concerns
Projects are deeply integrated with Replit's infrastructure. Migrating to standard hosting requires significant work, including reworking deployment configs, environment variables, and sometimes the project structure itself.
Not Enterprise-Ready
Limited security controls, compliance features, and infrastructure customization compared to professional hosting solutions. Not suitable for apps handling sensitive data or requiring SOC 2 / HIPAA compliance.
Agent Inconsistency
Replit Agent can produce working code or completely miss the mark. Results vary significantly between projects and prompts, making it unreliable for complex applications.
When Replit Works Well
Replit is best for: Learning, prototyping, hackathons, quick demos
- Instant cloud environment — no local setup required
- AI Agent helps scaffold apps quickly
- Built-in deployment for sharing demos
- Collaborative features for pair programming
When to Avoid Replit
Replit is NOT suitable for: Production applications, enterprise software, high-traffic sites
- Free tier apps sleep after 5 minutes — too slow for real users
- Resource limits cause failures during traffic spikes or demos
- Vendor lock-in makes exporting and migrating difficult
- Agent generates inconsistent or broken code on complex projects
Taking Your Replit Project to Production
If you have outgrown Replit's free tier (or even its paid plans), the typical path forward is: export your code, migrate to standard hosting (Vercel, AWS, Railway, etc.), refactor for performance, and implement proper DevOps and CI/CD.
Need help taking your Replit project to production?
We specialize in taking AI-built prototypes and turning them into production-ready applications. Our team has rescued dozens of Replit projects.
Learn About Our Prototype-to-Production Service →Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Replit free tier sleep?
Replit free tier apps go to sleep after approximately 5 minutes of inactivity. When a user visits the app again, it must "wake up" which causes a cold start delay of 10 to 30 seconds. During this time visitors see a loading screen or timeout error.
What are the Replit free tier limits?
Replit free tier includes shared/limited CPU, 512MB to 1GB RAM, approximately 1GB storage, no custom domains, limited deployments, and apps that sleep after 5 minutes of inactivity. These limits make it suitable for learning and prototyping but not for production applications.
Does Replit free tier have always-on?
No. Always-on is only available on Replit's paid plans (Replit Core at $20/month or Teams). Free tier apps will always sleep after approximately 5 minutes of inactivity and require a cold start to wake up.
Can I deploy a production app on Replit free tier?
Not recommended. Replit free tier has significant limitations including sleeping after inactivity, limited CPU/memory, no custom domains, and restricted deployments. For production applications, you should either upgrade to a paid Replit plan or migrate to professional hosting like Vercel, AWS, or Railway.
Can I run a production business on Replit?
Not recommended. Replit is great for prototypes but lacks the performance, security, and reliability needed for production businesses. Plan to migrate to professional hosting.
Why is my Replit app so slow?
Free tier has limited CPU and memory. Apps sleep after inactivity and take 10 to 30 seconds to wake up. Even when running, shared CPU resources mean performance degrades under load. Paid plans help but still have limits compared to dedicated hosting.
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