Why does my Render app take a minute to load? The free plan spins down
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Source checked 6 Oct 2026 · Published 23 Oct 2026 · Last reviewed 23 Oct 2026 · By Ctrl+Z Therapy (how we test)
The short answer
On Render's free plan, a web service that goes 15 minutes without any inbound traffic spins down, and the next visitor waits while it spins up again. Render says this takes about one minute. Whenever a service spins down, any changes to its local filesystem are lost. The bigger risk is the database: free Render Postgres databases expire 30 days after creation, and after a 14-day grace period to upgrade, Render deletes the database along with all of its data.
What to do
- Don't keep uploads or a SQLite file on the service's own disk.
- Move the service itself to a paid plan. Upgrading your workspace plan does not remove the limitations on free instances.
- Free database? Note its creation date, and upgrade or move the data out before day 30.
Good to know
- Render says not to use free instances for production.
- Pinging the service to keep it awake isn't in Render's docs, and we don't recommend it.
Source
Checked on 6 Oct 2026. Prices, limits and settings change, so check the source before you rely on them.