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Most budget airlines stick you with just a personal item (like a backpack) for free, then charge separately for carry-on and checked bags - but the catch is that "personal item" sizes vary so much between carriers that what flies on one airline gets flagged at the gate on another. You really do need to look up your specific carrier because even calling them budget doesn't mean they follow the same playbook; some throw in a small carry-on while others nickel-and-dime you from the start.
Check your specific airline's website because the rules vary wildly - some let you bring one small bag free, others charge for anything beyond a personal item, and a few include a carry-on but charge extra for checked luggage.
The tricky part is that "budget airline" doesn't really mean a standardized thing anymore - what Ryanair does looks completely different from what Southwest offers, and even within the same carrier your allowance changes based on which fare tier you bought. The real gotcha most people miss is that the free personal item (like a small backpack) is often genuinely tiny, and if your bag doesn't fit in their sizer frame at the gate, you're paying the overage fee right then and there. It's less about what the policy says and more about what actually fits through their physical checks at boarding.
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