Heroku
Cloud application platform for rapid app deployment without infrastructure management
Heroku is a fully managed Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) built on AWS that allows developers to deploy applications directly from Git without managing underlying infrastructure. It provides integrated container management via dynos, managed databases (Postgres, Redis), and a rich ecosystem of add-ons for rapid development cycles.
How we scored it
Six-factor weighted score. Each dimension scored 0–10 by our editorial team across testing periods of 3–18 months. No vendor influence.
What it actually costs
Intro pricing shown — see the renewal note for what you'll pay after the introductory term. We don't hide the second-act price.
The real cost
What you'll actually pay across 4 years, including the renewal cliff. We blend the math so you see the true monthly cost.
When the bill actually arrives
Most hosts advertise intro pricing prominently and renewal pricing in the fine print. Here\'s the trajectory drawn to scale.
Heroku against the field
The highest-scoring alternatives in the same category, compared on the figures we hold for all of them.
| HerokuThis page | Supabase | GitHub | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ReviewCost score | 6.8/10 | 8.7/10 | 8.7/10 |
| Cheapest plan | Eco | — | — |
| From | $5.00/mo | — | — |
| Renews at | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Biggest strength | Simplest deployment workflow—git push deploys live, eliminating infrastructure overhead | Postgres foundation means you're not locked into a proprietary database — you can self-host or migrate if needed | GitHub Copilot demonstrably accelerates development — customers like Duolingo report 25% speed gains and Mercado Libre cuts coding time by 50% |
| Biggest drawback | Expensive at scale—total bill compounds quickly when adding dynos, databases, and add-ons; production stacks often exceed $100/month | Dashboard can be overwhelming for developers new to Postgres — the SQL editor and migration tools assume some database literacy | Pricing can become punitive at scale — enterprise features and Copilot seats add up quickly for larger teams, making alternatives like GitLab worth evaluating |
Prices are the published figures at the time of writing and change often. Renewal pricing is shown where the vendor publishes it. See how we review.
What people ask about Heroku
Straight answers to what buyers actually ask, drawn from the documentation and published user reports.