Heroku: Pricing, Features & Alternatives
Heroku is the classic platform-as-a-service that popularized `git push heroku main` deploys, buildpacks, and add-ons. It removed its free tier in late 2022; today the cheapest options are Eco dynos ($5/mo, shared 1,000 hours, sleeps) and Basic dynos ($7/mo, always-on). Still a fast, batteries-included way to ship without managing servers.
Who it’s for: Teams that want the original git-push PaaS with buildpacks for many languages and a large add-on marketplace.
Category
Hosting
Pricing
From $5/mo
Free tier
No
Best for
Hosting — git-push deploys, buildpacks, add-on marketplace
Heroku at a Glance
- What it is
- Managed platform as a service (PaaS)
- How you pay
- Fixed monthly price per dyno
- Free access
- None; Eco dynos from $5 a month
- What it runs
- Web and worker dynos in most languages; Postgres, Key-Value
- Who runs the servers
- Fully managed
Checked November 2026 against Heroku pricing.
Heroku Pricing Plans (2026)
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| EcoPopular | $5 / month |
| Basic | $7 / month per dyno |
| Standard / Performance | From $25 / month |
Pricing summary: From $5/mo. Always confirm current pricing on the official site.
Key Heroku Features
- Eco dynos $5 a month; they sleep after 30 minutes idle
- Basic dynos $7 a month, always on
- Standard-1X $25 and Standard-2X $50 a month
- Heroku Postgres from $5 a month (Essential-0)
- Fir, a Kubernetes-based generation, from $25 a month in Private Spaces
- No free tier
Pros
- +Dead-simple git-push deploys
- +Language-agnostic buildpacks
- +Rich add-on marketplace
- +Mature and reliable
Cons
- −No free tier since 2022
- −Expensive at scale
- −Eco dynos sleep when idle
- −Slower innovation under Salesforce
Best Heroku Alternatives
Compare allHeroku Compared
Heroku FAQ
What is Heroku used for?⌄
Heroku is a hosting tool. The original git-push PaaS — deploy apps in any language with zero infra, now Salesforce-owned (no free tier).
Is Heroku free?⌄
Heroku does not offer a permanent free tier; paid plans start at $5/month.
How much does Heroku cost?⌄
Heroku plans start at $5/month.
What are the best Heroku alternatives?⌄
Popular Heroku alternatives include Vercel, Railway, Render, Cloudflare Pages & Workers, Netlify. Compare pricing and features on our Heroku alternatives page.
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