Scalingo vs Stackhero (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Scalingo grades higher than Stackhero: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Scalingo grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. Stackhero grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Scalingo
European PaaS and managed databases billed by the minute
Stackhero
Managed hosting for Node.js, Docker, databases and open-source apps
Which one is for you
Pick Scalingo if
- Fits if you want Heroku-style Git deploys and European regions
- Works for small apps that need a managed database
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: prices are in euros, exclude VAT and are on a 30-day basis
- Tight if uptime matters, as the 99.96% SLA is on the Business plan and starter databases are 98%
- Pricey if you add extras: a Docker image download costs €50 and OpenVPN €30 a month, both ex. VAT
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as it has only a 30-day trial
Pick Stackhero if
- Fits if you want a managed Node.js or database instance and hourly billing
- Works for developers who deploy by git push and want backups handled
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, because none is listed
- Tight if you run a tiny static site: sizes start at 1 vCPU and 1GB RAM
- Pricey if you stack services, since each one is billed separately, such as PostgreSQL from $19 a month
- Not for you if you don't use a terminal, as deploys are by git push
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAScalingoFair | 1.8GPAStackheroWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CA container starts at €7.20 a month and a starter database at €7.20, ex. VAT, in the ordinary range. Dollar prices are not shown. | CA Node.js instance is $15 a month, billed hourly, which sits between the $10.99 middle and the $20.83 dearer quarter. Larger sizes reach $299. |
| Free plan and trial | C30 days free per the pricing page. The page does not say here whether a card is needed. | FNo free plan or trial. The buttons say Try now for free, but the pages read state no trial terms. |
| Features | CGit deploys, managed databases and vector search. Starter databases run on one node with a 98% SLA, a gap, as the 99.96% SLA is on Business. | BGit-push deploys, dedicated instances, daily backups kept up to 3 months, one-click updates and a 99.9% SLA across a large service catalog. Nothing in the listing is missing from the core hosting job. |
| Ease of use | CDeploys follow a Git workflow and databases need setting up, with no store rating on record. | DNo store rating on record. Deploys go through a terminal, GitHub Actions or CI, so you work on the command line. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb dashboard with a few integrations. No phone or desktop app. | BWeb console with GitHub Actions, GitLab, Docker and database integrations, in US and EU regions. No desktop or phone apps. |
| Best for | Git-deployed apps with European hosting | managed app and database instances billed by the hour |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Scalingo and Stackhero. How we grade
Price against what you get
Scalingo starts at about $8.04 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Stackhero starts at $15 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Scalingo starts $6.96 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 2 score higher than Scalingo for less, and 5 score higher than Stackhero for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Stackhero also covers dashboards.
At a glance
| Scalingo | Stackhero | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | €7.20 per month ex. VAT (smallest container or database) | $15 per month for a Node.js instance (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM), billed hourly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free for 30 days, per the pricing page description | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Scalingo SAS | Stackhero |
| Price read from | scalingo.com | stackhero.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Scalingo
- Prices are in euros, exclude VAT and are estimated on a 30-day basis; the page shows no dollar prices.
- Starter databases run on a single node with a 98% SLA; the 99.96% SLA is on the Business plan.
- Extra database storage is charged on top of the storage included in each plan.
- A Docker image download costs €50 and an OpenVPN option €30 per month, both ex. VAT.
Stackhero
- Each service is priced separately: a PostgreSQL instance, for example, starts at $19 a month and a Node.js instance at $15 a month.
- Sizes start at 1 vCPU and 1GB RAM, so there is no cheaper tier for very small static sites.
- Premium support is included in every plan, and the page states a 99.9% SLA with financial compensation.
- Buttons read 'Try now for free', but the pricing pages read for this listing state no trial terms.
Key features
Scalingo
- Git-based deploys
- Connect a Git repository for deploys, with autoscaling on metrics and zero-downtime rolling deploys.
- Managed databases
- Offers PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, caching, Elasticsearch, OpenSearch and InfluxDB, with daily backups and PostgreSQL point-in-time recovery.
- Always-included extras
- Custom domains, Let's Encrypt SSL, metrics, unlimited collaborators and log archives come with every container.
- Sovereign and health regions
- A SecNumCloud region built on Outscale costs 20% more, and HDS plans exist for health data hosting.
- Vector search for AI apps
- Pgvector on PostgreSQL, plus ML and KNN features on OpenSearch, for semantic search and LLM applications.
Stackhero
- Deploy with git push
- Node.js apps are deployed from a terminal, GitHub Actions, GitLab or any CI/CD system, choosing a branch, tag or commit.
- Dedicated instances
- Each service runs on its own isolated infrastructure with NVMe or SSD disks, a dedicated IP, and TCP and UDP ports available.
- Large service catalog
- The catalog lists dozens of services, among them Docker, PHP, Python, Ruby, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Redis, Elasticsearch, GitLab, Nextcloud and Matomo.
- Backups and updates
- Backups are taken every 24 hours and kept for up to 3 months, restores are free, and updates are applied with one click.
- Hourly billing
- Instances can be created and deleted at any time, are billed by the hour and appear on one invoice at the end of the month.
- US and EU regions
- Servers are offered in the USA and in Europe, and the vendor says its hosting is independent of third-party clouds.
Plans
Scalingo
Container S€7.20
per month, ex. VAT, 30-day basis
256 MB RAM at low CPU priority. Sizes run to 3XL (8 GB RAM) at €230.40.
Container M€14.40
per month, ex. VAT, 30-day basis
512 MB RAM at standard CPU priority; L (1 GB) is €28.80 and XL (2 GB) is €57.60.
PostgreSQL Starter 512M€7.20
per month, ex. VAT, 30-day basis
512 MB RAM, 10 GB storage and 30 connections on a single node with a 98% SLA.
Stackhero
Hobby 1 GB$15
per month for one Node.js instance, billed hourly
1 vCPU, 1GB RAM and 10GB SSD storage for a Node.js app; about $0.02 an hour.
Hobby 2 GB$29
per month for one Node.js instance, billed hourly
1 vCPU, 2GB RAM and 20GB SSD storage; about $0.04 an hour.
Startup 8 GB$59
per month for one Node.js instance, billed hourly
2 vCPUs, 8GB RAM and 50GB SSD storage; about $0.08 an hour.
Startup 16 GB$99
per month for one Node.js instance, billed hourly
4 vCPUs, 16GB RAM and 100GB SSD storage; about $0.14 an hour.
Enterprise 32 GB$159
per month for one Node.js instance, billed hourly
8 vCPUs, 32GB RAM and 200GB SSD storage; about $0.22 an hour.
Enterprise 64 GB$299
per month for one Node.js instance, billed hourly
16 vCPUs, 64GB RAM and 400GB SSD storage; about $0.42 an hour.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Scalingo or Stackhero?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Scalingo is cheaper to start with: about $8.04 a month, against $15 a month for Stackhero. Scalingo starts at €7.20 per month ex. VAT (smallest container or database), and Stackhero starts at $15 per month for a Node.js instance (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM), billed hourly.
Which has a free plan, Scalingo or Stackhero?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Scalingo nor Stackhero has a free plan. Scalingo has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.