The Heroku Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Heroku in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Heroku
The Insider’s Guide
Platform for deploying apps in containers called dynos
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among web hosts, read from Heroku’s own pages.
Made by Salesforce · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Heroku’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Heroku’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
1.8
GPA, above 9 of the 54 other web hosts we grade
Heroku is a platform-as-a-service owned by Salesforce. Apps run in managed containers called dynos, deployed with Git or Docker, and the platform adds managed databases such as Postgres and a key-value store, an add-on marketplace and managed AI inference. Dynos are priced by tier per month, and databases are priced separately.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Heroku, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for developers deploying apps without managing servers
Heroku is a platform for running apps in managed containers, with Postgres and add-ons around them.
- 2
Paid plans start at $5 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $5 per month for an Eco dyno plan.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
Dynos
Apps run in managed containers deployed with Git or Docker. The Cedar generation is the full-integration option and Fir is the Kubernetes-based one.
- 5
Managed data services
Heroku Postgres, Key-Value Store and Apache Kafka run as managed services, with Postgres plans starting at $5 a month.
- 6
Language support
The site lists Python, .NET, Java, Node.js, Go, PHP, Ruby, Scala and Clojure.
- 7
A 1.8 GPA, above 9 of 54
That is against the other web hosts we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
Nothing Heroku does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 4 things listed below take a company.
Heroku at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid, from $5 per month for an Eco dyno plan
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Salesforce
- Category
- Web Hosting
- Our grade
- 1.8 GPA, weak
The report card
Best for developers deploying apps without managing servers
Heroku is a platform for running apps in managed containers, with Postgres and add-ons around them. It starts at $5 a month, but there's no free plan, the cheap Eco dynos sleep after 30 minutes, and you're working from the command line and Git.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Eco is $5 a month and Basic $7, but always-on scaling and metrics start at $25 per dyno, and a Postgres database is billed separately from $5. |
| Free plan and trial | F | No free plan and no trial are listed anywhere on the pages read. |
| Features | B | Dynos, managed Postgres and key-value, an add-ons marketplace, many languages, zero-downtime deploys and AI inference. |
| Ease of use | D | No store rating on record. You deploy with Git or Docker and a command line, which puts it below 3.8 on our ladder. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | A web platform with a Git and Docker workflow and a large add-on marketplace. No desktop or phone apps. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Heroku is for
- Fits if you are a developer who wants to push code and not run servers
- Makes sense if you want managed Postgres next to your app
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as the lowest tier is $5 a month
- Tight if you need an app awake, because Eco dynos sleep after 30 minutes and are for personal accounts only
- Pricey as you scale, since prices are per dyno and the database is billed separately
- Watch out: Eco charges the $5 in full even if you subscribe mid-month
Good to know
Good for
- Developers who want to deploy an app from Git without running servers
- Small apps and prototypes on the $5 Eco or $7 Basic dyno
- Teams already in the Salesforce ecosystem
Worth knowing
- No free plan is listed on the pricing page; the lowest dyno price is $5 a month.
- Eco dynos are for personal accounts only and sleep after 30 minutes without traffic.
- Databases are priced separately from dynos: Postgres Essential-0 is $5 a month for 1 GB of storage.
- Dyno prices are per dyno, so running several dynos multiplies the monthly cost.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$5
A month to start
Heroku is a paid product, starting at $5 per month for an Eco dyno plan.
No free plan and no trial are listed anywhere on the pages read.
Eco
$5
per month, a shared pool of 1,000 dyno hours
0.5 GB RAM, personal accounts only, two process types. Dynos sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity. The $5 is charged in full for the month even if you subscribe late.
Basic
$7
per dyno / month
0.5 GB RAM, always on, free SSL and up to 10 process types.
Standard-1X
$25
per dyno / month
0.5 GB RAM with horizontal scaling, app metrics and alerts, preboot and zero-downtime deploys.
Standard-2X
$50
per dyno / month
1 GB RAM with the Standard-1X features.
Performance-M
$250
per dyno / month
2.5 GB RAM on dedicated compute with autoscaling.
Performance-L
$500
per dyno / month
14 GB RAM on dedicated compute with autoscaling. Performance-XL is $750 with 62 GB RAM.
Read from heroku.com on Nov 12, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Platform for deploying apps in containers called dynos. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, databases.
Dynos, managed Postgres and key-value, an add-ons marketplace, many languages, zero-downtime deploys and AI inference.
- Dynos
- Apps run in managed containers deployed with Git or Docker. The Cedar generation is the full-integration option and Fir is the Kubernetes-based one.
- Managed data services
- Heroku Postgres, Key-Value Store and Apache Kafka run as managed services, with Postgres plans starting at $5 a month.
- Language support
- The site lists Python, .NET, Java, Node.js, Go, PHP, Ruby, Scala and Clojure.
- Add-ons marketplace
- Heroku Elements lists add-ons, integrations and buildpacks that extend an app.
- Zero-downtime deploys and scaling
- Standard dynos add preboot, horizontal scaling and metrics, and Performance dynos add dedicated compute and autoscaling.
- Heroku AI
- Managed inference and agents, with MCP support, for building AI features into apps.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Salesforce
- Git
- Docker
- Postgres
- Apache Kafka
Heroku is made by Salesforce.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
9/54
Other web hosts it is graded above
Heroku's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 9 of the 54 other web hosts we grade, and level with 10.
It stands best on features (B, above 29 of 54) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $5 a month, against a middle price of $9 for the category: 19 of the 52 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 55 web hosts we grade, cut by the letter each got. Heroku’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 5 of 54
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 54
- BFeaturesAbove 29 of 54
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 54
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 24 of 54
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 53 web hosts. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Heroku is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
Nothing Heroku does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 4 things listed below take a company.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 35 of the 54 other web hosts grade higher. It costs $60 a year.
What you could not
- Databases with views, filters and links between them.
- It plugs into other products, Salesforce, Git and Docker among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Heroku’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Render, Railway, Fly.io, DigitalOcean and Vercel
The 5 tools Heroku is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
Render
Free plan · from $25/mo
Cloud hosting for web services, databases and workers.
- Render has a free plan. Heroku does not.
- Render also covers workflow automation.
- 2.6GPA
Railway
Free trial · from $5/mo
App and database hosting billed by the second for usage.
- Only Railway lists iOS and Android apps.
- Railway also covers AI agents.
- 2.2GPA
Fly.io
Free trial · from $2.19/mo
Virtual machines and databases in 18 regions, billed per second.
- Fly.io also covers AI agents.
- 2.2GPA
DigitalOcean
Free plan · from $4/mo
Cloud servers, app hosting and managed databases for developers.
- DigitalOcean has a free plan. Heroku does not.
- 2.4GPA
Vercel
Free plan · from $20/mo
Git-based hosting for front-end and full-stack web apps.
- Vercel has a free plan. Heroku does not.
- Heroku also covers databases.
- Vercel also covers web analytics and page speed.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Heroku free?
No. Heroku is a paid product, starting at $5 per month for an Eco dyno plan.
How much does Heroku cost?
Heroku lists 6 plans. Eco: $5 per month, a shared pool of 1,000 dyno hours.
What platforms does Heroku work on?
Heroku is available on Web.
Does Heroku have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Heroku is listed for Web.
Does Heroku have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Heroku is listed for Web.
Is Heroku open source?
Heroku is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
What does Heroku integrate with?
Heroku's listing names Salesforce, Git, Docker, Postgres and Apache Kafka.
Who makes Heroku?
Heroku is made by Salesforce.
What are the alternatives to Heroku?
The closest alternatives to Heroku in our directory are Render, Railway, Fly.io, DigitalOcean and Vercel.
How does Heroku compare with other web hosts?
Heroku's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 9 of the 54 other web hosts we grade, and level with 10.
Is Heroku good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Heroku C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $5 a month, against a middle price of $9 for the category: 19 of the 52 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Heroku?
Nothing Heroku does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 4 things listed below take a company.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Heroku’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Heroku's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Salesforce. Prices change, so check heroku.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Heroku, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/heroku
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Heroku: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/heroku
Know someone choosing between web hosts?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/heroku/guide
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See our other guides
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- Web Hosting Insider's GuideEvery one of the 55 web hosts we grade, compared
- Cloudflare Pages Insider's GuideGit-based hosting for static sites and full-stack apps2.8 GPA
- Netlify Insider's GuideGit-based hosting for sites and web apps, priced by monthly credits2.8 GPA
- Northflank Insider's GuideContainer platform for services, jobs, databases and GPUs2.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Heroku’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Heroku is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Salesforce. Prices and plans change: check heroku.com before you buy.