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Heroku alternatives: 6 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Heroku: no free tier, and dynos cost more than newer platforms, and now in a sustaining engineering mode with few new features. We ranked 6 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Heroku, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Render currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Render logoRenderFree plan + paidNoWeb3 of 366.5
2Railway logoRailwayFree plan + paidNoWeb4 of 462.6
3Fly.io logoFly.ioPaidNoWeb4 of 459.6
4Dokku logoDokkuOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Linux3 of 357.2
5DigitalOcean App Platform logoDigitalOcean App PlatformFree plan + paidNoWeb4 of 455.3
6Scalingo logoScalingoPaidNoWeb3 of 353.6
  1. Render logo

    1. RenderTop pick

    Best for: Teams moving off Heroku who want services, workers, cron and Postgres in one place

    Free plan + paidWeb

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Heroku

    The most common Heroku replacement, with a similar model and a free tier.

    Pros

    • Runs web services, workers, cron jobs and static sites together
    • Managed Postgres and key-value store included
    • Infrastructure as code with Blueprints

    Cons

    • Free web services spin down after 15 minutes idle
    • Workspace fee on top of compute for teams
    • Fewer regions than the big clouds
    Visit Render Compare with HerokuDetails and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Render a good Heroku alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Free plan
    Hobby, $0/month plus compute
    Checked Oct 25, 2026render.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro plan
    $25/month plus compute
    Checked Oct 25, 2026render.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free instance spin-down
    After 15 minutes idle
    Checked Oct 25, 2026render.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Railway logo

    2. Railway

    Best for: Developers and small teams who want to deploy apps and databases quickly with usage billing

    Free plan + paidWeb

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Heroku

    Usage-based pricing and a polished dashboard for apps and databases.

    Pros

    • Visual canvas makes multi-service projects easy to understand
    • One-click databases and many templates
    • Pay only for resources actually used

    Cons

    • Trial credits run out quickly for always-on apps
    • Usage billing is less predictable than fixed plans
    • Fewer compliance options than the big clouds
    Visit Railway Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Railway a good Heroku alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free trial
    30 days with $5 credits
    Checked Oct 25, 2026railway.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Hobby plan
    $5 minimum usage
    Checked Oct 25, 2026railway.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro plan
    $20 minimum usage
    Checked Oct 25, 2026railway.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Billing
    Charges only for what your app uses
    Checked Oct 25, 2026railway.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Fly.io logo

    3. Fly.io

    Best for: Developers who want apps running in many regions with per-second, VM-level control

    PaidWeb

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Heroku

    Run apps as lightweight VMs in many regions, billed by the second.

    Pros

    • Run apps close to users in many regions
    • Machines boot fast and can stop when idle
    • Per-second billing with no platform fee

    Cons

    • More infrastructure concepts than simple PaaS options
    • CLI-first workflow with a thinner dashboard
    • No permanent free tier, only a trial
    Visit Fly.io Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Fly.io a good Heroku alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Smallest machine
    $2.19 per 30 days
    Checked Oct 25, 2026fly.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Platform fee
    None
    Checked Oct 25, 2026fly.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Regions
    18+
    Checked Oct 25, 2026fly.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Billing
    Per second
    Checked Oct 25, 2026fly.io(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Dokku logo

    4. Dokku

    Best for: Developers who want Heroku-style deploys for several small apps on one VPS

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Linux

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Heroku

    Open-source, self-hosted Heroku clone that accepts the same buildpacks.

    Pros

    • Heroku-compatible buildpacks and commands
    • Free, MIT-licensed and lightweight
    • Plugins for common databases and certificates

    Cons

    • Command-line first, with no free web dashboard
    • Designed around a single server
    • No built-in preview environments
    Visit Dokku Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Dokku a good Heroku alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    License
    MIT
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Positioning
    Open-source alternative to Heroku
    Checked Oct 25, 2026dokku.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Deploys
    Git push with Heroku buildpacks
    Checked Oct 25, 2026dokku.com(opens source in a new tab)
  5. DigitalOcean App Platform logo

    5. DigitalOcean App Platform

    Best for: Small teams who want simple, fixed-price app hosting next to DigitalOcean databases and Droplets

    Free plan + paidWeb

    55.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Heroku

    Buildpack-based PaaS with predictable monthly container pricing.

    Pros

    • Fixed monthly container prices
    • Free tier for static sites
    • Easy path to Droplets, Spaces and Kubernetes in the same account

    Cons

    • Fewer preview and collaboration features than Vercel or Render
    • Limited to DigitalOcean regions
    • Free tier covers static sites only
    Visit DigitalOcean App Platform Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is DigitalOcean App Platform a good Heroku alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free tier
    3 static site apps
    Checked Oct 25, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Paid tier
    From $5/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Git deploys
    GitHub and GitLab
    Checked Oct 25, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Platform type
    PaaS
    Checked Oct 25, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab)
  6. Scalingo logo

    6. Scalingo

    Best for: European teams wanting a Heroku-compatible PaaS with data hosted in France

    PaidWeb

    53.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Heroku

    European Heroku-style PaaS with similar buildpacks and add-ons.

    Pros

    • Heroku-style buildpacks make migration simple
    • ISO 27001, HDS and SecNumCloud options
    • Prices published per container size

    Cons

    • Regions limited to France
    • Smaller add-on ecosystem than Heroku
    • No permanent free tier
    Visit Scalingo Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.357
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Scalingo a good Heroku alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Smallest container
    7.20 € per month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026scalingo.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Compliance
    ISO 27001, HDS option
    Checked Oct 25, 2026scalingo.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Positioning
    European PaaS and DBaaS
    Checked Oct 25, 2026scalingo.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Heroku alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Render logo

Best Heroku alternative for most people

Render

The most common Heroku replacement, with a similar model and a free tier.

Dokku logo

Best Heroku alternative for a free option

Dokku

Open-source, self-hosted Heroku clone that accepts the same buildpacks.

Railway logo

Best Heroku alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Railway

Usage-based pricing and a polished dashboard for apps and databases.

Dokku logo

Best Heroku alternative for open source

Dokku

Open-source, self-hosted Heroku clone that accepts the same buildpacks.

Dokku logo

Best Heroku alternative for self-hosting

Dokku

Open-source, self-hosted Heroku clone that accepts the same buildpacks.

Dokku logo

Best Heroku alternative for Linux

Dokku

Open-source, self-hosted Heroku clone that accepts the same buildpacks.

Fly.io logo

Best Heroku alternative for working in the browser

Fly.io

Run apps as lightweight VMs in many regions, billed by the second.

Heroku alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Heroku?

Render ranks first right now. The most common Heroku replacement, with a similar model and a free tier. Railway and Fly.io follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Heroku?

Yes. Render (free plan + paid), Railway (free plan + paid), Dokku (open source) and DigitalOcean App Platform (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Heroku?

Yes: Dokku. Dokku can also be self-hosted.

Which Heroku alternatives work on Linux?

Dokku runs on Linux.

Why do people switch from Heroku?

The complaints we hear most: no free tier, and dynos cost more than newer platforms; now in a sustaining engineering mode with few new features; cheapest Eco dynos sleep when idle.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Heroku, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.