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Scalingo alternatives: 4 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Scalingo: regions limited to France, and smaller add-on ecosystem than Heroku. We ranked 4 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Scalingo, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Clever Cloud currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Clever Cloud logoClever CloudPaidNoWeb3 of 366.5
2Heroku logoHerokuPaidNoWeb4 of 462.6
3Upsun logoUpsunPaidNoWeb3 of 359.6
4Render logoRenderFree plan + paidNoWeb3 of 357.2
  1. Clever Cloud logo

    1. Clever CloudTop pick

    Best for: European companies that need a PaaS with data kept under EU jurisdiction

    PaidWeb

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Scalingo

    French PaaS with more runtimes and similar compliance credentials.

    Pros

    • European hosting with ISO 27001, HDS and SecNumCloud options
    • Wide range of runtimes and managed databases
    • Free credits to start without a card

    Cons

    • Smaller community and fewer guides than US platforms
    • Pricing pages are detailed and take time to compare
    • No permanent free tier
    Visit Clever Cloud Details 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 Clever Cloud a good Scalingo alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Free credits
    On sign-up, no card required
    Checked Oct 25, 2026clever-cloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Compliance
    HDS, ISO 27001, SecNumCloud
    Checked Oct 25, 2026clever-cloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pricing basis
    Instance size and number
    Checked Oct 25, 2026clever-cloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Heroku logo

    2. Heroku

    Best for: Teams with existing Heroku apps that value a stable, well-known git-push workflow

    PaidWeb

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Scalingo

    The original buildpack platform with a larger ecosystem.

    Pros

    • Simple git-push deploys with mature buildpacks
    • Large add-on marketplace
    • Pipelines and review apps for staging workflows

    Cons

    • 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
    Visit Heroku 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 Heroku a good Scalingo alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Cheapest dyno
    Eco, $5
    Checked Oct 25, 2026heroku.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Basic dyno
    $7
    Checked Oct 25, 2026heroku.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Eco dyno sleep
    After 30 minutes idle
    Checked Oct 25, 2026heroku.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Engineering model
    Sustaining engineering (since Feb 2026)
    Checked Oct 25, 2026heroku.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Upsun logo

    3. Upsun

    Best for: Agencies and teams running PHP and multi-service apps who want production clones per branch

    PaidWeb

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Scalingo

    European-founded platform with full-stack branch environments.

    Pros

    • Full-stack preview environments with data for every branch
    • Strong support for PHP frameworks and CMSs
    • Infrastructure defined in the repository

    Cons

    • Configuration is more involved than simple PaaS
    • Costs rise with many active environments
    • Less suited to hobby projects
    Visit Upsun 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 Upsun a good Scalingo alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Free trial
    15 days, no card
    Checked Oct 25, 2026upsun.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Preview environments
    Full-stack, every branch
    Checked Oct 25, 2026upsun.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Automation
    Git-driven
    Checked Oct 25, 2026upsun.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Render logo

    4. Render

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

    Free plan + paidWeb

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Scalingo

    Heroku-like PaaS with a free tier, hosted in the US and EU.

    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 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 Render a good Scalingo 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)

The best Scalingo alternative for…

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

Clever Cloud logo

Best Scalingo alternative for most people

Clever Cloud

French PaaS with more runtimes and similar compliance credentials.

Render logo

Best Scalingo alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Render

Heroku-like PaaS with a free tier, hosted in the US and EU.

Heroku logo

Best Scalingo alternative for working in the browser

Heroku

The original buildpack platform with a larger ecosystem.

Scalingo alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Scalingo?

Clever Cloud ranks first right now. French PaaS with more runtimes and similar compliance credentials. Heroku and Upsun follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Scalingo?

Yes. Render (free plan + paid) has a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Scalingo?

None of the 4 alternatives in this list is open source.

Why do people switch from Scalingo?

The complaints we hear most: regions limited to France; smaller add-on ecosystem than Heroku; no permanent free tier.

How is this list ranked?

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