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Alternatives Heroku

On this page
  1. The short answer
  2. Pick by what you need
  3. Why people look for a Heroku alternative
  4. The alternatives
  5. At a glance
  6. How to choose
  7. Antideploy's limits
  8. Frequently asked questions
  9. Sources

The best Heroku alternatives in 2026

Last verified 21 September 2026. Antideploy wrote this page, and Antideploy is one of the nine options on it. So every statement about every platform, including Antideploy, comes from that platform's own pricing page or documentation, listed under Sources with the date it was checked. The list is grouped by what each platform is good for rather than ranked, and Antideploy's own limits are set out in full further down. If anything here is wrong or out of date, email antideploy@gmail.com and we will correct it within 48 hours.

The short answer

Heroku still runs, and on 6 February 2026 it said there is no change for customers using it today. But it also said it is moving to "a sustaining engineering model focused on stability, security, reliability, and support". For a platform you plan to build on for years, that is worth knowing, and it is why many teams are looking.

The closest replacement in how it works is Render: web services, background workers and cron jobs as service types, managed Postgres, and deploys from Git. Railway suits projects made of several services and databases, billed by use. Fly.io covers the regions Heroku's Common Runtime does not. Northflank has a free tier that does not sleep. Koyeb scales to zero, and Google Cloud Run bills by use with a large free allowance. DigitalOcean App Platform has fixed monthly prices. Antideploy fits apps a coding agent wrote. Coolify runs on your own server.

Pick by what you need

If you wantLook atWhy
The platform most like Heroku, with web, worker and cron servicesRenderService types for web, background workers and cron jobs, plus managed Postgres, from $7 a month per instance
Several services and databases in one project, billed by useRailwayLong-running containers, with Postgres, MySQL, Redis or MongoDB added in one click
Regions outside the US and EuropeFly.ioMachines in 17 listed regions on six continents, including Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney
A free tier that does not sleepNorthflankThe Developer Sandbox runs 2 services and a database on always-on compute
No monthly fee, and apps that sleep when nobody is using themKoyebA pay-as-you-go plan with one free instance and paid instances from $1.61 a month
A large free allowance on Google CloudGoogle Cloud Run2 million requests a month free, scaling with traffic
Fixed monthly instance pricesDigitalOcean App PlatformContainers from $5 a month, the same as a Heroku Eco dyno
A web app your coding agent wrote, with Postgres created for itAntideployIt reads the code and the web: line of a Procfile, creates the database, and is driven over an HTTP API
Full control on your own serverCoolifyOpen source and free to self-host; you pay only for the server

Why people look for a Heroku alternative

The alternatives

Render

Railway

Fly.io

Northflank

Koyeb

DigitalOcean App Platform

Google Cloud Run

Antideploy (this site)

Coolify (self-hosted)

At a glance

PlatformHow your app runsFree planPaid plans fromDatabase
HerokuDynos from a Procfile; 30 s to answer a requestNone$5 a month (Eco, sleeps)Heroku Postgres from $5 a month
RenderLong-running serverSleeps after 15 min, about 1 min to wake; not for production$7 a month per instanceManaged Postgres from $6 a month; the free one expires after 30 days
RailwayLong-running container$1 of usage a month$5 a month, including $5 of usagePostgres, MySQL, Redis or MongoDB in one click
Fly.ioMachines in many regions, billed per secondNone listedAbout $2 a month for the smallest machineManaged Postgres from $38 a month
NorthflankAlways-on services; your own cloud optional2 services and 1 database, no sleeping$2.70 a month for the smallest instanceManaged databases, one in the free sandbox
KoyebContainer that can scale to zero1 instance; sleeps after an hour idle$1.61 a month per instanceManaged Postgres, billed by the second
DigitalOcean App PlatformContainer on a fixed-size instance3 static sites$5 a monthDevelopment database $7 a month
Google Cloud RunAny container, billed by use2 million requests a month; billing account requiredUsage-basedSet up separately on Google Cloud
AntideployLong-running process in Singapore; sleeps when idle2 apps with a server; commercial use allowed₹799 a monthPostgres created automatically
CoolifyYour own serverSelf-hosted and free$5 a month (Cloud), plus your serverWhatever you run on your server

How to choose

  1. Do you run worker dynos? Render, Railway and Northflank run a worker as a separate service. Antideploy does not run separate worker processes.
  2. Does it need to stay on without paying? Northflank's Developer Sandbox is always on. Free tiers on Render, Koyeb and Antideploy put idle apps to sleep.
  3. Where are your users? Render has five regions, Fly.io lists 17, Koyeb's free instance runs in Frankfurt or Washington, D.C., and Antideploy runs in Singapore only.
  4. How much do you want to run yourself? Render, Railway, Northflank, Koyeb, DigitalOcean and Antideploy are managed. Fly.io gives you machines to configure. Coolify gives you the whole server.
  5. Do you want a predictable bill? Render, DigitalOcean and Antideploy price by instance or plan. Railway, Northflank, Fly.io, Koyeb and Cloud Run bill by use.

Antideploy's limits

Read these before choosing Antideploy:

Frequently asked questions

Is Heroku shutting down?

No. In "An Update on Heroku" on 6 February 2026, Heroku said it is "transitioning to a sustaining engineering model focused on stability, security, reliability, and support", that "Enterprise Account contracts will no longer be offered to new customers", and that "There is no change for customers using Heroku today."

What is the closest alternative to Heroku?

Render. It deploys from Git, runs web services, background workers and cron jobs as separate service types, and manages Postgres, which is the same shape as a Heroku app with its dynos and add-ons. An always-on instance starts at $7 a month, the same as a Heroku Basic dyno.

Is there a free alternative to Heroku?

Several, each with a catch. Northflank's Developer Sandbox runs 2 services and a database on compute that does not sleep. Render's free web service sleeps after 15 minutes and Render says not to use it in production. Koyeb gives one free instance that sleeps after an hour idle. Railway's free plan is $1 of usage a month. Google Cloud Run's free tier covers 2 million requests a month but needs a billing account. Antideploy's free plan runs 2 apps with a server that sleep when idle, and allows commercial use.

Can I use my Procfile on another platform?

Antideploy reads the web: line of a Procfile and uses it as the start command. On most other platforms you enter the start command in the service's settings or configuration file instead, and give each process type its own service.

How do I move a Heroku Postgres database?

Export it with pg_dump, then load it into the new database with pg_restore or psql, and set the new connection string as the app's DATABASE_URL. Do it during a quiet period, because writes made between the export and the switch are not copied.

Sources

Every price is as listed on the date shown. Prices change, so check the platform's own page before you commit.