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Should I Use Heroku?
Experience fully managed app hosting that just works. Build, deploy, and scale on the battle-tested platform that defines the industry.
Depends
DependsBuy Heroku if you want zero-ops deploys and will pay a premium for convenience, especially on Rails, Django, Node, or with Salesforce.
Easiest deploys in the business, but no free tier and rising prices. Pay for convenience or go cheaper elsewhere.
Confidence: Medium
~$5/mo
Starting price
Eco/Mini low-cost plans added 2022
No
Free tier
Eliminated Aug 2022, citing fraud and abuse
$212M
Acquired
By Salesforce, 2010
Value for money
2
Repeatedly called expensive; enterprise prices rising
Ease of use
5
Deploys famously simple; fully managed
Feature depth
4
Mature add-ons, managed Postgres/Redis, Salesforce Connect
Support quality
2
Multiple complaints, including breach-report handling
Security posture
3
Strong compliance, but 2022 credential-theft breach
Pros
Cons
Gotchas
- highConsumption pricing stacks up: dynos plus add-ons plus managed data services; enterprise tier rising10
- highAttackers used stolen OAuth tokens to steal customer credentials; support response criticized⁷
- mediumNo free tier since 2022; entry now starts with paid Eco/Mini plans⁴
- mediumDyno/buildpack lock-in makes migrating to other platforms a known pain point
Best for
- Rails/Django/Node teams wanting zero-ops deploys
- Salesforce-centric shops (Heroku Connect)
- Startups to mid-size SaaS prioritizing speed
- Teams avoiding DevOps hiring
Not for
- Hobbyists wanting a free tier — eliminated in 2022
- Cost-sensitive teams; plain VMs, Railway, or Render cost far less
- Solo devs hosting one simple app — overkill
- Teams needing deep infrastructure control or Kubernetes-style config
Companies that use it
- Hotel Engine
- Yonomi
- Sciometrix
Pricing
Eco / Mini
Low-cost entry (~$5/mo)
- Small dynos for light apps
- Added in 2022 after free tier cut
Standard / Performance
Usage-based per dyno
- Production dynos
- autoscaling and add-ons extra
Private Spaces / Enterprise
Premium, recently raised
- Isolated network
- Compliance features
- Prices increased per user reports
Security
ISO/SOC/HIPAA/PCI compliant, but a 2022 attack using stolen OAuth tokens exposed customer credentials.
- 2022 credential theft via stolen OAuth tokensHeroku admitted attackers used stolen OAuth tokens to access and steal customer account credentials; broader impact than first disclosed.⁷
- Support criticized on breach handlingA user publicly reported extreme disappointment after an account security breach went unaddressed by Heroku support.12
What users say
Reviewers still praise the effortless deploys but increasingly complain about price, support, and whether Heroku has fallen behind newer platforms.
“Is Heroku still worth using in 2025, or has it fallen too far behind newer platforms?”
“Good Bye Heroku, We're Breaking Up.”
“It is easy to deploy new…”
Alternatives
Compare Heroku with each alternative.
Railway
Heroku-style deploys with usage pricing, positioned cheaper
Heroku vs RailwayRender
Heroku-like PaaS marketed strongly at frustrated Heroku migrants
Heroku vs RenderDigitalOcean App Platform
Simple app deploys on cheaper commodity infrastructure
Northflank
More control for teams outgrowing Heroku's limits
Heroku vs NorthflankFull analysis
Based on ~70 public sources: reviews, Reddit threads, pricing pages, security reports, and case studies. Several snippets were truncated.
Sources
review
- Heroku Reviews — Gartner Peer Insightsgartner.comreview
- Heroku Reviews — Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
news
- Salesforce buys Heroku for $212M — TechCrunchtechcrunch.comnews
- Heroku admits customer credentials stolen — BleepingComputerbleepingcomputer.comsecurity
- Heroku OAuth token attack — Dark Readingdarkreading.comsecurity
- Heroku Compliance & Certificationsheroku.comofficial
- Heroku Pricingheroku.comofficial
review
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