Heroku review
Updated September 28, 2026 · ForgeCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Heroku suits developers and small businesses shipping apps on a managed platform, and its entry and renewal prices are the same, $5 at the start and $5 at renewal, so nothing jumps later. Support runs on email, phone, a help centre and a community, email, phone and help centre.
Key facts
- Best for
- Shipping containerised apps on a managed platform with predictable bills
- Intro price
- $5 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Renewal price
- $5 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Hosting types
- Paas, Containers, App-hosting, Managed-databases (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- Free-SSL, Staging (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Salesforce, Inc. (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2007 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Phone, Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Beginners, Small business, Enterprise
- Official website
- heroku.com
Apps and profiles
- Elsewhere
- WikidataWikipediaXLinkedIngithub.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- Entry price $5 and renewal price $5 are the same, so there is no introductory rate that expires.
- Platform as a service, containers, app hosting and managed databases sit in one place, paas, containers and app hosting.
- Free SSL and staging are part of the plan, free ssl and staging.
- Support covers email, phone, a help centre and a community, email, phone and help centre.
Cons
- Heroku's entry price of $5 sits above the site's median entry price of €2.99.
- The stated feature set is short, free ssl and staging, so plan extras run to free SSL and staging.
- Entry price ranks 175 of 282 on the site's entry price ranking.
Who it suits
- Small businesses that want to deploy an app without running a server, paas, containers and app hosting.
- Enterprise teams that want containers and managed databases under one roof, paas, containers and app hosting.
- Developers who want phone and email support from a US vendor, email, phone and help centre and US.
Who should look elsewhere
- Render, which lists a free entry price of $0, if paying nothing at the start matters most.
- Afrihost, at a ZAR 84 entry price, if a ZAR bill suits you better than a US dollar one.
- Hosting.cl, at a CLP 159,900 entry price, if you want local pricing in Chilean pesos.
Where it sits among rivals
On the site's entry price ranking, Heroku sits at 175 of 282, so its entry figure sits in the dearer part of the field compared. The renewal ranking reads better, at 65 of 179, which places the ongoing cost in the cheaper stretch of the brands compared.
Who runs it
Heroku runs under Salesforce, Inc., Salesforce, Inc., with headquarters in the US, US. It was founded in 2007, so the platform is long established rather than new. Support runs on email, phone, a help centre and a community, email, phone and help centre, giving both direct and self-serve routes.
How Heroku compares
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.1
8.8 vs 8.6- 8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.0- 8.8 vs 9.1
- 8.8 vs 9.3
- 8.8 vs 8.6
- 8.8 vs 9.1
8.8 vs 8.7
8.8 vs 9.1
8.8 vs 9.4
8.8 vs 9.4
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.1
8.8 vs 9.1
8.8 vs 9.1
8.8 vs 8.9
8.8 vs 8.8- 8.8 vs 8.8
- 8.8 vs 8.8
8.8 vs 8.7
8.8 vs 8.1
8.8 vs 8.0
Frequently asked questions
What does Heroku cost, and does the price change later?+
Heroku lists an entry price of $5 and a renewal price of $5, so the two figures match. There is no introductory rate that quietly expires after the first cycle. For comparison, Render lists a free entry price of $0.
What does the Heroku plan include?+
The stated feature set is free ssl and staging, which means free SSL and staging. Free SSL puts certificates in the plan rather than an add-on, and staging gives you a separate place to test a release before it goes live. Both sit alongside app hosting and containers, paas, containers and app hosting.
What kinds of hosting can I run on Heroku?+
Heroku covers paas, containers and app hosting, which is platform as a service, containers, app hosting and managed databases. That makes it a developer platform rather than traditional shared hosting, and it suits people who want to deploy an app without maintaining a server of their own.
How do I reach Heroku support?+
Support runs on email, phone and help centre, which is email, phone, a help centre and a community. The help centre and the community cover self-serve questions, while email and phone give direct routes to the company. Both of those direct channels sit alongside a US base, US.
Who is Heroku built for?+
Heroku aims at beginners, small business and enterprise, which covers beginners, small businesses and enterprise. Beginners get a managed platform to start from, small businesses get app hosting without server upkeep, and enterprise teams can turn to containers and managed databases, paas, containers and app hosting.
How does Heroku's pricing rank against other hosts?+
On entry price, Heroku ranks 175 of 282 among the brands compared, while at renewal it ranks 65 of 179. The site's median entry price is €2.99, so Heroku sits above the middle. Render lists $0 and Afrihost lists ZAR 84 at entry.
Which company runs Heroku, and where is it based?+
Heroku is run by Salesforce, Inc., Salesforce, Inc., and is headquartered in the US, US. It was founded in 2007. Pricing is listed in US dollars, with an entry price of $5 and a renewal price of $5, so another local currency changes what you actually pay.
Sources
- heroku.com checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience, Headquarters
“Scale up or out in an instant with Heroku, from tiny hobby projects to Black Friday-ready enterprise ecommerce sites.”
- heroku.com/about checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded, Hosting types, Legal entity
“Heroku was founded in 2007 by Orion Henry, James Lindenbaum, and Adam Wiggins.”
- heroku.com/pricing checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Features, Intro price, Renewal price
“Basic - Includes all Eco features - Free SSL”
- heroku.com/support checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“All Heroku customers receive access to documentation, Trailhead, Trailblazer communities, and our help portal to file tickets. ... Case Submission: Online, by email or phone at any time”
Compiled from 4 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Money-back period.
Related by the facts
Heroku
Shipping containerised apps on a managed platform with predictable bills