What Developers Say
Real feedback from real developers using SnapDeploy
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Join developers who switched from Heroku to SnapDeploy. Deploy free, forever.
HEROKU FREE TIER ALTERNATIVE
Deploy free, forever — auto-sleep when idle, auto-wake on traffic. Always-On from $12/mo.
Heroku entered maintenance mode in Feb 2026 — no new features planned. SnapDeploy is actively developed with a real free tier.
Since November 2022, Heroku no longer offers free hosting. SnapDeploy fills that gap with a generous free tier designed for developers.
See why developers are choosing SnapDeploy as their Heroku replacement
| Feature | SnapDeploy | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | Free forever (auto-sleep/wake) | None (discontinued) |
| Starting Price | Free (Always-On from $12/mo) | $5/month (Eco) |
| Production Price | Free (Always-On from $12/mo) | $25+/month (Standard-1X) |
| Deployment Time | ~3 minutes | 5-10 minutes |
| Docker Support | Native | Limited |
| Managed Databases | MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis | Postgres, Redis (paid) |
| Free SSL | ||
| Custom Domains |
In February 2026, Salesforce announced Heroku will receive no new features — only security patches. SnapDeploy ships new features every week.
Unlike Heroku's discontinued free tier, SnapDeploy lets you deploy free, forever. Containers auto-sleep when idle and auto-wake when traffic arrives — you pay nothing while sleeping.
SnapDeploy is built for Docker from day one. Deploy any containerized app without the limitations of Heroku's buildpack system.
Deploy free with auto-sleep/wake. Add Always-On from $12/mo per container vs Heroku's $25+ for scalable dynos. Managed databases available from $12/mo with a browser-based admin UI included.
No complex setup. No YAML files. Just connect and deploy.
Link your repository just like Heroku. Takes 30 seconds.
Copy your heroku config variables. Auto-detect framework.
Click deploy. Live in minutes with automatic SSL.
SnapDeploy is the best Heroku alternative for most developers. It offers a genuine free tier — deploy free forever with auto-sleep/wake — Docker-native hosting, and Always-On uptime from $12/mo. Other popular alternatives include Railway, Render, and Fly.io. Compare all 10 alternatives →
No. Heroku discontinued their free tier in November 2022. Free dynos, free Postgres, and free Redis are no longer available. The cheapest Heroku option is now the Eco dyno at $5/month, which sleeps after 30 minutes of inactivity.
SnapDeploy lets you deploy free forever with auto-sleep/wake (Heroku has no free tier). Always-On uptime starts at $12/mo per container. Heroku's Eco dyno starts at $5/month but sleeps after 30 minutes; production-ready Standard dynos start at $25/month. SnapDeploy offers managed databases from $12/mo; Heroku Postgres starts at $5/mo. See full pricing →
Yes! SnapDeploy auto-detects Python frameworks and configures them automatically. Just push your code - we'll install dependencies and run gunicorn/uvicorn. Works with Django, Flask, FastAPI, and any Python framework. See Python deployment guide →
No. In February 2026, Salesforce announced that Heroku has entered "sustaining engineering" mode — meaning no new features will be built. Heroku will only receive security patches and stability updates. This follows the free tier removal in 2022 and the end of new enterprise contracts. Platforms like SnapDeploy are actively developed with new features shipping regularly.
SnapDeploy's smart auto-sleep feature automatically pauses idle containers and wakes them instantly when traffic arrives. You pay nothing while containers sleep — deploy free, forever. Add Always-On from $12/mo per container if you need 24/7 uptime.
Real feedback from real developers using SnapDeploy
Join developers who switched from Heroku to SnapDeploy. Deploy free, forever.