HEROKU FREE TIER ALTERNATIVE

The Best Heroku Alternatives in 2026

Deploy from GitHub with auto-sleep and auto-wake on a free tier that never asks for a card. Go Always-On from $12 a month, or try 24 hours of Always-On for $1 with no subscription.

Heroku moved to sustaining engineering on 6 February 2026: no new features, no new Enterprise contracts. Its free tier has been gone since November 2022.

Last verified 28 September 2026 against Heroku's pricing page, the Heroku Dev Center and SnapDeploy's free-tier docs.

Try Always-On for $1 Deploy Free

Heroku's Free Tier Is Gone. Here Is What You Get Instead.

Since 28 November 2022 Heroku has had no free plan. SnapDeploy's free tier is the replacement most hobby apps need, with the same Git-push workflow.

❌

Heroku (2026)

✗No free tier: removed 28 Nov 2022
✗Cheapest: Eco, $5 a month for 1,000 shared hours; sleeps after 30 minutes
✗Basic dyno that never sleeps: $7 a month each; Standard-1X: $25
✗Postgres Essential-0 $5, Key-Value Mini $3, on top
✗Sustaining engineering since 6 Feb 2026: no new features

✅

SnapDeploy (2026)

✓Free: 4 containers, 100 hours a month, 10 deploys a day, no credit card, no expiry
✓Sleeps after 15 minutes idle, wakes on the next visit; hours count only while running
✓Always-On from $12 a month per container; $1 Sprint Pack for a single day
✓Docker-native: Dockerfile, generated Dockerfile, public image or tarball
✓Redis from $12; PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, MariaDB from $29

SnapDeploy vs Heroku: Feature Comparison

What changes, and what does not, when you move.

Feature	SnapDeploy	Heroku
Free tier	4 containers, 100 hours a month, 10 deploys a day	None since Nov 2022
Cheapest paid option	$1 Sprint Pack for 24 hours; Always-On Small $12 a month	Eco $5 a month, sleeps after 30 min
One always-on 512 MB app	Always-On Small, $12 a month	Basic $7 a month; Standard-1X $25
Isolation	Own AWS Fargate task per container, free tier included: 0.25 vCPU and 512 MB reserved, nothing shared with other customers	Eco, Basic and Standard dynos are listed as not dedicated in Heroku's dyno table; dedicated starts at Performance
Docker	Native: any Dockerfile, image or tarball	Via heroku.yml or the container registry
Managed databases	Redis from $12; PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, MariaDB from $29	Postgres from $5, Key-Value Store from $3
Custom domains with HTTPS	With Always-On	On paid dynos
Deploy from GitHub	Auto-deploy on push
Product direction	Actively developed	Sustaining engineering since 6 Feb 2026

Why Developers Switch from Heroku to SnapDeploy

🚧

Heroku stopped evolving

On 6 February 2026 Heroku announced sustaining engineering: security and stability work only, no new features, and no new Enterprise contracts. Existing apps keep running, but the platform is not moving forward.

💰

A real free tier

4 containers, 100 running hours a month and 10 deploys a day with no card and no expiry. Containers sleep after 15 minutes idle and wake on the next visit, so hobby projects cost nothing.

🐳

Docker without the workarounds

A Dockerfile is built as written. Node.js, Python, Java, Go, Ruby, PHP and static sites get a Dockerfile generated from their build files, so a Procfile app moves without one.

⚡

Honest pricing

Always-On Small is $12 a month for 512 MB, about half a Standard-1X dyno at $25, and more than a Basic dyno at $7. A $1 Sprint Pack covers a launch day without a subscription.

Migrate from Heroku to SnapDeploy in Six Steps

About ten minutes for a typical app. Keep the Heroku app running until the last step, and there is no downtime.

Export the Heroku config vars

One command saves every variable to a file:

heroku config -a your-app-name --shell > .env

The file holds your secrets. Keep it out of the repository.

Create a free SnapDeploy account

Sign up with an email address or with GitHub. The free tier needs no card, so you can test the whole migration before committing to anything.

Create Free Account

Connect the GitHub repository

New Container, Deploy from GitHub, authorise SnapDeploy on GitHub, then pick the repository and branch. If the app lives in a subfolder, set the root directory; the form checks for build files before it starts.

The scopes requested are listed on the GitHub integration page. Your code stays on GitHub.

Add the environment variables

Paste the values from the .env file into the container settings. Secret-looking values are masked in the dashboard, and everything is stored on AWS with encryption at rest. Leave PORT out: SnapDeploy sets it, exactly as Heroku did.

DATABASE_URL

postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/db

SECRET_KEY

your-secret-key-here

Deploy

Click Deploy and watch the build log. A repository with a Dockerfile is built as written; a Procfile app without one gets a Dockerfile generated from its build files. The container comes up on its own HTTPS address.

Node.js Python Ruby Java Go PHP

Database and DNS

Keep Heroku Postgres for now by pointing the new app at the same DATABASE_URL, or move it: pg_dump on Heroku, restore into a managed PostgreSQL add-on here (from $29 a month) or any Postgres host. A custom domain comes with Always-On: add the domain in the dashboard and point an A record at the IP it shows. Switch DNS only after the new URL answers, then scale the Heroku dyno down.

A record → the IP shown in your domain settings

What Changes After the Move

The honest differences, so nothing surprises you in week two.

Sleep works differently

Eco dynos sleep after 30 minutes and wake on any request. A free SnapDeploy container sleeps after 15 minutes and wakes on a browser visit, in about 60 seconds; a webhook or a bot does not wake it. An app that must answer machines needs Always-On.

Hours instead of dyno-hours

Eco gives 1,000 shared hours for $5. The free tier gives 100 container-hours a month for $0, counted only while a container runs. Always-On has no hour limit.

Add-ons are a catalogue, not a marketplace

Heroku's marketplace has hundreds of add-ons. SnapDeploy runs Redis, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, MariaDB and RabbitMQ as managed services; anything else is reached by URL.

One container per deploy

Heroku runs several process types in one app. SnapDeploy runs one container per deploy, web services only today; a worker process becomes its own container or a queue consumer inside the web container.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Heroku alternative in 2026?

For a hobby project or a small app, SnapDeploy: a real free tier of 4 containers, 100 running hours a month and 10 deploys a day with no credit card, Docker-native builds from GitHub, and Always-On from $12 a month per container when the app must never sleep. Railway, Render and Fly.io are the other common choices; each is compared on this page and in the linked guide. Compare all 10 alternatives →

Does Heroku still have a free tier?

No. Heroku removed free dynos, free Postgres and free Redis on 28 November 2022. The cheapest plan is Eco at $5 a month for 1,000 shared dyno hours, with apps that sleep after 30 minutes; Basic dynos that never sleep are $7 a month each. Full status and pricing →

Is Heroku still being developed?

On 6 February 2026 Heroku announced a move to a sustaining engineering model: security, reliability and stability work, no new features, and no new Enterprise contracts, while existing customers keep running and existing enterprise contracts can renew.

How do I migrate from Heroku to SnapDeploy?

Export the config vars with heroku config, create a free SnapDeploy account, connect the GitHub repository, add the variables, deploy, then move or keep the database and switch DNS. Keep the Heroku app running until the new URL answers, so there is no downtime. The six steps are on this page.

Do I need to change my code to leave Heroku?

Rarely. A Procfile-based app gets a Dockerfile generated from its build files, or you add your own. The two things to check are the port, which SnapDeploy passes in the PORT variable exactly as Heroku does, and any Heroku-only add-on your code assumes.

What happens to my Heroku Postgres database?

Either keep it and point the new app at the same DATABASE_URL, or move it: pg_dump from Heroku, then restore into a managed PostgreSQL add-on on SnapDeploy, from $29 a month, or any other Postgres host. Redis add-ons start at $12.

Is SnapDeploy cheaper than Heroku?

For a free hobby app, yes: Heroku has no free tier. For one always-on 512 MB app, Heroku Basic at $7 is cheaper than Always-On Small at $12; against a Standard-1X dyno at $25 for the same 512 MB, SnapDeploy is about half. Compare the dyno you actually run. See full pricing →

What Developers Say

Real feedback from real developers using SnapDeploy

Shruti Madhav

Python Developer, 6 yrs experience

"Super smooth experience! I had my site up and running with just one click, and it didn't break the bank."

Shantanu Mokal

Python Developer, 7 yrs experience

"What I value most is its speed and simplicity: quick, clean, and easy to use, all at a price that's hard to beat. Removing the DevOps burden is simply a bonus."

Harsh Dubey

Frontend Developer (React), 5 yrs experience

"Used SnapDeploy for deploying my React Full Stack. I love the automated deployment on pushing to GitHub — makes life so easy for side projects."

Avishkar Jadhav

Java Full Stack Developer, 2 yrs experience

"SnapDeploy makes deploying containerized apps incredibly easy. The UI is beginner-friendly, deployments are quick, and managing containers feels effortless compared to traditional cloud setups."

Manish Kalpande

Backend Microservice Developer, 6 yrs experience

"Used SnapDeploy for a complex scenario involving Redis and Postgres. Works seamlessly — love the DB UI interfaces in the add-on sections."

Somdip Roy

Enterprise Architect, 15+ yrs experience

"I tried to deploy a polyrepo scenario with a Java backend and Angular frontend — two containers on the free tier — and it worked beyond my expectations. Great to see!"