Heroku is a mature, user-friendly PaaS with higher pricing ($7-50+/month per dyno) but simpler deployment, while Fly.io offers 3x lower costs ($0.0000228/CPU-hour) and better performance for globally distributed apps with more technical overhead.
Heroku vs Fly.io — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
PaaS platform owned by Salesforce for deploying web apps with minimal DevOps knowledge.
Modern PaaS using edge computing with automatic global deployment across 28+ regions.
Starting Monthly Cost. Pricing Model. Global Edge Network. Setup Complexity. Free Tier Credits. Database Included. Container Support
Choose Heroku if you're a solo developer or startup prioritizing simplicity, rapid prototyping, and are willing to pay premium pricing for convenience without DevOps complexity. Choose Fly.io if you need cost efficiency, global distribution, Docker container flexibility, or run latency-sensitive applications—it's better for scaling and international users but requires more technical knowledge.
Heroku: $50 | Fly.io: Pay-as-you-go from $0
Heroku: Node, Python, Ruby, Java, PHP, Go, Scala, Clojure | Fly.io: Any Docker container
Heroku: 60+ marketplace add-ons | Fly.io: N/A
Heroku: Git push, GitHub, Dropbox, API | Fly.io: N/A
Heroku: No free trial (paid only) | Fly.io: N/A
Heroku: Discontinued (2022) | Fly.io: N/A
Heroku: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis (3 types) | Fly.io: 1 (PostgreSQL via Supabase)
Heroku: Built-in at all tiers | Fly.io: N/A
Heroku: No (limited to buildpacks) | Fly.io: N/A
Heroku: 180+ (official marketplace) | Fly.io: N/A
Cost for Standard Production App (2 dynos + add-ons)
Heroku: Not native (dyno sleep = 30sec) | Fly.io: N/A
Heroku: Yes, automatic on git push | Fly.io: N/A
Heroku: No (discontinued 2022) | Fly.io: N/A
Heroku: None (discontinued) | Fly.io: N/A
Database Provisioning Cost (PostgreSQL Starter)
Heroku: $12/month | Fly.io: $0.00 (free tier available)
Cost for Production App (2 dynos/Droplets + DB)
Heroku: 3-5 seconds (free dyno) | Fly.io: N/A
Heroku: 150+ integrated add-ons | Fly.io: N/A
Heroku: Limited (configuration over customization) | Fly.io: N/A
Heroku: Discontinued (was free, now hobby tier $50/month) | Fly.io: N/A
Heroku: $0.05 (shared dyno equivalent) | Fly.io: $0.0000228
Heroku: 15+ years (established 2011) | Fly.io: 4 years (launched 2021)
Heroku: $0 (discontinued, $7 minimum now) | Fly.io: $3
Heroku: N/A | Fly.io: PostgreSQL (paid add-on)
Heroku: N/A | Fly.io: Moderate (CLI-heavy)
Heroku: N/A | Fly.io: 1 GB included free
Heroku: N/A | Fly.io: Native Docker requirement
Heroku: N/A | Fly.io: Growing (4 years, ~50K-100K developers)
Heroku: N/A | Fly.io: 0 (external integration required)
Heroku: N/A | Fly.io: $0.0030 (shared-cpu-1x)
Heroku: N/A | Fly.io: Unlimited (no published per-hour cap)
Heroku: N/A | Fly.io: Yes; 3x 256MB shared VMs monthly
Heroku: N/A | Fly.io: Primary deployment method with auto-scaling
Heroku: N/A | Fly.io: 7 (CLI-first, config files)
Heroku vs Fly.io — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Heroku vs Fly.io. Contains 94 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Heroku vs Fly.io — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Heroku vs Fly.io.
Why is Fly.io so much cheaper than Heroku?
Fly.io uses a utility-based pricing model (pay-per-minute) and self-serve infrastructure without managed add-ons, while Heroku's dyno-based model includes managed services, support, and overhead. For a typical app, Heroku's $7 minimum + database ($9) + logging ($50) easily reaches $100+/month, whereas Fly.io's similar setup costs $15-25/month.
Can I migrate from Heroku to Fly.io easily?
Migration requires some effort. You'll need to: (1) containerize your app in Docker, (2) export your Heroku PostgreSQL database, (3) recreate it on Fly.io, (4) update your app's configuration. Most simple apps take 1-3 hours; complex multi-app setups may take longer. Heroku's Procfile won't work directly—you need a Dockerfile.
Yes, for specific use cases: rapid prototyping, non-technical founders, teams that value simplicity over cost, and apps with minimal scale. However, the 2022 free tier removal and price increases have pushed cost-conscious developers to Fly.io, Railway, and Render. Heroku remains strong for enterprises already locked into Salesforce ecosystems.
Which is better for a global SaaS product?
Fly.io wins decisively for global apps. Its 28 regions enable automatic edge deployment, 50-100ms latency worldwide, and per-minute billing scales efficiently. Heroku's 4 regions and dyno-based pricing become expensive for truly global workloads. Fly.io's architecture is designed for this; Heroku's is not.
Do I need Docker experience to use Fly.io?
Not required but highly recommended. Fly.io can auto-generate Dockerfiles for common frameworks (Rails, Django, Next.js), but understanding Docker basics helps with troubleshooting and customization. Heroku requires zero Docker knowledge, making it gentler for complete beginners.
Starting Monthly Cost: Heroku has $7 (basic dyno), while Fly.io has $0 (free tier with 3 shared-cpu VMs).
Pricing Model: Heroku has Per-dyno + add-ons (~$50-500/month typical), while Fly.io has Per-minute usage (~$0.0000228/CPU-hour).
Global Edge Network: Heroku has 4 primary regions (US, EU, Asia), while Fly.io has 28+ regions worldwide with automatic deployment.
Setup Complexity: Heroku has CLI-based, beginner-friendly (5-10 min deploy), while Fly.io has CLI-based with Docker, requires more config (15-30 min).
Free Tier Credits: Heroku has $50/month (discontinued Nov 2022, then $7 minimum), while Fly.io has $3/month always available, no credit card required.
Database Included: Heroku has PostgreSQL add-on starts at $9/month, while Fly.io has Managed PostgreSQL from $0 (dev tier).
Container Support: Heroku has Procfile-based buildpack system, while Fly.io has Native Docker containers, full control.