Render offers 40% lower pricing starting at $7/month with modern infrastructure, while Heroku provides a mature ecosystem with 20+ years of developer trust and more add-on integrations. Render is better for cost-conscious teams, while Heroku suits enterprises prioritizing stability and extensive tooling.
Render vs Heroku — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Cloud platform supporting full-stack applications with native databases, background jobs, and server-side rendering.
Cloud Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) by Salesforce for deploying web applications with managed infrastructure.
Starting Monthly Price. Cold Start Time. Add-on Marketplace Size. Free Tier Availability. Database Included (Pro Plan). GitHub Integration Native Support. Global CDN Edge Locations
Choose Render if you prioritize cost efficiency, faster cold starts, and modern infrastructure—ideal for startups, side projects, and cost-sensitive teams. Choose Heroku if you need enterprise-grade reliability, extensive marketplace integrations, stronger organizational support, and don't mind higher pricing—better for established companies with larger budgets.
Render: Included on all plans | Heroku: N/A
Render: Core services only | Heroku: 60+ marketplace add-ons
Render: Git push, Docker push, GitHub/GitLab CI | Heroku: Git push, GitHub, Dropbox, API
Render: 14 days | Heroku: No free trial (paid only)
Render: PostgreSQL + Redis included | Heroku: N/A
Render: 6 native runtimes | Heroku: Node, Python, Ruby, Java, PHP, Go, Scala, Clojure
Render: Minimal (dashboard UI) | Heroku: N/A
Render: Automatic from Git | Heroku: N/A
Render: Not publicly limited | Heroku: N/A
Render: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis | Heroku: N/A
Render: Built-in native support | Heroku: N/A
Render: Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go, Rust equally | Heroku: N/A
Render: 1 PostgreSQL database (500MB), 100GB bandwidth/month | Heroku: N/A
Render: Full support (Web Services) | Heroku: N/A
Maximum Concurrent Users (Native Support)
Render: Limited (render.yaml declarative) | Heroku: N/A
Render: 750 free hours/month (~$37 value) | Heroku: N/A
Render: 1000-2000ms | Heroku: 3-5 seconds
Render: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB native | Heroku: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis (3 types)
Render: 3 (Web dashboard driven) | Heroku: N/A
Render: 50+ integrations | Heroku: 180+ add-ons
Render: Founded 2019 | Heroku: Founded 2007
Render: 99.9% (standard) | Heroku: 99.99%
Render: Yes (with limitations) | Heroku: No (discontinued 2022)
Render: 12 regional data centers | Heroku: ~6 regions
Render: 500 hours/month (30,000 minutes) | Heroku: N/A
Render: $7/month per service minimum | Heroku: N/A
Render: Native background jobs and queues | Heroku: N/A
Render: 30 seconds standard | Heroku: N/A
Render: N/A | Heroku: Discontinued (2022)
Render: N/A | Heroku: Built-in at all tiers
Render: N/A | Heroku: No (limited to buildpacks)
Render: N/A | Heroku: 180+ (official marketplace)
Cost for Standard Production App (2 dynos + add-ons)
Render: N/A | Heroku: Not native (dyno sleep = 30sec)
Render: N/A | Heroku: Yes, automatic on git push
Render: N/A | Heroku: None (discontinued)
Database Provisioning Cost (PostgreSQL Starter)
Cost for Production App (2 dynos/Droplets + DB)
Render: N/A | Heroku: 3-5 seconds (free dyno)
Render: N/A | Heroku: 150+ integrated add-ons
Render: N/A | Heroku: Limited (configuration over customization)
Render: N/A | Heroku: Discontinued (was free, now hobby tier $50/month)
Render vs Heroku — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Render vs Heroku. Contains 112 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Render vs Heroku — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Render vs Heroku.
Yes, significantly. Render starts at $7/month with included PostgreSQL at $9/month, while Heroku's minimum is $50/month for entry-level dynos without a database. For the same features, Render costs approximately 85% less than Heroku. A typical small app costs $16/month on Render vs $100+/month on Heroku.
Why is Heroku still popular if Render is cheaper?
Heroku maintains popularity due to 20+ years of ecosystem development, 180+ marketplace integrations, enterprise-grade support with 99.95% SLA, and organizational team management features. Large enterprises and established companies prioritize stability and extensive tooling over cost. Heroku's acquisition by Salesforce ($2.3B) also signals enterprise backing that some organizations prefer.
Does Render have a free tier like old Heroku?
Yes, Render offers a limited free tier with automatic sleep after 15 minutes of inactivity, making it suitable for development and low-traffic projects. Heroku discontinued its free tier in November 2022, making Render the better choice for hobbyists and students today.
Which has better performance—Render or Heroku?
Render generally performs better with cold start times of 500-800ms compared to Heroku's 1,500-3,000ms on standard dynos. Render also offers 13 global regions vs Heroku's 6 regions. However, Heroku's performance is more predictable for always-on applications with enterprise SLA guarantees. For variable workloads with cold starts, Render wins by 3-4x speed.
Can I migrate from Heroku to Render easily?
Migration is straightforward for most apps. Both support Procfiles, GitHub integration, and PostgreSQL. The process typically involves: (1) exporting your Heroku PostgreSQL database, (2) importing to Render, (3) connecting your GitHub repository to Render, and (4) setting environment variables. Most migrations take 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on app complexity.
Starting Monthly Price: Render has $7/month, while Heroku has $50/month (Eco Dynos).
Cold Start Time: Render has ~500-800ms, while Heroku has ~1,500-3,000ms (standard dynos).
Add-on Marketplace Size: Render has 50+ integrations, while Heroku has 180+ add-ons.
Free Tier Availability: Render has Yes (limited), while Heroku has No (discontinued Nov 2022).
Database Included (Pro Plan): Render has $9/month PostgreSQL, while Heroku has $50/month minimum.
Consider: GitHub Integration Native Support
GitHub Integration Native Support: Render has Yes, automated deploys, while Heroku has Yes, Heroku GitHub Deploys.
Global CDN Edge Locations: Render has 13 regions, while Heroku has 6 regions.