Vercel specializes in frontend deployment with superior performance for Next.js applications and offers a more generous free tier, while Heroku provides a more traditional full-stack platform with better support for diverse backend languages and databases, making them suited for different deployment needs.
Heroku vs Vercel — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Cloud Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) by Salesforce for deploying web applications with managed infrastructure.
Edge-first platform optimized for Next.js and modern full-stack web applications.
Primary Use Case. Free Tier Availability. Cold Start Time. Supported Languages. Database Ecosystem. Next.js Optimization. Starting Price
Choose Heroku if you're building traditional full-stack applications with complex backend logic, need native database support, require multiple language runtimes, or prefer a mature platform with extensive add-ons. Choose Vercel if you're optimizing for frontend performance, using Next.js, deploying serverless functions, need instant cold starts, or want to minimize deployment costs with a generous free tier.
Heroku: Node, Python, Ruby, Java, PHP, Go, Scala, Clojure | Vercel: N/A
Heroku: 60+ marketplace add-ons | Vercel: N/A
Heroku: Git push, GitHub, Dropbox, API | Vercel: N/A
Heroku: No free trial (paid only) | Vercel: N/A
Heroku: Discontinued (2022) | Vercel: N/A
Heroku: 3-5 seconds | Vercel: <0.1 seconds
Heroku: $0 (discontinued) | Vercel: 100GB
Heroku: 15+ languages | Vercel: 1 (Node.js primary)
Heroku: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis (3 types) | Vercel: None (external only)
Heroku: 150+ add-ons | Vercel: Integrations via marketplace
Heroku: Built-in at all tiers | Vercel: N/A
Heroku: No (limited to buildpacks) | Vercel: N/A
Heroku: 180+ (official marketplace) | Vercel: N/A
Cost for Standard Production App (2 dynos + add-ons)
Heroku: Not native (dyno sleep = 30sec) | Vercel: N/A
Heroku: Yes, automatic on git push | Vercel: N/A
Heroku: No (discontinued 2022) | Vercel: N/A
Heroku: 30-60 seconds | Vercel: 50-100ms
Heroku: None (discontinued) | Vercel: N/A
Database Provisioning Cost (PostgreSQL Starter)
Heroku: $12/month | Vercel: $0 (hobby tier)
Cost for Production App (2 dynos/Droplets + DB)
Heroku: 3-5 seconds (free dyno) | Vercel: N/A
Heroku: 150+ integrated add-ons | Vercel: N/A
Heroku: Limited (configuration over customization) | Vercel: N/A
Heroku: Discontinued (was free, now hobby tier $50/month) | Vercel: N/A
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Covina, California, USA
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Enterprise market leader
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Native Vercel Postgres
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Basic (paid plans enhanced)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Detailed Web Analytics
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Unlimited free tier
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: 200+ edge locations
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Limited (via Docker)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Automatic per git branch
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: SOC 2, DDoS, WAF included
Supported Languages (via Framework/Docker)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: 1 GB (Vercel Postgres)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Free tier (limited)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Limited (Node.js focus)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Unlimited Functions (100GB bandwidth)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: 0 native; integrations available
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: API integrations only
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: $0.10-0.50 per Serverless Function GB-hr
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Automatic (280 edge locations)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: 1/10 (git push automatic deployment)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: 180+ edge locations
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: PostgreSQL only (Vercel Postgres)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Not included (external service required)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Next.js optimized (Node.js compatible)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Limited deployments, 12 serverless function invocations/day
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: None (requires third-party)
Serverless Function Cost (per 1M invocations)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: OAuth providers only
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Native (created by Vercel team)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: 85ms (with edge caching)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: 2 (connect GitHub, auto-deploy)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: 0 (integrations only)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Unlimited (auto-scales serverless)
Estimated Learning Time for New Developer
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Yes (Node.js, Python, Go)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Native first-class support
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: 30-50ms faster than origin
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: $20 (Web Analytics)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: Limited (requires external platform)
Heroku: N/A | Vercel: 30+ (optimized for Next.js)
Heroku vs Vercel — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Heroku vs Vercel. Contains 150 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Heroku vs Vercel — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Heroku vs Vercel.
Vercel doesn't provide native database hosting, but you can integrate external services like PostgreSQL via Supabase, Prisma, MongoDB Atlas, or AWS RDS. Heroku offers managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Redis directly through its add-on marketplace, making database setup simpler for beginners.
Yes, Vercel offers a generous free tier with 100GB bandwidth/month, unlimited serverless function invocations, and support for unlimited projects. Heroku discontinued its free tier in November 2022; all deployments now require a paid plan starting at $7/month.
Which platform is better for full-stack applications?
Heroku is traditionally better for full-stack apps because it supports diverse backend languages (Python, Ruby, Java, Go, PHP) and includes database management. Vercel excels at full-stack Next.js applications with serverless backends but requires external databases and is primarily Node.js-focused.
How do cold starts affect my application?
Heroku dynos experience 3-5 second cold starts when idle, impacting user experience. Vercel's serverless Edge Functions have <100ms cold starts and scale automatically. For frequently-accessed apps, this difference is negligible; for infrequently-accessed services, Vercel's performance is superior.
Migration depends on your stack. Vercel is ideal if you're using Next.js; you can migrate Node.js backends to Vercel Functions. For non-Node.js backends (Python, Ruby, etc.), you'd need to rewrite code or use an alternative like Railway or Render. Database migrations require exporting data and reconfiguring connections.
Primary Use Case: Heroku has Full-stack applications with backend focus, while Vercel has Frontend and serverless functions (Next.js optimized).
Free Tier Availability: Heroku has Discontinued (paid plans start $7/month), while Vercel has Available with 100GB bandwidth/month.
Cold Start Time: Heroku has 3-5 seconds typical, while Vercel has <100ms for serverless functions.
Supported Languages: Heroku has 15+ (Node.js, Python, Ruby, Java, Go, PHP, etc.), while Vercel has Node.js, Python, Go (via serverless).
Database Ecosystem: Heroku has PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis (native support), while Vercel has No native DB; integrations required.
Next.js Optimization: Heroku has Standard deployment, while Vercel has Built-in Edge Functions and ISR.
Starting Price: Heroku has $7/month (hobby dyno equivalent), while Vercel has $0/month (free tier).