On 6 February 2026, Heroku published a blog post that many developers had been dreading for years: the platform is officially transitioning to a "sustaining engineering model." Translation? No new features. No new enterprise contracts for new customers. Heroku, the platform that pioneered git push deployments back in 2007, is effectively going legacy.
If you're reading this, you're probably one of the thousands of developers wondering: where do I go now?
The writing has been on the wall for a while. Heroku removed its free tier in November 2022, eliminating the free dynos that introduced an entire generation of developers to cloud deployment. Feature development slowed through 2023 and 2024 while competitors shipped modern capabilities like edge deployment, serverless scaling, and built-in observability. The February 2026 announcement is the official acknowledgment of a trend that's been visible for years.
As one DEV Community commenter put it: "'Sustaining engineering' is such a corporate way to say 'we stopped investing.'"
Your existing apps will keep running — for now. Dynos stay up, databases remain operational, billing stays the same. But a platform in maintenance mode means security patches come slower, language runtime support narrows, and add-on partners have less incentive to maintain integrations. It's time to plan your migration.
The good news? The PaaS landscape in 2026 is better than it's ever been. Whether you want the same Heroku-like simplicity, more control, lower costs, or all three, there's a platform for you.
We've researched pricing, scoured Reddit for real developer opinions, and compared features across every major contender. Here are the 10 best Heroku alternatives in 2026.
Looking for a broader overview of the PaaS landscape? Check out our comprehensive guide to 25+ PaaS providers in 2026.
A developer-first PaaS with straightforward pricing and South African infrastructure.
Code Capsules takes the complexity out of deployment with a clean, opinionated platform that supports frontend, backend, and database capsules. What sets it apart is its simplicity — there's no guesswork about pricing, no surprise bills, and deployment is genuinely as simple as connecting your GitHub repo and pushing.
Developers and agencies who want predictable pricing, straightforward deployment, and don't need the overhead of hyperscaler complexity. Particularly strong for teams serving African markets, thanks to local infrastructure with lower latency.
Users on Capterra highlight the simplicity: "Code Capsules makes it very easy... the best part is it's minimum premium package starts only from $5." The platform's straightforward approach resonates with developers tired of deciphering complex pricing calculators.
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The closest thing to the Heroku experience, built for modern developers.
Railway has quietly become the go-to recommendation in developer communities for anyone migrating from Heroku. The experience is remarkably similar — connect your GitHub repo, deploy in seconds — but with a modern UI, better pricing transparency, and features Heroku never shipped.
Indie developers, side projects, startups, and anyone who loved Heroku's simplicity but wants better value.
Reddit is consistently positive about Railway's developer experience. One r/webdev user noted: "Railway feels a bit simpler to get up and running, especially for side projects." Another on r/devops warned about costs at scale: "I consume about $2.90 of quota... if you move the Next.js frontend in as well, the $5 per month quota is almost certainly not enough."
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The full-stack cloud platform positioning itself as Heroku's direct successor.
Render has been actively courting Heroku refugees — they even have a dedicated Heroku migration guide with near-zero downtime tooling. The platform covers everything from static sites to full web services, cron jobs, and managed databases, all with a clean interface that feels familiar to Heroku users.
render.yaml (like Heroku's app.json)Teams migrating from Heroku who want the most seamless transition, plus anyone who needs a generous free tier for hobby projects.
Render is widely recommended on Reddit, especially for its free tier. From r/webdev: "Render has more benefits and it's better for longer projects, also more friendly and is overall very professional." However, some users note: "Render is an expensive version of Railway... please be sure to pay attention to their export fees."
The r/webdev consensus for SaaS products: "Use Render — it gives you a smoother upgrade path when user load increases, better infra transparency."
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Deploy containers globally at the edge, with infrastructure-level control.
Fly.io takes a fundamentally different approach: instead of abstracting everything away, it gives you container-level control with the convenience of a managed platform. Your apps run as Firecracker micro-VMs distributed across 30+ regions worldwide, which means low-latency responses for users everywhere.
fly scaleDevelopers who need global edge deployment, low-latency applications, or want more control than a traditional PaaS without going full Kubernetes.
Fly.io has strong advocates on Reddit — "Fly and Railway are goated" is a common sentiment. Developers appreciate the global distribution but note the learning curve is steeper than Heroku. The Fly Postgres offering is frequently discussed as powerful but requiring more operational knowledge than Heroku Postgres did.
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PaaS simplicity backed by a trusted infrastructure provider.
If you want the PaaS experience but backed by a well-established cloud provider you already trust, DigitalOcean's App Platform delivers. It's not as cutting-edge as Railway or Fly.io, but it's reliable, predictable, and integrates seamlessly with DigitalOcean's broader ecosystem of Droplets, managed databases, and Spaces object storage.
Startups and small-to-medium teams who are already in the DigitalOcean ecosystem, or anyone who wants a no-surprises PaaS from a provider with a decade-long track record.
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The best platform for frontend and full-stack JavaScript applications.
Vercel is the company behind Next.js, and their platform is purpose-built for frontend-first development. If your application is built with Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, or any modern JavaScript framework, Vercel offers an experience that's hard to beat — automatic edge deployment, preview deployments for every PR, and built-in analytics.
Frontend developers, JavaScript/TypeScript teams, and anyone building with Next.js. Not ideal for traditional backend services or non-JavaScript workloads.
The consensus is clear: if you're using Next.js, Vercel is the obvious choice. But developers warn about cost escalation: "Hobbyist use is free, but professional usage costs grow with your team size and compute needs." Some teams report surprising bandwidth bills at scale.
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Serverless containers with the backing of Google Cloud.
Cloud Run bridges the gap between serverless and containers: deploy any Docker container and Google handles scaling, including scaling to zero when there's no traffic (meaning you pay nothing when idle). It's more complex to set up than a traditional PaaS, but the per-request pricing model makes it incredibly cost-effective for variable-traffic workloads.
Teams already on Google Cloud, applications with variable or spiky traffic, and developers comfortable with Docker who want true pay-per-use pricing.
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The self-hosted, open-source Heroku alternative you actually own.
Coolify deserves its spot on this list for a fundamentally different reason: it's free, open-source, and runs on your infrastructure. Install it on any VPS (even a $5 DigitalOcean Droplet or Hetzner box) and you get a Heroku-like dashboard for deploying applications, databases, and services — without the monthly platform fees.
Developers who want full control over their infrastructure, privacy-conscious teams, and anyone who'd rather pay for a VPS than a platform. Perfect for self-hosters who find Kubernetes overkill.
Coolify has exploded in popularity on Reddit and in self-hosting communities. Developers praise the "Heroku experience without the Heroku price" and the active development pace. The main complaint is that self-hosting means you're responsible for updates, backups, and security — which isn't everyone's cup of tea.
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The original Jamstack platform, still excellent for static and serverless.
Netlify pioneered the modern static site deployment workflow and has expanded into serverless functions, edge functions, and full-stack capabilities. While it's not a direct Heroku replacement for backend-heavy applications, it's the perfect alternative if your Heroku app was primarily serving a frontend with some API routes.
Static sites, Jamstack applications, frontend-heavy projects with serverless API routes. Not ideal for traditional backend services.
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The smallest PaaS implementation you've ever seen — powered by Docker.
Dokku is the OG self-hosted Heroku alternative, and it's still going strong. It's essentially a bash script that gives you Heroku-style git push deployments on your own server, powered by Docker and Heroku buildpacks. If you loved Heroku's workflow but hated the price, Dokku gives you exactly that for the cost of a VPS.
git push dokku main deployment workflowDevelopers who want the exact Heroku git push workflow on their own infrastructure, budget-conscious solo developers, and anyone who appreciates elegant simplicity.
Dokku maintains a loyal following, especially among developers who appreciate its philosophy of doing one thing well. It's frequently recommended on Reddit for developers who want Heroku's workflow without the cost, and who are comfortable managing a single server.
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Go with Code Capsules or DigitalOcean App Platform. Both offer straightforward monthly pricing without the usage-based surprises that can catch you off guard on Railway or Fly.io.
Go with Fly.io or Vercel. Fly.io gives you container-level control across 30+ regions; Vercel gives you edge functions with less configuration but is focused on JavaScript.
Go with Coolify or Dokku. Both are free and open-source. Coolify has a nicer UI; Dokku is more lightweight and closer to Heroku's actual workflow.
Go with Vercel. It's purpose-built for this ecosystem and nothing else comes close for the frontend developer experience.
Go with Google Cloud Run. Scale-to-zero means you literally pay nothing when your app isn't handling requests, and the free tier is enormously generous.
Go with Code Capsules. The agency solution with deployment commissions is unique in this space, and the simple capsule model makes it easy to manage many projects without complexity.
Heroku's move to maintenance mode marks the end of an era. The platform that taught millions of developers what git push deployment could feel like is winding down, and it's bittersweet.
But the silver lining is clear: the platforms that have risen in Heroku's wake are genuinely better. More affordable, more powerful, more transparent. Whether you choose the Heroku-like simplicity of Railway, the predictable pricing of Code Capsules, the migration-friendly approach of Render, or the global reach of Fly.io — you're upgrading, not settling.
The best time to start planning your migration is now. Not because Heroku is going to turn off the lights tomorrow, but because a platform in maintenance mode means every month you wait is a month of accumulating technical debt.
Pick one from this list. Deploy a test project. Migrate when you're confident. Your future self will thank you.
This article was last updated on 12 February 2026. Pricing and features are accurate as of publication date — always check provider websites for the latest information.
For a broader look at the PaaS landscape beyond Heroku alternatives, read our complete guide to 25+ PaaS providers in 2026.
