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Hosting & Infra

AWS vs Heroku: Pricing Comparison 2026

Side-by-side pricing comparison of AWS and Heroku. See all plans, features, and costs at a glance.

Bottom line: Heroku starts at $5/mo, making it $2015/mo cheaper than AWS ($2020/mo). Neither offers a free plan.

Last updated: March 16, 2026

Data compiled by Arthur Jacquemin
Updated March 16, 2026

AWS vs Heroku: Quick Pricing Facts

FeatureAWSHeroku
Starting Price$2020/mo$5/mo
Number of Plans44
Free TierNoNo
Pricing Modelusage-basedusage-based
Annual DiscountN/AN/A

Heroku is the more affordable option, starting at $5/mo compared to AWS' $2020/mo. Both are Hosting & Infra tools with 8 combined pricing plans and 14 features compared.

Review the detailed tier-by-tier comparison above to see exactly which features are included at each price point and find the best fit for your Hosting & Infra needs.

Pricing Plans
Tier 1
How does AWS pricing work?
Custom pricing
Start with How does AWS pricing work?
Eco
$5/monthCheapest
Includes
  • 1000 dyno hours/mo
  • Sleep after 30min
  • Custom domains
Start with Eco
Tier 2
How do you pay for AWS?
Custom pricing
Start with How do you pay for AWS?
Basic
$7/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Always on
  • 512 MB RAM
  • Custom domains
  • Free SSL
Start with Basic
Tier 3
Is AWS Private Pricing right for you?
Custom pricing
Start with Is AWS Private Pricing right for you?
Standard 1xPopular
$25/monthCheapest
Includes
  • 512 MB RAM
  • Horizontal scaling
  • Preboot
  • Metrics
Start with Standard 1x
Tier 4
Pricing for AWS products
$2020/month
Start with Pricing for AWS products
Performance M
$250/monthCheapest
Includes
  • 2.5 GB RAM
  • Dedicated resources
  • Autoscaling
Start with Performance M

Swipe to compare plans →

AWS

Comprehensive cloud computing platform by Amazon

View all AWS plans

Heroku

Cloud platform for building, running, and scaling apps

View all Heroku plans
Our Pick

Heroku

Heroku starts at $2015/mo lower ($5/mo vs $2020/mo).

Based on pricing data only. Review the full comparison below for your specific needs.

Best value: Heroku

Try Heroku free

Which Should You Choose?

Choose AWS if:

  • Your team needs custom enterprise pricing—AWS offers negotiated terms for large deployments
  • You need predictable billing — AWS's usage-based model avoids surprise overages
  • AWS's focused feature set keeps your team in control without tool bloat

Choose Heroku if:

  • You want lower per-user costs—Heroku starts at $5/mo, saving $2015/mo compared to AWS at $2020/mo
  • You want more features built-in—Heroku offers 14 additional features across its plans
  • You need predictable billing — Heroku's usage-based model avoids surprise overages

Heroku is the more affordable choice [1], starting at $5/mo compared to AWS's $2020/mo. For a 50-person team on paid plans, this translates to Heroku saving approximately $100750/month. Heroku offers 4 pricing tiers compared to AWS's 4, giving you more granular control over scaling costs as your team grows. Across all tiers, Heroku provides 14 total features versus 0 for AWS, offering a richer feature set depending on your specific needs. The pricing math favors Heroku for most team sizes. AWS becomes worth the premium only when its differentiating features are central to your workflow.

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Frequently Asked Questions: AWS vs Heroku

Which is cheaper, AWS or Heroku?
As of March 2026, Heroku starts at a lower price point. AWS starts at $2020/mo while Heroku starts at $5/mo. However, the best value depends on the features you need at each tier.
How many pricing plans does AWS have vs Heroku?
AWS offers 4 pricing plans, while Heroku offers 4 plans. More plans typically means more flexibility to match your exact needs and budget.
What is the most popular Heroku plan?
The Standard 1x plan is Heroku's most popular tier, priced at $25/mo. Key features include 512 MB RAM, Horizontal scaling, Preboot.
Does AWS or Heroku offer custom enterprise pricing?
AWS offers a custom-priced enterprise tier for larger teams. Heroku lists all its pricing publicly.
How do AWS and Heroku compare for Hosting & Infra?
Both AWS and Heroku are Hosting & Infra tools. AWS offers 4 plans starting at $2020/mo, while Heroku offers 4 plans starting at $5/mo. Review the feature breakdowns above to see which better fits your Hosting & Infra needs.

Sources

  1. AWS Official PricingVendor pricing page
  2. Heroku Official PricingVendor pricing page

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