Heroku vs Netlify: Pricing Comparison 2026
Side-by-side pricing comparison of Heroku and Netlify. See all plans, features, and costs at a glance.
Bottom line: Heroku starts at $5/mo, making it $4/mo cheaper than Netlify ($9/mo). Netlify offers a free plan.
Last updated: March 23, 2026
Heroku vs Netlify: Quick Pricing Facts
| Feature | Heroku | Netlify |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $5/mo | $9/mo |
| Number of Plans | 4 | 4 |
| Free Tier | No | Yes |
| Pricing Model | usage-based | per-seat |
| Annual Discount | N/A | N/A |
Heroku is the more affordable option, starting at $5/mo compared to Netlify's $9/mo. Both are Hosting & Infra tools with 8 combined pricing plans and 39 features compared.
Netlify stands out with a free plan for getting started. Heroku uses usage-based pricing while Netlify uses per-seat pricing, which may affect your total cost at scale.
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 |  Heroku Try it free |  Netlify Try it free |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Free $0/monthCheapest Includes
| |
| Tier 2 | Personal $9/month Includes
| |
| Tier 3 | Pro $20/monthCheapest Includes
| |
| Tier 4 | Performance M $250/monthCheapest Includes
| Enterprise Custom pricing Includes
|
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Which Should You Choose?
Choose Heroku if:
- •You deploy backend applications — Rails, Django, Express, Flask — that need persistent processes
- •Managed add-ons for PostgreSQL, Redis, Kafka, and Elasticsearch simplify your infrastructure
- •Your application requires background workers, scheduled jobs, and long-running processes
- •Heroku's buildpack system supports polyglot deployments across Ruby, Python, Java, Node.js, Go, and more
Choose Netlify if:
- •You deploy JAMstack sites, static generators, and frontend frameworks with serverless functions
- •Branch deploy previews, instant rollbacks, and split testing are part of your deployment workflow
- •Netlify Forms, Identity, and Analytics eliminate the need for separate third-party services
- •You want free hosting for static sites with 100GB bandwidth and 300 build minutes per month
Heroku and Netlify rarely compete directly because they target different architectures. Heroku deploys persistent backend applications: web servers that handle requests, workers that process jobs, and scheduled tasks. Basic dynos start at $7/month. Standard at $25/month. Managed Postgres starts at $5/month. The platform is language-agnostic — any buildpack-supported language works. Netlify deploys frontend-first applications: static sites, single-page applications, and JAMstack with serverless functions. Free includes 100GB bandwidth, 300 build minutes, and basic serverless functions. Pro at $19/member/month adds 1TB bandwidth and background functions. The architecture gap matters. Heroku's dynos run your backend code continuously — database connections stay open, WebSockets persist, background jobs process queues. Netlify's serverless functions are ephemeral — each request spins up, executes in up to 10 seconds, and terminates. Applications that need persistent backend processes cannot run on Netlify alone. The comparison is relevant when choosing where to host a full-stack application. If your backend is an API that your frontend consumes, you might deploy the frontend on Netlify and the backend on Heroku. If you can architect your entire application as a static frontend with serverless API routes, Netlify alone suffices at lower cost.
Frequently Asked Questions: Heroku vs Netlify
Which is cheaper, Heroku or Netlify?
How many pricing plans does Heroku have vs Netlify?
Does Heroku or Netlify offer a free plan?
What is the most popular Heroku plan?
Does Heroku or Netlify offer custom enterprise pricing?
What pricing models do Heroku and Netlify use?
How do Heroku and Netlify compare for Hosting & Infra?
Sources
- Heroku Official Pricing— Vendor pricing page
- Netlify Official Pricing— Vendor pricing page
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