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Best Free Alternatives to Heroku
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Category: Cloud HostingVerified for 2025
Top Recommended Replacements
Render
FREEThe Best Modern Heroku Successor
Why we like it
Seamless GitHub integration; 'Free' tier includes web services and PostgreSQL (with 15-minute spin-down); high-performance global CDN; simpler UI than AWS.
Keep in mind
Free tier 'cold starts' can be slow (up to 30 seconds to wake up); bandwidth overages can be expensive compared to Koyeb.
Koyeb
FREEBest for Serverless & Global Performance
Why we like it
True 'Always Free' tier for web apps; built-in edge network (250+ locations); native support for Docker and microservices; incredibly fast global response times.
Keep in mind
Smaller add-on marketplace than Heroku; newer platform with fewer legacy community tutorials.
Railway
Best Developer Experience (DX)
Why we like it
Fastest deployment workflow in 2025; 'Pay-as-you-go' resource usage; excellent CLI; template gallery for one-click database/app setups.
Keep in mind
No longer offers a permanent free tier (7-day trial or $5 monthly credit); egress traffic pricing can be high for data-heavy apps.
Fly.io
Best for Edge Computing & Latency
Why we like it
Runs apps close to users in global data centers; specialized in Elixir, Phoenix, and Rails; excellent 'Private Networking' between services.
Keep in mind
Steeper learning curve; requires configuration of a fly.toml file; no traditional 'Free Tier' for new organizations (7-day trial only).
Northflank
FREEBest for Advanced Kubernetes Control
Why we like it
Offers a Heroku-like abstraction over raw Kubernetes; excellent for complex workloads (jobs, cron, services); robust free tier (2 services, 2 jobs).
Keep in mind
UI is powerful but may feel technical to absolute beginners compared to Render.
DigitalOcean App Platform
FREEBest for Simple Scaling within DO
Why we like it
Zero-friction deployment for apps already in the DigitalOcean ecosystem; predictable monthly costs; includes 3 free static sites.
Keep in mind
Managed databases are priced separately; restricted to DigitalOcean's specific regions/infrastructure.
Adaptable
FREEBest for Free-Tier Database Hosting
Why we like it
Unique free tier that includes both the app and the database (PostgreSQL/MongoDB) for free; simple 'one-click' Git deployments.
Keep in mind
Apps go to sleep during inactivity; less customization for advanced environment variables compared to Railway.
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