Heroku vs Render

Heroku offers a mature PaaS with extensive web framework support and add-ons. Render is more cost-effective at scale, providing advanced features like SSD storage, private networking, and autoscaling.

What's good about...

Heroku logo Heroku

  • Fully-managed infra, minimal ops overhead
  • Heroku Postgres is a one-click, battle-tested database
  • Extensive add-on marketplace

Render logo Render

  • Offers managed services from caches to databases to cron jobs to background workers
  • Managed PostgreSQL supports point-in-time recovery
  • Generous free tier

Price comparison

How do Heroku's prices compare against Render?

VM Small

Closest config to 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM.
Heroku Heroku
$50.00 / mo Dyno 1 GB RAM (Standard 2X)
Render Render
$25.00 / mo 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM (Web Service)

VM Medium

Closest config to 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM.
Heroku Heroku
$250.00 / mo Dyno 2.5 GB RAM (Performance M)
Render Render
$175.00 / mo 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM (Web Service)

VM Large

Closest config to 8 vCPU, 16 GB RAM (dedicated preferred).
Heroku Heroku
$500.00 / mo Dyno 14 GB RAM (Performance L)
Render Render
$450.00 / mo 8 vCPU, 32 GB RAM (Web Service)

Block Storage

Closest config to 100+ GB SSD, 3,000+ IOPS, 100+ MB/s throughput, no snapshots.
Heroku Heroku
--
Render Render
$25.00 / mo 100 GB

Load Balancer

Closest config to TCP, 1 node (1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM), 200+ Mbps, 1,000 conn/sec, 1 TB processed/mo.
Heroku Heroku
Included in plan
Render Render
Included in plan

Managed PostgreSQL

Closest config to 1 node, 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 50+ GB storage, 10 GB read / 5 GB write per month.
Heroku Heroku
$50.00 / mo 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage
Render Render
$95.00 / mo 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 96 GB storage

Managed Redis®*

Closest config to 1 node, 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 10 req/s, 1 KB avg request size.
Heroku Heroku
$200.00 / mo 1 GB RAM
Render Render
$32.00 / mo 1 GB RAM

Free egress allowance

Heroku Heroku
2 TB / mo per app
Render Render
100 GB - 1 TB, depends on plan

1 TB of egress beyond allowance

Heroku Heroku
Not publicly listed Bandwidth is soft limited per app (2 TB / mo)
Render Render
$300.00 Billed $30 / 100 GB

Heads up: We do our best to keep these specs & prices accurate. However, cloud costs may fluctuate based on region, usage, and other factors not listed here. These are estimates based on common setups and are for informational purposes only. Always verify current rates & exact specs with the provider before provisioning.

Which services do they offer

Company details

Website
Heroku Heroku
heroku.com
Render Render
render.com
Headquarters
Heroku Heroku
United States of America
Render Render
United States of America
Founded
Heroku Heroku
2007
Render Render
2018
Data Center Locations
Heroku Heroku
10
Render Render
4
Example Customers
Heroku Heroku
Airbase, Dovetail, Hotel Engine, ClickMechanic, Ambassify
Render Render
Red Bull, Watershed, Equals, Felt

Alternatives to consider

Compare Heroku and Render against other cloud providers.

View all comparisons

Our data for Heroku was last updated on Feb. 12, 2026, and for Render on Feb. 12, 2026.