Software · head to head
Alibaba Cloud vs Heroku
The short version
- Only Alibaba Cloud has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Alibaba Cloud technical support is a separate subscription, from $19.99 a month for Developer up to $8,000 a month for Enterprise, with only Basic included; Heroku there is no free dyno tier; the cheapest Eco dyno is $5 per month
- They diverge on capability: Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Heroku covers Git-based deployment.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Alibaba Cloud and Heroku actually diverge.
| Attribute | Alibaba Cloud | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $7/month |
| Pricing model | usage-based | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Linux, Windows, Api, Cli | Web, Api, Workers |
| Founded | 2009 | 2007 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Alibaba Cloud
- Elastic Compute Service
- Object Storage Service
- RDS Database
- MaxCompute
- Function Compute
- CDN
- Load Balancer
- API Gateway
Only in Heroku
- Git-based deployment
- Buildpacks
- Dynos (containers)
- Add-ons marketplace
- Postgres database
- Environment variables
- Logging
- API
Both cover
- Cloud deployment
- Api support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Alibaba Cloud
- Cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in China and Asia Pacificnot Heroku
- Pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitmentnot Heroku
- Committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloadsnot Heroku
- CDN and data transfer packages for content deliverynot Heroku
Heroku
- Deploying and scaling web applications with git push and no server administrationnot Alibaba Cloud
- Running managed Postgres, Redis and Kafka as attached data servicesnot Alibaba Cloud
- Isolated production environments in a Private Space for regulated workloadsnot Alibaba Cloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Alibaba Cloud
- Technical support is a separate subscription, from $19.99 a month for Developer up to $8,000 a month for Enterprise, with only Basic included
- Service prices are not shown as a rate card and route through a calculator or sales
- Committed discounts require savings plans, reserved instances or capacity packages rather than being automatic
Heroku
- There is no free dyno tier; the cheapest Eco dyno is $5 per month
- Eco dynos sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity, are restricted to personal accounts and allow only 2 process types
- Free SSL and 10 process types start at the Basic dyno at $7 per month
- Private and Shield dyno types require a Private Space, which is billed on top of the dynos
- Private Space dynos start at $250 per month for Private-M and $500 per month for Private-L
- Dyno prices are per dyno per month, so an app with several process types multiplies the bill
Pricing, plan by plan
Alibaba Cloud
Free- Free TrialFree
- Free tier credits
- ECS instances
- Cloud storage
- Pay-as-You-GoFree
- Flexible billing
- No commitments
- Global reach
Heroku
$7/month- Hobby$7/month
- 512MB RAM
- Shared CPU
- 1 web dyno
- Standard$50/month
- 512MB RAM
- Dedicated CPU
- Automatic scaling
Which should you pick?
Choose Alibaba Cloud if
- You need elastic compute service.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
- You also want object storage service.
Choose Heroku if
- You need git-based deployment.
- You work on Web, Api, Workers.
- You also want buildpacks.
Questions people ask
- Is Alibaba Cloud or Heroku better?
- Neither clearly leads. Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and Heroku at $7/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Alibaba Cloud or Heroku?
- Alibaba Cloud has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Alibaba Cloud and $7/month for Heroku.
- Does Alibaba Cloud or Heroku run on more platforms?
- Alibaba Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli. Heroku runs on Web, Api, Workers.
- Can I use Alibaba Cloud for free?
- Yes. Alibaba Cloud has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Heroku starts at $7/month.
- What is Alibaba Cloud best used for?
- Alibaba Cloud is most often used for cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in china and asia pacific, pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitment, committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloads, cdn and data transfer packages for content delivery. Of those, cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in china and asia pacific and pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitment are not what Heroku is typically brought in for.
- What can Alibaba Cloud do that Heroku cannot?
- Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Object Storage Service, RDS Database, MaxCompute. Heroku covers Git-based deployment, Buildpacks, Dynos (containers), Add-ons marketplace. Both handle Cloud deployment, Api support.