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Software · head to head

Box vs Heroku

Box logo

Box

Software

Cloud content management for the enterprise

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Heroku logo

Heroku

Software

Cloud Application Platform

From
$7/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Box all Business and Enterprise plans require a minimum of 3 users; Heroku there is no free dyno tier; the cheapest Eco dyno is $5 per month

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Box and Heroku actually diverge.

Attributes where Box and Heroku differ
AttributeBoxHeroku
Starting priceOn request$7/month
PlatformsWebWeb, Api, Workers
FoundedUnknown2007

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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 Box

Nothing recorded that Heroku does not also cover.

Only in Heroku

  • Git-based deployment
  • Buildpacks
  • Dynos (containers)
  • Add-ons marketplace
  • Postgres database
  • Environment variables
  • Logging
  • API

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Box

No use cases recorded yet. See the Box review.

Heroku

  • Deploying and scaling web applications with git push and no server administrationnot Box
  • Running managed Postgres, Redis and Kafka as attached data servicesnot Box
  • Isolated production environments in a Private Space for regulated workloadsnot Box

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Box

  • All Business and Enterprise plans require a minimum of 3 users
  • Business Starter ($5/user/month) caps at 100 GB of shared storage across the whole account and a 2 GB per file upload limit
  • Enterprise Plus requires annual billing, and Enterprise Advanced's exact price is not published on the pricing page

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

Box

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Box review.

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 Box if

Nothing in the data separates Box from Heroku on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Box review

Choose Heroku if

  • You need git-based deployment.
  • You work on Web, Api, Workers.
  • You also want buildpacks.
Heroku review

Questions people ask

Is Box or Heroku better?
Neither clearly leads. Box starts at On request and Heroku at $7/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Box or Heroku?
Box starts at On request and Heroku at $7/month.
Does Box or Heroku run on more platforms?
Box runs on Web. Heroku runs on Web, Api, Workers.
What can Box do that Heroku cannot?
Heroku covers Git-based deployment, Buildpacks, Dynos (containers), Add-ons marketplace.
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Related pages

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