Cloud · head to head
DeepInfra vs Heroku
DeepInfra
Cloud
Low-cost cloud API for running open-source AI models
- From
- $0.08/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: DeepInfra focuses on inference hosting rather than fine-tuning or full training pipelines that competitors like Fireworks AI offer.; Heroku there is no free dyno tier; the cheapest Eco dyno is $5 per month
- They diverge on capability: DeepInfra covers Open model hosting, Heroku covers Git-based deployment.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which DeepInfra and Heroku actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cloud).
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 DeepInfra
- Open model hosting
- Pay-per-token pricing
- Long context support
- DeepCluster
- Zero retention policy
- Real-time metrics
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.
DeepInfra
- Running open-source LLM inference without managing GPUsnot Heroku
- Serving speech and image generation models via APInot Heroku
- Cost-sensitive production inference at scalenot Heroku
- Reserved GPU capacity via DeepCluster for steady workloadsnot Heroku
Heroku
- Application hostingnot DeepInfra
- Database as a servicenot DeepInfra
- CI/CD pipelinesnot DeepInfra
- API deploymentnot DeepInfra
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
DeepInfra
- Focuses on inference hosting rather than fine-tuning or full training pipelines that competitors like Fireworks AI offer.
- Model selection is limited to what DeepInfra chooses to host, unlike self-managed platforms.
- No published free tier; usage is billed from the first token.
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
DeepInfra
$0.08/month- Pay-as-you-go$undefined/mo
- Per-model token pricing from $0.08 to $2.85 per million input tokens
- No long-term contract
- DeepCluster$1.98/month
- Dedicated NVIDIA B300 GPU clusters at $1.98/GPU-hour
Heroku
$5/month- Eco Dyno$5/month
- 0.5 GB RAM
- Git/Docker deploy
- Custom domains
- Basic Dyno$7/month
- 0.5 GB RAM
- Always-on
- Free SSL
- Standard-1X Dyno$25/month
- 0.5 GB RAM
- Horizontal scaling
- App metrics
- Standard-2X Dyno$50/month
- 1 GB RAM
- Horizontal scaling
- App metrics
Which should you pick?
Choose DeepInfra if
- You need open model hosting.
- You work on web, api.
- You also want pay-per-token pricing.
Choose Heroku if
- You need git-based deployment.
- You work on Web, Api, Workers.
- You also want buildpacks.
Questions people ask
- Is DeepInfra or Heroku better?
- Neither clearly leads. DeepInfra starts at $0.08/month and Heroku at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, DeepInfra or Heroku?
- DeepInfra starts at $0.08/month and Heroku at $5/month.
- Does DeepInfra or Heroku run on more platforms?
- DeepInfra runs on web, api. Heroku runs on Web, Api, Workers.
- What is DeepInfra best used for?
- DeepInfra is most often used for running open-source llm inference without managing gpus, serving speech and image generation models via api, cost-sensitive production inference at scale, reserved gpu capacity via deepcluster for steady workloads. Of those, running open-source llm inference without managing gpus and serving speech and image generation models via api are not what Heroku is typically brought in for.
- What can DeepInfra do that Heroku cannot?
- DeepInfra covers Open model hosting, Pay-per-token pricing, Long context support, DeepCluster. Heroku covers Git-based deployment, Buildpacks, Dynos (containers), Add-ons marketplace.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
DeepInfra: Is there a free tier on DeepInfra?
No free tier is published; usage is billed pay-as-you-go from the first token, though a credit card or pre-payment is required before you can send requests.
SourceHeroku: How much does Heroku cost?
Heroku dyno pricing starts at $5 per month USD for the Eco tier (with 30-minute inactivity sleep), $7 per month for Basic (always-on), and scales up to $1,500 per month for Performance-2XL with 126 GB RAM.
SourceDeepInfra: How is usage priced?
Language models are billed per million input/output tokens, other models by inference execution time, and audio models per minute of audio processed, with no minimum commitment.
SourceHeroku: What is the cheapest always-on Heroku plan?
The Basic Dyno at $7 per month USD is Heroku's cheapest always-on container option. It provides 0.5 GB RAM, free SSL, and support for 10 process types.
SourceDeepInfra: What are the Standard, Priority, and Flex tiers?
Standard is default best-effort pricing at 1x, Priority costs 1.5x for faster time-to-first-token during peak demand, and Flex costs 0.8x for non-production or asynchronous workloads.
SourceHeroku: How is Heroku Postgres priced?
Heroku Postgres Essential tier (shared resources) starts at $5-$20 per month for 1-32 GB disk. Standard tier (dedicated) ranges $50-$12,000 per month. Premium, Private, Shield, and Advanced tiers offer higher performance at corresponding prices.
SourceDeepInfra: How does billing scale with spend?
Accounts advance through usage tiers as cumulative payments cross $20, $100, $500, $2,000, and $10,000 thresholds, with invoices generated monthly or at each threshold.
SourceDeepInfra: Is there a limit on concurrent requests?
Yes, accounts are limited to 200 concurrent requests by default, though spending limits can also be configured to prevent unexpected charges.
SourceRelated pages
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