Software · head to head
DigitalOcean vs Heroku
The short version
- Only DigitalOcean has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: DigitalOcean data transfer overage charged at $0.01 per GiB beyond included allowances; Heroku there is no free dyno tier; the cheapest Eco dyno is $5 per month
- They diverge on capability: DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS), Heroku covers Git-based deployment.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which DigitalOcean and Heroku actually diverge.
| Attribute | DigitalOcean | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $7/month |
| Pricing model | usage-based | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend) | Web, Api, Workers |
| Founded | 2011 | 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 DigitalOcean
- Droplets (VPS)
- Managed Kubernetes
- App Platform
- Managed Databases
- Spaces (Object Storage)
- Floating IPs
- Load Balancers
- Firewalls
Only in Heroku
- Git-based deployment
- Buildpacks
- Dynos (containers)
- Add-ons marketplace
- Postgres database
- Environment variables
- Logging
- API
Both cover
- GitHub
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
DigitalOcean
- Developers seeking affordable VPS starting at $4/month for small applicationsnot Heroku
- Teams deploying containerised workloads with Kubernetes starting at $12/month cluster costnot Heroku
- Data scientists and ML engineers requiring NVIDIA GPU access at $1.91/GPU/hour (committed)not Heroku
Heroku
- Deploying and scaling web applications with git push and no server administrationnot DigitalOcean
- Running managed Postgres, Redis and Kafka as attached data servicesnot DigitalOcean
- Isolated production environments in a Private Space for regulated workloadsnot DigitalOcean
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
DigitalOcean
- Data transfer overage charged at $0.01 per GiB beyond included allowances
- Free tier includes only 3 static sites; additional static sites require paid upgrade
- Container registry free tier capped at 500 MiB storage; exceeding requires paid tier
- Functions free tier allows 90,000 GiB-seconds monthly; overages billed on usage basis
- GPU Droplets require minimum monthly commitment for lower hourly rates; on-demand significantly more expensive
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
DigitalOcean
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the DigitalOcean 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 DigitalOcean if
- You need droplets (vps).
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend).
- You also want managed kubernetes.
Choose Heroku if
- You need git-based deployment.
- You work on Web, Api, Workers.
- You also want buildpacks.
Questions people ask
- Is DigitalOcean or Heroku better?
- Neither clearly leads. DigitalOcean 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, DigitalOcean or Heroku?
- DigitalOcean has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for DigitalOcean and $7/month for Heroku.
- Does DigitalOcean or Heroku run on more platforms?
- DigitalOcean runs on Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend). Heroku runs on Web, Api, Workers.
- Can I use DigitalOcean for free?
- Yes. DigitalOcean has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Heroku starts at $7/month.
- What is DigitalOcean best used for?
- DigitalOcean is most often used for developers seeking affordable vps starting at $4/month for small applications, teams deploying containerised workloads with kubernetes starting at $12/month cluster cost, data scientists and ml engineers requiring nvidia gpu access at $1.91/gpu/hour (committed). Of those, developers seeking affordable vps starting at $4/month for small applications and teams deploying containerised workloads with kubernetes starting at $12/month cluster cost are not what Heroku is typically brought in for.
- What can DigitalOcean do that Heroku cannot?
- DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS), Managed Kubernetes, App Platform, Managed Databases. Heroku covers Git-based deployment, Buildpacks, Dynos (containers), Add-ons marketplace. Both handle GitHub, Cloud deployment, Web support.