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Heroku vs Octopus Deploy

Heroku logo

Heroku

Cloud

Cloud Application Platform

From
$5/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Octopus Deploy logo

Octopus Deploy

Developer Tools

Continuous delivery and runbook automation for releases

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Octopus Deploy has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Heroku there is no free dyno tier; the cheapest Eco dyno is $5 per month; Octopus Deploy free tier caps at 10 projects, 10 tenants, 10 machines, 10 users, 5 concurrent tasks and 1 space
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Heroku and Octopus Deploy actually diverge.

Attributes where Heroku and Octopus Deploy differ
AttributeHerokuOctopus Deploy
Starting price$5/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Api, WorkersWeb
CategoryCloudDeveloper Tools
Founded2007Unknown

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Heroku

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

Only in Octopus Deploy

Nothing recorded that Heroku does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Heroku

  • Application hostingnot Octopus Deploy
  • Database as a servicenot Octopus Deploy
  • CI/CD pipelinesnot Octopus Deploy
  • API deploymentnot Octopus Deploy

Octopus Deploy

  • Automating software deployments across development, testing, productionnot Heroku
  • Automating emergency tasks like website failover and incident responsenot Heroku
  • Managing multi-tenant deployments without duplicating configurationnot Heroku
  • Tracking DORA metrics and enforcing deployment approval gatesnot Heroku

Where each one falls short

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

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

Octopus Deploy

  • Free tier caps at 10 projects, 10 tenants, 10 machines, 10 users, 5 concurrent tasks and 1 space
  • Annual billing is the only option for both Octopus Cloud and Octopus Server; there is no monthly plan
  • Professional cloud tier is $4,330 per year and Enterprise cloud is $24,600 per year, with tenants and machines sold as add-ons beyond the free allotment

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Octopus Deploy

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10 projects
    • 10 tenants
    • 10 machines
  • Professional (Cloud)$4330/year
    • Up to 100 projects
    • Unlimited spaces and users
    • Tenants and machines available as add-ons
  • Professional (Server)$2080/year
    • Up to 100 projects
    • Unlimited spaces and users
    • Tenants and machines available as add-ons
  • Enterprise (Cloud)$24600/year
    • 100+ projects supported
    • Unlimited spaces and users
    • 20 concurrent tasks

Which should you pick?

Choose Heroku if

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

Choose Octopus Deploy if

  • You want to start without paying.
Octopus Deploy review

Questions people ask

Is Heroku or Octopus Deploy better?
Neither clearly leads. Heroku starts at $5/month and Octopus Deploy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Heroku or Octopus Deploy?
Octopus Deploy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $5/month for Heroku and Free for Octopus Deploy.
Does Heroku or Octopus Deploy run on more platforms?
Heroku runs on Web, Api, Workers. Octopus Deploy runs on Web.
Can I use Octopus Deploy for free?
Yes. Octopus Deploy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Heroku starts at $5/month.
What is Heroku best used for?
Heroku is most often used for application hosting, database as a service, ci/cd pipelines, api deployment. Of those, application hosting and database as a service are not what Octopus Deploy is typically brought in for.
What can Heroku do that Octopus Deploy cannot?
Heroku covers Git-based deployment, Buildpacks, Dynos (containers), Add-ons marketplace.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Heroku: 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.

Source
Octopus Deploy: How much does Octopus Deploy cost?

Octopus Deploy offers a free tier at $0/year with limits on projects (10), users (10), and tenants (10). Professional plans start at $2,080/year for self-hosted or $4,330/year for cloud hosting.

Source
Heroku: 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.

Source
Octopus Deploy: What does the free Octopus Deploy tier include?

The free tier includes 10 projects, 10 tenants, 10 machines, 10 users, 5 concurrent tasks, 1TB file storage, 100GB database storage, and community support only.

Source
Heroku: 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.

Source
Octopus Deploy: Can I try Octopus Deploy for free before purchasing?

Yes, a free tier is available with unlimited duration but capped usage, plus a 30-day free trial with full Enterprise features is offered to evaluate the platform.

Source
Octopus Deploy: What are the Enterprise pricing differences between Cloud and Server hosting?

Enterprise Cloud hosting costs $24,600/year and includes 20 concurrent tasks and 24/7 support. Enterprise Server self-hosted costs $15,600/year with flexible concurrent task configuration and 24/7 support.

Source
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