Softwr

Software · head to head

Heroku vs Prometheus

Heroku logo

Heroku

Software

Cloud Application Platform

From
$7/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prometheus logo

Prometheus

Software

Open source monitoring and alerting toolkit for cloud native environments

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Prometheus 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; Prometheus not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • They diverge on capability: Heroku covers Git-based deployment, Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Heroku and Prometheus actually diverge.

Attributes where Heroku and Prometheus differ
AttributeHerokuPrometheus
Starting price$7/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Api, WorkersLinux, macOS, Windows
Founded20072015

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 Heroku

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

Only in Prometheus

  • Multi-dimensional Data Model
  • PromQL Query Language
  • Pull-based Collection
  • Service Discovery
  • Alerting Rules
  • Federation
  • Local Storage
  • Grafana

What people use each for

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

Heroku

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

Prometheus

  • Cloud-native monitoring and alertingnot Heroku
  • Time-series metrics collectionnot Heroku
  • Infrastructure monitoringnot 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

Prometheus

  • Not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • Hard limit on scrape body size; large responses cause scrape failure
  • Per-scrape sample limit enforced; exceeding limit marks targets as failed
  • Not designed for long-term durable storage; optimised for metrics collection

Pricing, plan by plan

Heroku

$7/month
  • Hobby$7/month
    • 512MB RAM
    • Shared CPU
    • 1 web dyno
  • Standard$50/month
    • 512MB RAM
    • Dedicated CPU
    • Automatic scaling

Prometheus

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Prometheus review.

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 Prometheus if

  • You need multi-dimensional data model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want promql query language.
Prometheus review

Questions people ask

Is Heroku or Prometheus better?
Neither clearly leads. Heroku starts at $7/month and Prometheus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Heroku or Prometheus?
Prometheus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $7/month for Heroku and Free for Prometheus.
Does Heroku or Prometheus run on more platforms?
Heroku runs on Web, Api, Workers. Prometheus runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Prometheus for free?
Yes. Prometheus has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Heroku starts at $7/month.
What is Heroku best used for?
Heroku is most often used for deploying and scaling web applications with git push and no server administration, running managed postgres, redis and kafka as attached data services, isolated production environments in a private space for regulated workloads. Of those, deploying and scaling web applications with git push and no server administration and running managed postgres, redis and kafka as attached data services are not what Prometheus is typically brought in for.
What can Heroku do that Prometheus cannot?
Heroku covers Git-based deployment, Buildpacks, Dynos (containers), Add-ons marketplace. Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model, PromQL Query Language, Pull-based Collection, Service Discovery.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Heroku

More on Prometheus

Keep looking

Other head to heads