Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Heroku
| Feature | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $0/mo | From $5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4 / 5 |
| Best For | enterprises, startups, large-scale-applications, machine-learning-teams | startups, prototyping, small-teams, ruby-python-node-developers |
| Founded | 2006 | 2007 |
| Compute Ec2 | ✓ | ✗ |
| Storage S3 | ✓ | ✗ |
| Serverless Lambda | ✓ | ✗ |
| Databases Rds | ✓ | ✗ |
| Machine Learning | ✓ | ✗ |
| Containers Ecs | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cdn Cloudfront | ✓ | ✗ |
| Git Deploy | ✗ | ✓ |
| Managed Postgres | ✗ | ✓ |
| Managed Redis | ✗ | ✓ |
| Add Ons | ✗ | ✓ |
| Review Apps | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pipelines | ✗ | ✓ |
| Auto Scaling | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Amazon Web Services (AWS) Pros
- Most extensive service catalog of any cloud provider
- Global infrastructure with 30+ regions worldwide
- 12-month free tier covering many services
- Mature enterprise tooling and compliance certifications
✗ Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cons
- Complex pricing that is hard to predict
- Steep learning curve with overwhelming service count
- Console UI feels dated compared to competitors
✓ Heroku Pros
- Simplest deployment experience (git push to deploy)
- Extensive add-on marketplace for databases and services
- Great for prototyping and MVPs
- Managed Postgres and Redis included
✗ Heroku Cons
- Removed free tier in 2022
- Expensive for production workloads at scale
- Limited infrastructure customization
The Verdict
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is built for enterprises and startups, with a focus on compute-ec2 and storage-s3. Heroku targets startups and prototyping and leads with git-deploy and managed-postgres.
On pricing, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $0/mo compared to $5/mo for Heroku. That $5/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Heroku requires a paid subscription from day one.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) edges out on user ratings (4.5 vs 4). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Both tools are a solid fit for startups — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: Amazon Web Services (AWS) has a slight overall edge — but if simplest deployment experience (git push to deploy) matters most to you, Heroku may still be the right call.