Heroku
Spacelift
| Feature | Heroku | Spacelift |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $5/mo | Free / from $35/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | startups, prototyping, small-teams, ruby-python-node-developers | platform-teams, devops-engineers, infrastructure-teams, enterprises |
| Founded | 2007 | 2020 |
| Git Deploy | ✓ | ✗ |
| Managed Postgres | ✓ | ✗ |
| Managed Redis | ✓ | ✗ |
| Add Ons | ✓ | ✗ |
| Review Apps | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pipelines | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto Scaling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Iac Orchestration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Policy Engine | ✗ | ✓ |
| Drift Detection | ✗ | ✓ |
| Modules Registry | ✗ | ✓ |
| Vcs Integration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Approval Workflows | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Spacelift Pros
- Multi-IaC support
- Excellent policy engine
- Good drift detection
- Strong collaboration tools
✗ Spacelift Cons
- Premium pricing
- Newer platform less proven
- Learning curve for policies
The Verdict
Heroku is built for startups and prototyping, with a focus on git-deploy and managed-postgres. Spacelift targets platform teams and devops engineers and leads with iac-orchestration and policy-engine.
On pricing, Heroku is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $5/mo compared to $35/mo for Spacelift. That $30/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Spacelift 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.
Spacelift edges out on user ratings (4.4 vs 4). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, Heroku offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Spacelift takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Spacelift 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.