Heroku
Swagger (SmartBear)
| Feature | Heroku | Swagger (SmartBear) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $5/mo | Free / from $75/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | startups, prototyping, small-teams, ruby-python-node-developers | api-developers, backend-teams, enterprise-architects, documentation-teams |
| Founded | 2007 | 2010 |
| Git Deploy | ✓ | ✗ |
| Managed Postgres | ✓ | ✗ |
| Managed Redis | ✓ | ✗ |
| Add Ons | ✓ | ✗ |
| Review Apps | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pipelines | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto Scaling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Api Design | ✗ | ✓ |
| Documentation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Code Generation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Api Testing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Collaboration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Openapi Editor | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mock Servers | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Swagger (SmartBear) Pros
- Industry standard for API documentation (OpenAPI)
- Interactive API documentation with try-it-out feature
- Collaborative API design on SwaggerHub
- Auto-generates client SDKs and server stubs
✗ Swagger (SmartBear) Cons
- SwaggerHub paid plans needed for team collaboration
- OpenAPI spec can be verbose for complex APIs
- UI customization options are limited
The Verdict
Heroku is built for startups and prototyping, with a focus on git-deploy and managed-postgres. Swagger (SmartBear) targets api developers and backend teams and leads with api-design and documentation.
On pricing, Heroku is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $5/mo compared to $75/mo for Swagger (SmartBear). That $70/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Swagger (SmartBear) 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.
Bottom line: Swagger (SmartBear) 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.