Heroku
Terraform
| Feature | Heroku | Terraform |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $5/mo | Free / from $0.00014/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | startups, prototyping, small-teams, ruby-python-node-developers | devops-engineers, cloud-architects, platform-teams, infrastructure-teams |
| Founded | 2007 | 2014 |
| Git Deploy | ✓ | ✗ |
| Managed Postgres | ✓ | ✗ |
| Managed Redis | ✓ | ✗ |
| Add Ons | ✓ | ✗ |
| Review Apps | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pipelines | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto Scaling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Infrastructure As Code | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi Cloud | ✗ | ✓ |
| State Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Plan And Apply | ✗ | ✓ |
| Modules | ✗ | ✓ |
| Provider Ecosystem | ✗ | ✓ |
| Drift Detection | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Terraform Pros
- Multi-cloud support with consistent workflow
- Declarative language (HCL) is readable and maintainable
- Massive provider ecosystem (3,000+ providers)
- State management tracks real infrastructure
- Terraform Cloud adds collaboration features
✗ Terraform Cons
- State file management requires careful handling
- BSL license change from open source caused controversy
- Complex modules can be hard to debug
The Verdict
Heroku is built for startups and prototyping, with a focus on git-deploy and managed-postgres. Terraform targets devops engineers and cloud architects and leads with infrastructure-as-code and multi-cloud.
Pricing is close: Terraform starts at $0.00014/mo versus $5/mo for Heroku — not a deciding factor on its own.
Terraform 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.
Terraform edges out on user ratings (4.5 vs 4). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: Terraform 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.