Open-source alternatives to Heroku
Self-host a Heroku alternative from $4.13/mo and save up to $34/yr per seat vs Heroku. 3 open-source projects that replace Heroku, ranked by computed health score and real self-hosting cost.
The 3 alternatives, ranked by health
Health score is a 6-dimension composite. See methodology for formula and weights.
A docker-powered PaaS that helps you build and manage the lifecycle of applications
An open-source, self-hostable PaaS alternative to Vercel, Heroku & Netlify that lets you easily deploy static sites, databases, full-stack applications and 280+ one-click services on your own servers.
Scalable PaaS (automated Docker+nginx) - aka Heroku on Steroids
Compare the top Heroku alternatives head-to-head
Side-by-side breakdowns and self-hosting cost for the leading picks.
Cost comparison vs Heroku
Self-hosting cost on cheapest plan meeting requirements vs Heroku entry tier ($7/mo).
| Project | Self-host /mo | Heroku /mo | Save /yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| dokku | $4.13 | $7+ | $34 | Deploy → |
| coolify | $4.13 | $7+ | $34 | Deploy → |
| caprover | $4.13 | $7+ | $34 | Deploy → |
Pick your alternative
Most operators land on dokku (top health score in this category; cheapest VPS path is dokku on hetzner for $4.13/mo).
Data refreshed daily. Pricing for Heroku sourced from official site.