Temps vs Heroku 2026: Same git-push DX, 90% less cost
Heroku's free tier was removed in November 2022. The cheapest always-on Heroku stack — Basic dyno ($7/mo) + Heroku Postgres Mini ($5/mo) + Redis Mini ($15/mo) — costs $27+/mo before observability. Add Sentry ($26+/mo) and you're at $53+/mo with no analytics or session replay. Temps is ~$6/mo flat (Hetzner server cost + 30% margin) with everything included: git-push deploys, managed PostgreSQL and Redis, Sentry-compatible error tracking, privacy-first analytics, session replay, and uptime monitoring.
Heroku Pricing Plans 2026
| Plan | Price | Sleep? | Dyno Type | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eco | $5/mo (1000 dyno-hours/mo) | Yes (30 min idle) | Shared | Dev/test only |
| Basic | $7/mo per dyno | No | Shared | Always-on side projects |
| Standard-1X | $25/mo per dyno | No | 512 MB RAM | Production apps |
| Standard-2X | $50/mo per dyno | No | 1 GB RAM | Memory-heavy apps |
| Performance-M | $250/mo per dyno | No | 2.5 GB RAM | High-traffic apps |
Source: Heroku pricing page. Numbers current as of 2026.
No free tier since Nov 2022 — Temps self-hosts free
Heroku removed all free dynos, free Postgres, and free Redis in November 2022. The cheapest always-on option is a Basic dyno at $7/mo. Temps is Apache 2.0 — self-host free on any VPS, or use Temps Cloud at ~$6/mo.
No add-on sprawl — observability built in
Every Heroku observability tool is a paid add-on. Sentry costs $26+/mo, Papertrail $7+/mo, New Relic $99+/mo, Pingdom $15+/mo. Temps ships Sentry-compatible error tracking, analytics, session replay, and uptime monitoring in the same binary as the deployment engine.
No dyno sleeping
Heroku Eco dynos ($5/mo) sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity — the first request after sleep takes 10–30 seconds. Basic dynos ($7/mo) are always-on. Temps services run 24/7 on your infrastructure with no sleep behavior.
Self-hostable, no Salesforce lock-in
Heroku is owned by Salesforce and closed-source. Temps is Apache 2.0 — install on any VPS, cloud, or on-premises server. Your code and data never depend on Salesforce's roadmap.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Temps | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Git push deployments | ||
| Docker support | ||
| Automatic SSL | ||
| Custom domains | ||
| Preview environments | Per pull request | Review Apps |
| Managed PostgreSQL | Included | From $5/mo extra |
| Managed Redis | Included | From $15/mo extra |
| S3-compatible storage | Built-in MinIO | |
| Error tracking | Sentry-compatible | Sentry add-on ($29+/mo) |
| Analytics | Privacy-first, unlimited | Add-on required |
| Session replay | Built-in | |
| Uptime monitoring | Built-in alerts | Pingdom add-on ($10+/mo) |
| Self-hosted option | ||
| Horizontal scaling | Multi-node cluster | Standard-1X+ only ($25+/mo) |
| Background workers | Cron & queues | Separate worker dyno ($25+/mo) |
| Build minutes | Unlimited | 25 min timeout |
Pricing Comparison
Heroku charges separately for dynos, databases, Redis, and every observability tool. A realistic production stack costs $80–190/mo. With Temps, you self-host for free or use Temps Cloud for ~$6/mo — with analytics, error tracking, and monitoring included.
| Scenario | Temps | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby/Eco | $0 (self-hosted) | $5/mo (sleeps after 30 min) |
| Always-on app | $0 (self-hosted) | $7/mo (Basic) or $25/mo (Standard) |
| App + DB + Redis | $6/mo (Temps Cloud) | $45–90/mo |
| Production + observability | $6/mo (Temps Cloud) | $80–190+/mo (dyno + DB + add-ons) |
Choose Temps if you...
- You want error tracking, analytics, and monitoring without extra subscriptions
- You need predictable costs — not per-dyno, per-add-on billing
- You want always-on apps without paying $25+/mo per process
- You need self-hosting for compliance (HIPAA, SOC2, GDPR)
- You want to escape Salesforce vendor lock-in
- You want managed databases included, not billed separately
Choose Heroku if you...
- You want a fully managed platform with zero server maintenance
- You rely on Heroku's mature add-on marketplace (200+ integrations)
- You need Heroku Pipelines and advanced CI/CD workflows
- You're already invested in the Salesforce ecosystem
Migration from Heroku
If you already have a Dockerfile, migration is quick — your container works directly with Temps and your Procfile process types map to Temps service definitions. Without a Dockerfile, you'll need to write one (typically 30–60 minutes per app). The bigger effort is add-on substitution: Heroku Postgres and Redis map to Temps built-ins; SendGrid maps to Temps' built-in transactional email (SMTP, SES, or Scaleway providers). Migrate environment variables via `bunx @temps-sdk/cli environments vars set`. Plan half a day for a typical Heroku app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Heroku pricing, free tier limits, and Next.js support in 2026.
Does Heroku still have a free tier in 2026?
How much does Heroku cost in 2026?
What is the cheapest Heroku alternative in 2026?
Does Heroku have built-in error tracking or analytics?
What is Temps' reverse proxy — is it production-ready?
Can I migrate from Heroku to a self-hosted alternative?
Ready to switch from Heroku?
Get started with Temps in minutes. Self-host for free or use our cloud add-ons.