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Coolify, an open-source Heroku alternative.

Last verified: . Written by the Coolify team, so we have a stake in this. Heroku facts link to Heroku's pricing page and Dev Center. See Corrections if a price or feature has moved.

Summary: Heroku is a managed platform: dynos run the app, and databases are add-on services with their own prices. Coolify is a self-hosted dashboard in the same family of "push code, get a running app", with the process and the database on a server you pay for directly. Self-hosted Coolify is free. You still operate the machine.

Hosting model

On Heroku you create an app, push code, and Heroku builds and runs it on dynos. The Eco dyno is the smallest listed size. It sleeps after 30 minutes of inactivity. Managed Postgres, Key-Value Store and Kafka are separate products on the same pricing page. Heroku's Dev Center describes Automated Certificate Management as included, using Let's Encrypt.

Coolify installs on your server (2 cores, 2 GB RAM and 10 GB disk documented). It deploys from Git or from Docker, starts databases on that server, and issues Let's Encrypt certificates. Coolify Cloud moves the dashboard to coolLabs. The apps stay on servers you connect. There is no dyno sleep timer in Coolify. If the server is down, the app is down.

Feature and pricing comparison

Dollar amounts are from each pricing page on 2026-10-19.

Feature Coolify Heroku
Hosting model Open-source software (Apache-2.0) on a server you provide. Coolify Cloud hosts the dashboard only. Apps run on your servers. Managed platform. Dynos are the containers Heroku runs for your app. Postgres, Key-Value Store and Kafka are separate managed services on Heroku. The pricing page lists those Heroku resources.
Deploys GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Gitea. Builds with Nixpacks, Railpack, a Dockerfile or Docker Compose, or a prebuilt image. git push to a Heroku Git remote, or the GitHub integration. Docker is supported on the container stack, via heroku.yml or the Container Registry. Heroku recommends buildpacks unless you need a custom image.
Preview apps Preview deployments for GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Gitea. Review Apps deploy a GitHub pull request to a temporary app. The docs require Heroku Pipelines and the GitHub integration. Automatic creation skips fork PRs on public repos.
Databases PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, Redis, KeyDB, Dragonfly and ClickHouse on your server. Scheduled backups can go to S3-compatible storage. You operate the database. Heroku Postgres, Heroku Key-Value Store and Apache Kafka on Heroku, sold as managed plans. Essential-0 Postgres was listed at $5/month for 1 GB of disk.
HTTPS Automatic Let's Encrypt certificates for custom domains. Automated Certificate Management is included for free and uses Let's Encrypt. TLS is enabled on herokuapp.com for Common Runtime apps. Custom domains are supported.
Always on The app runs while the server you connected is running. Stopping it is a dashboard or server action. Eco dynos sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity and are limited to personal accounts. Basic and above are listed as always on.
Pricing checked 2026-10-19 Self-hosted is free, with the same features as Cloud. Coolify Cloud is $5/month for 2 servers, plus $3/month per extra server. The VPS is a separate bill. Databases are not an add-on fee from Coolify. Eco dyno $5/month (0.5 GB). Basic $7/month, always on, 0.5 GB. Standard-1X $25/month. Data services are extra. Prices are per dyno or data plan, and larger sizes cost more.
What you operate The Linux server. Documented minimum: 2 cores, 2 GB RAM, 10 GB disk. No server of your own. You manage the app, add-ons and the Heroku bill.

When to choose which

  • Choose Heroku when you want dynos, managed Postgres and certificate management without a Linux server to patch. Review Apps cover GitHub pull requests when Pipelines and the GitHub integration are on. Add the dyno price and the database price together. Eco is the low end, and it sleeps.
  • Choose Coolify when you want that dashboard workflow on a VPS, including Docker Compose, several database engines and one-click services, and you are ready to update the server. The Coolify license is Apache-2.0. The software fee is zero if you self-host. The server invoice is not.
Start self-hosting See pricing

FAQ

Is Coolify a Heroku alternative?

Yes, if you want a dashboard that deploys apps and databases and you are ready to run the server yourself. Heroku runs dynos and managed data services for you. Coolify is Apache-2.0 software you install, or Coolify Cloud, which hosts the dashboard while apps stay on your servers.

Does Coolify use git push the way Heroku does?

Heroku deploys with git push to a Heroku remote, and it has a GitHub integration. Coolify connects to GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Gitea and deploys from those repositories, including preview deployments. It does not use a heroku Git remote.

Do Heroku Eco dynos sleep?

Heroku's pricing page says Eco dynos sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity, and that they are for personal accounts. Basic dynos are listed as always on, at $7/month on 2026-10-19. A Coolify app keeps running while its server is up.

Can both run PostgreSQL?

Yes. Heroku Postgres is a managed database with its own plan. Essential-0 was $5/month for 1 GB of disk on 2026-10-19. Coolify starts PostgreSQL on your server and can schedule backups to S3-compatible storage. You handle disk, upgrades and restores on that server.

Sources

Checked 2026-10-19, from public pages:

Corrections

Heroku's dyno types and prices change. If a figure here is stale, tell us at github.com/coollabsio/coolify.io/issues with a link to the current Dev Center or pricing page.