DevVersus

Heroku vs Fly.io(2026)

Heroku is better for teams that need large add-ons ecosystem. Fly.io is the stronger choice if true global deployment. Heroku is paid (from $5/month) and Fly.io is freemium (from $1.94/month).

Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.

Affiliate disclosure: Some “Visit” links on this page are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you sign up — at no extra cost to you. It does not affect our rankings or editorial coverage. Learn more.

Heroku logo

Heroku

paid

Heroku is a platform as a service (PaaS) that enables developers to build, run, and operate applications entirely in the cloud.

Starting at $5/month

Visit Heroku
Fly.io logo

Fly.io

freemium

Fly.io transforms containers into micro-VMs that run on hardware in 35+ cities around the world, close to your users.

Starting at $1.94/month

Visit Fly.io

How Do Heroku and Fly.io Compare on Features?

FeatureHerokuFly.io
Pricing modelpaidfreemium
Starting price$5/month$1.94/month
Git push deploy
Add-ons marketplace
Managed PostgreSQL
Review apps
CI/CD pipeline
Global edge deployment
Docker-based
35+ regions
Persistent volumes
Private networking

Heroku Pros and Cons vs Fly.io

H

Heroku

+Large add-ons ecosystem
+Mature platform
+Good documentation
Removed free tier in 2022
Expensive compared to alternatives
Older UX
Owned by Salesforce
F

Fly.io

+True global deployment
+Docker-native
+Low latency globally
+Competitive pricing
Steeper learning curve
CLI-heavy workflow
Less beginner-friendly

Should You Use Heroku or Fly.io?

Choose Heroku if…

  • Large add-ons ecosystem
  • Mature platform
  • Good documentation

Choose Fly.io if…

  • True global deployment
  • Docker-native
  • Low latency globally

More Hosting & Deployment Comparisons