Fly.io vs Heroku Comparison
Detailed comparison of features, pricing, and capabilities
Last updated April 4, 2026
Overview
Compare key metrics and features at a glance
Fly.io
https://fly.io
Fly.io is a platform that allows developers to deploy applications closer to their users by running them in micro-VMs on a global network of servers. It transforms Docker containers into micro-VMs that can run anywhere in the world, providing better performance through edge computing and simplified deployment processes. The platform specializes in running full-stack applications globally with minimal latency.
Heroku
https://www.heroku.com
Heroku is a cloud platform as a service (PaaS) that enables companies to build, deliver, monitor and scale applications. The platform supports several programming languages and allows developers to deploy, manage, and scale modern apps without having to manage the underlying infrastructure. Heroku was acquired by Salesforce in 2010 and has since become one of the most popular PaaS solutions for web application deployment.
Quick Comparison
| Detail | Fly.io | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Platform as a Service (PaaS) | Platform as a Service (PaaS) |
| Starting Price | Free | Contact Sales |
| Plans Available | 5 | 0 |
| Features Tracked | 16 | 17 |
| Founded | 2017 | 2007 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, USA | San Francisco, USA |
Features
Detailed feature-by-feature comparison
Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| api | ||
| CLI Access | ||
| Fly Machines API | ||
| core | ||
| Application Metrics | ||
| Auto-Scaling | ||
| Autoscaling | ||
| Docker Container Deployment | ||
| Dynos | ||
| Firecracker MicroVMs | ||
| Fly Launch | ||
| Global Anycast Networking | ||
| Heroku Dashboard | ||
| Heroku Key-Value Store | ||
| Heroku Pipelines | ||
| Heroku Postgres | ||
| Managed Inference and Agents | ||
| Managed Postgres | ||
| Managed Redis | ||
| Multi-Region Deployment | ||
| Multi-language Support | ||
| Multiple Language Support | ||
| Persistent Volumes | ||
| Private Network | ||
| custom | ||
| Buildpacks | ||
| integration | ||
| Add-ons Marketplace | ||
| Apache Kafka on Heroku | ||
| CI/CD Integration | ||
| Heroku AppLink | Add-on | |
| Model Context Protocol (MCP) | ||
| security | ||
| Secrets Management | ||
| Security Patches | ||
| support | ||
| Prometheus Metrics | ||
| Team Collaboration | ||
| flyctl CLI | ||
Pricing
Compare pricing plans and value for money
Fly.io
From $0/mo
Price Components
- Compute (shared-cpu-1x 256MB): $0.0028/hour
- Persistent Volumes: $0.15/GB
- Volume Snapshots: $0.08/GB (10 included)
- Data Egress (NA/Europe): $0.02/GB
- Dedicated IPv4: $2/address
Best For
Developers and startups building latency-sensitive, full-stack or stateful apps like global APIs and databases that need edge deployment without vendor lock-in.
Heroku
Contact Sales
No pricing data available yet
Best For
Developers and startups needing quick Git-based deploys and managed scaling for modern web apps without infrastructure management.
Integrations
See which third-party services are supported
Supported Integrations
Coming Soon
Integration comparison data for Fly.io, Heroku is being collected and will be available soon.
Strengths & Limitations
Key strengths and limitations of each service
Fly.io
Developers and startups building latency-sensitive, full-stack or stateful apps like global APIs and databases that need edge deployment without vendor lock-in.
- Deploys Docker containers as micro-VMs across global edge locations with Anycast networking for sub-100ms latency, outperforming centralized PaaS like Heroku.
- Supports stateful apps via Fly Volumes for persistent NVMe storage and managed Postgres with automated scaling, unlike ephemeral serverless competitors.
- Generous free Hobby tier covers compute, storage, and Anycast IPs with pure pay-as-you-go pricing, avoiding minimum fees of Render or DigitalOcean.
- 7th most popular deployment platform with 2.5% market share and 3M+ apps launched, backed by Series C funding and $11.2M 2024 revenue.
- Managed Postgres requires more hands-on management than fully managed DBaaS from AWS or DigitalOcean, lacking complete 'hands-off' automation.
- Enterprise support starts at $2500/month, pricier than Render's $29/user organization plans for similar scale.
- Smaller team of 51-200 employees may limit rapid feature development versus hyperscalers like AWS.
Heroku
Developers and startups needing quick Git-based deploys and managed scaling for modern web apps without infrastructure management.
- Git push deployment and dyno autoscaling enable instant scaling for web apps, unlike more complex setups on AWS or Azure.
- Managed data services like Heroku Postgres and Redis handle backups and HA, freeing developers from infra tasks.
- Native buildpacks for Node.js, Python, Java, and others simplify multi-language deploys versus custom configs elsewhere.
- Doubled 1GB slug limit supports AI/ML frameworks, boosting complex app compatibility.
- Transitioning to sustaining engineering mode limits new features, lagging behind innovative PaaS like Upsun.
- Runs atop AWS EC2 with dyno-based pricing that can escalate costs for high-traffic apps versus granular cloud options.
- Enterprise feature freeze pushes users toward Salesforce alternatives like Agentforce.
Company Info
Company details and background
Fly.io
Heroku
Comparison FAQ
Common questions about comparing Fly.io and Heroku
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