Heroku vs Vast.ai Comparison
Detailed comparison of features, pricing, and capabilities
Last updated May 1, 2026
Overview
Compare key metrics and features at a glance
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.
Vast.ai
https://vast.ai
Vast.ai is a decentralized cloud GPU marketplace that connects individuals and businesses who need GPU compute resources with hosts who have idle GPU hardware available for rent. The platform allows users to rent GPU instances at significantly lower prices than traditional cloud providers by aggregating consumer and data center GPUs from around the world. Vast.ai supports a wide range of use cases including machine learning training, inference, rendering, and other compute-intensive workloads.
Quick Comparison
| Detail | Heroku | Vast.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Platform as a Service (PaaS) | AI Cloud Infrastructure |
| Starting Price | Contact Sales | Contact Sales |
| Plans Available | 0 | 3 |
| Features Tracked | 17 | 16 |
| Founded | 2007 | 2017 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, USA | San Francisco, USA |
Features
Detailed feature-by-feature comparison
Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| api | ||
| CLI & SDK | ||
| CLI Access | ||
| REST API | ||
| core | ||
| Application Metrics | ||
| Autoscaling | ||
| Clusters for Training | ||
| Diverse GPU Support | ||
| Dynos | ||
| GPU Marketplace | ||
| Heroku Dashboard | ||
| Heroku Key-Value Store | ||
| Heroku Pipelines | ||
| Heroku Postgres | ||
| Instance Filtering | ||
| Interruptible Instances | ||
| Managed Inference and Agents | ||
| Multi-language Support | ||
| On-Demand Instances | ||
| Per-Second Billing | ||
| Pre-Built Templates | ||
| Real-Time Pricing | ||
| Reserved Instances | ||
| Serverless Inference | ||
| custom | ||
| Buildpacks | ||
| integration | ||
| Add-ons Marketplace | ||
| Apache Kafka on Heroku | ||
| Heroku AppLink | Add-on | |
| Model Context Protocol (MCP) | ||
| security | ||
| Direct Payload Delivery | ||
| SOC2 Certification | ||
| Security Patches | ||
| support | ||
| 24/7 Expert Support | ||
| Team Collaboration | ||
Pricing
Compare pricing plans and value for money
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.
Vast.ai
Contact Sales
Price Components
- GPU Usage: $0/second
- GPU Usage: $0/second
- Reserved Capacity: $0/term
Best For
Cost-sensitive ML practitioners and researchers running batch training, inference, or rendering on flexible, preemptible GPU workloads.
Integrations
See which third-party services are supported
Supported Integrations
Coming Soon
Integration comparison data for Heroku, Vast.ai is being collected and will be available soon.
Strengths & Limitations
Key strengths and limitations of each service
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.
Vast.ai
Cost-sensitive ML practitioners and researchers running batch training, inference, or rendering on flexible, preemptible GPU workloads.
- Decentralized marketplace aggregates 20,000+ GPUs worldwide, offering 3-6x savings via dynamic real-time pricing over hyperscalers.
- Per-second billing with on-demand, interruptible (50%+ cheaper), and reserved options for flexible cost control.
- Supports diverse high-end GPUs like RTX 4090, A100, H200 with pre-built AI templates and multi-GPU configs.
- Instant deployment via web, CLI, SDK, API, and native Docker for rapid ML training and inference.
- Interruptible instances risk preemption, unsuitable for production needing guaranteed uptime.
- Decentralized peer-to-peer model may yield inconsistent reliability versus managed hyperscaler infrastructure.
- Small team (11-50 employees) limits enterprise-grade support and scale compared to giants like AWS.
Company Info
Company details and background
Heroku
Vast.ai
Comparison FAQ
Common questions about comparing Heroku and Vast.ai
No FAQs available yet