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Heroku vs Render: which free plan?
Heroku's free plan has ended, so Render is the one you can still sign up for free.
Both checked against their official pricing pages on 1 Nov 2026.
| Type | Managed PaaS | Cloud platform |
|---|---|---|
| Free-tier score | 57 / 100 | 88 / 100 |
| Card to sign up | Required | Not required |
| Free plan ends | No free plan | Never (free Postgres expires after 30 days) |
| Sleeps when idle | Eco dynos sleep after 30 min of inactivity | Spins down after 15 min without traffic; about 1 min to wake |
| Commercial use | Allowed | Not stated |
| Own domain on free | No | Yes |
| Free subdomain | *.herokuapp.com | *.onrender.com |
| Free limits |
|
|
| The catch | There is no free plan; every app needs a paid dyno. | The free service sleeps after 15 minutes, so the first visitor waits about a minute. |
| Paid from | $5/mo (Eco) | $7/mo (Starter instance) |
| Source | Official pricing for Heroku (opens in a new tab) | Official pricing for Render (opens in a new tab) |
Which one should you pick?
Pick Heroku if…
Free dynos, free Heroku Postgres and free Redis ended on 28 November 2022; the cheapest option is now the $5 Eco dyno, which sleeps after 30 min.
Pick Render if…
- you do not want to add a card
- you want a free plan with no end date
- you need your own domain on the free plan
- your project is: hobby full-stack apps and APIs
Questions
Which is better for free, Heroku or Render?
Heroku's free plan has ended, so Render is the one you can still sign up for free.
Does Heroku or Render need a credit card?
Heroku: yes. Render: no.
What is the catch with Heroku and Render?
Heroku: There is no free plan; every app needs a paid dyno. Render: The free service sleeps after 15 minutes, so the first visitor waits about a minute.