HerokuvsRender
Container (dyno) PaaS with git-push deploys, managed Postgres/Redis, and a large add-ons marketplace. Render: Container PaaS: static sites, always-on web services, workers, cron, and managed Postgres.
Where they agree
Both natively cover Always-on server, SQL database, KV / cache, Cron jobs, Domain + DNS, SSL / TLS, and more.
Free tier
Render has a free tier; Heroku doesn't.
Heroku stands out for
Nothing Render doesn't also cover natively.
Render stands out for
Web hosting, CDN / edge
Cheapest paid plan: Heroku $5/mo · Render $25/mo. Heroku is a paas, Render a paas.
Feature-by-feature
| Compute | Data | Domains & email | Growth & ops | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Web hosting | Serverless | Always-on server | SQL database | Object storage | KV / cache | Cron jobs | Domain + DNS | Buy domains | Email | SSL / TLS | Analytics | Auth | CI/CD | Logs | CDN / edge |
Tap a provider for its full per-tier pricing. Verified 2026-06-18.