Switching from Heroku to Deplexo
Heroku removed its free tier in 2022 and entered sustaining engineering mode in February 2026. Deplexo has a free tier and is in active development.
Why switch from Heroku
Heroku discontinued its free tier in November 2022, which moved all users to paid plans. The cheapest option, Eco dynos at $5/month, still sleeps after 30 minutes of inactivity. In February 2026, Salesforce moved Heroku to sustaining engineering mode, which means maintenance only and no new features. The developer experience has stopped improving, and projects are moving off the platform.
What Deplexo offers
Free tier
128 MB RAM, 1 app, no credit card. The app stays on with no sleep timer.
No Procfile
Deplexo auto-detects your framework. Add a deplexo.yaml if you need overrides.
Secure by default
Every container runs with a read-only root filesystem and restricted privileges.
Fixed pricing
$0/5/10/custom plans, with no usage charges or add-on markup.
How to migrate
- Connect the same GitHub repo to Deplexo.
- Copy environment variables from Heroku Settings to Deplexo's Env Vars tab.
- Deploy. Deplexo auto-detects your framework, so you don't need a Procfile.
- Update custom domain DNS if applicable.
- Cancel your Heroku subscription.
FAQ
- Is Deplexo a drop-in Heroku replacement?
For most apps, yes. Connect the same repo, copy your env vars, and deploy. Heroku-specific features like managed add-ons and review apps are not available.
- What about Heroku Postgres?
Deplexo doesn't offer managed databases. Use an external provider (Neon, PlanetScale, Supabase) and connect via env vars.
- Does Deplexo support buildpacks?
No. Deplexo uses auto-detection to generate Dockerfiles, or you bring your own Dockerfile.
- Will my Heroku CLI scripts work?
No. Deplexo uses a web dashboard, not a CLI. API access is available at /user/api/v1/docs.